News release
The Grammy-award winning rock ‘n’ roll group Blues Traveler will take the stage of the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 9.
More than 30 years ago, the four original members burst onto the scene with the trio of Gold-selling albums: “Blues Traveler” (1990), “Travelers and Thieves (1991), and “Save His Soul” (1993).
With hits like “Run Around” — the longest-charting radio single in Billboard History and earning the band a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals — the band has sold more than 10 million combined units worldwide and played over 2,000 live shows for more than 30 million people.
“The way the songs have held up moves me,” lead vocalist John Popper said in a news release.
Now, the quintet — Popper (vocals, harmonica), Chan Kinchla (guitar), Tad Kinchla (bass), Ben Wilson (keyboards), and Brendan Hill (drums) — channel the same magic on their 15th full-length album, “Traveler’s Soul,” the release said. On the record, the group put their spin on R&B and soul staples straight out of the American Songbook.
“Music is the old magic,” Kinchla said in the release. “You can’t recreate a live performance anywhere. It happens once – in the studio or on stage – and it brings everyone together. The songs we chose for ‘Traveler’s Soul’ move people so much because there are great pockets you can really sink into. You just don’t want to leave.”
In 2021, the band tackled a batch of blues covers with “Traveler’s Blues” and wound up with a Grammy Award nomination in the category of “Best Traditional Blues Album.” Maintaining this momentum, the musicians made the decision to dive headfirst into another lane altogether.
“We had so much fun with ‘Traveler’s Blues’ that we were like, ‘We should try this again with a different style,’” Kinchla added. “We have so many influences, going from hip-hop and blues to pop, rock, and R&B. We wanted to honor soul and R&B and challenge ourselves by trying our own take on some of our favorites from those genres.”
“I am a firm believer that rock ‘n’ roll keeps you young,” added Kinchla. “I don’t feel any different than I did when we started.”
Ticket prices are $85, $115, $145, and $175, and are available for purchase at canyonsPAC.com, in person at the PAC box office, or by calling the box office at 661-362-5304.
The PAC is located on the campus of College of the Canyons, 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Valencia.
