THIS JUST IN: New Year, New Performances Times Two, at The Bankhead

Livermore, CA – (January 5, 2024) – The New Year celebrations may be dwindling down, but in the midst of its 17th Season, Livermore Valley Arts is keeping the excitement coming with two just-announced performances being added to the Bankhead Theater’s spring lineup. From recognized actor, comedian, impressionist, and podcast host Kevin Pollak on Friday, April 19, to Roy Rogers & The Delta Rhythm Kings, who sound “the way good bourbon tastes, smooth and with a kick” (Spin), on Friday, May 10, these spring additions will be sure to bring delights on many levels at The Bankhead as the days become longer. Thrills from film and music: these performances will be at the beautiful Bankhead Theater in Downtown Livermore. Livermore Valley Arts’ Members get priority access to tickets beginning at noon today, Friday, January 5th, with regular tickets on sale for the general public beginning January 12, 2024.

A Bay Area native, Kevin Pollak started as a stand-up comedian in San Francisco and became a touring pro by age twenty. A few years later, he rose to the top of the SF stand-up scene and moved to Los Angeles, and 200 auditions later, he landed a few TV and film gigs, which proved enough to get him to the couch of Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. Kevin instantly became a regular, appearing on the show two or three times a year until Johnny’s retirement. In 1992, Pollak’s role in Rob Reiner’s A Few Good Men proved his ability to stand out on the big screen among cinematic icons. The unplanned transformation of Kevin becoming a dramatic actor was further established two years later when he costarred in The Usual Suspects and Martin Scorsese’s Casino in the same year. With co-starring credits in at least 78 films, Kevin has also co-starred on a few television series, appearing opposite Allison Janney and Anna Farris in Mom in its first two seasons, as well as co-starring with Jane Lynch in Angel From Hell, and can currently be seen playing ‘Moishe Maisel’ on Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Recent film credits include The Tiger Hunter, Borealis, Netflix’s Special Correspondents (co-starring with Ricky Gervais and Eric Bana), War Dogs (alongside Jonah Hill and Miles Teller), Max Rose (starring opposite the legendary Jerry Lewis), Three Christs (with Richard Gere, Peter Dinklage, and Julianna Margulies), and Lez Bomb (with Bruce Dern). Pollak’s first outing as a director, the comedy documentary Misery Loves Comedy, premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, shooting to #1 on iTunes in just two days for documentaries. Later that year, Kevin directed the indie comedy The Late Bloomer, based on a true story of a man who didn’t experience puberty until age 30, starring Johnny Simmons, Brittany Snow, Jane Lynch, J.K. Simmons, Maria Bello, Kumail Nanjiani, and Beck Bennett. Kevin never forgot his first love, and released another one-hour stand-up comedy special, “The Littlest Suspect,” in 2010. He was named by Comedy Central as one of the Top 100 Comedians of All Time. In 2013, Kevin released his autobiography, “How I Slept My Way to The Middle.” Pollak has also been a pioneer in the podcast world: his award-winning Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show (described as “Charlie Rose, but fun”) debuted in 2009, with almost 300 interviews to choose from at Kevinpollak.tv and Youtube. A talent that has brought smiles and laughter to all of our faces during his illustrious career, The Bankhead is thrilled to be presenting Kevin Pollack in the Tri-Valley on April 19.

Roy Rogers, “one of the rare guitar heroes who values feeling over flash” (Rolling Stone), is considered one of the world’s preeminent master Delta slide guitarists. With over 20 recordings to his credit, Rogers has garnered 8 Grammy nominations for producing as a recording artist and songwriter. His collaborations have garnered major media accolades globally for producing critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated recordings for John Lee and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, as well as collaborations with Ray Manzarek (The Doors), Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, Allan Toussaint & Sammy Hagar, among others. He is known worldwide for his searing performances that have been named festival favorites at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland, Montreux in Switzerland, Pistoia in Italy, as well as many North American festivals in Canada and the United States, having performed worldwide for more than four decades. With his electrifying mastery of slide guitar coupled with his capacity for superior live performances, Rogers has garnered consistent critical acclaim for his consummate studio work as well as his deft ability to bring the house down during live shows with his band, The Delta Rhythm Kings. “I’m the guy that always likes to push the envelope,” Rogers says at home in Northern California. “We have always covered a lot of ground with other artists that I have had synergy with our musical tastes, and my band has been with me for many years – we just sync so well. I’ve been very fortunate through the years to collaborate with many gifted artists that I admire and consider longtime friends.” Born in Redding in 1950 and named after Hollywood’s King of the Cowboys, Rogers grew up in the Bay Area and started playing guitar at the age of 12, becoming entranced by the recordings of the blues, especially Robert Johnson, at age 15. By age 13, he was playing in a local R&R band and quickly became a young blues fanatic hitting the San Francisco ‘60s club scene – even once taking his little brother to see Jimi Hendrix perform. When  asked him to go on tour in 1982, it changed his life. Forty years later, he continues to be an inspired player, bringing audiences to their feet across the globe, and The Bankhead is extremely excited to present this virtuoso and his band on May 10. “Roy Rogers means the modern master in the art of slide guitar. His versatility with the technique is nothing short of astonishing” (All Music Guide). The Delta Rhythm Kings are:

Steve Ehrmann (Bass Guitar) was born and raised in Milwaukee, where he fell in love with Blues and Rhythm & Blues music and began playing electric bass. Since moving to Northern California in the 1970s, Steve has played in the bands of, among others, John Lee , Charlie Musselwhite, Roy Rogers, Elvin Bishop, Coco Montoya, Katy Webster, The Gospel Hummingbirds, Mighty Mike Schermer, Angela Strehli, and The Blues Broads. He has also had the privilege of backing up blues and R&B/Roots Music greats Lightnin’ Hopkins, Big Walter Horton, Johnny Adams, Earl King, Luther Tucker, Tad Robinson, Sista Monica Parker, Terry Hanck, and many more. Since the mid-1970s, Steve has enjoyed an ongoing music association with Roy Rogers and for most of those years, as one of The Delta Rhythm Kings.

Kevin Hayes (Drums) is a San Francisco Bay Area-based drummer and songwriter, probably best known for his 20 years as the drummer for The Robert Cray Band. During his time with Cray from 1989 to 2008, he recorded nine studio albums, including the 1999 Grammy-winning Take Your Shoes Off, as well as a double live disc, Live From Across The Pond, recorded at London’s Royal Albert Hall. During his time with Cray’s band, he also played on records by John Lee , B.B. King, and Van Morrison, among many others. His live show credits include performances with B.B. King, John Lee , Etta James, Allen Toussaint, Roy Rogers & The Delta Rhythm Kings, Tracy Nelson, Jon Hendricks, Hubert Sumlin, Jimmy Vaughan, Lee Dorsey, Curtis Salgado, Bonnie Hayes, and many others. Since leaving Cray’s band, he has worked independently on a variety of musical projects, including playing and recording with virtuoso slide guitarist Roy Rogers and The Delta Rhythm Kings, recording and touring in the Manzarek?Rogers Band with Roy Rogers and the late Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek, as well as recording and touring with the sensational British blues guitarist and singer Matt Schofield.

Roadie Ralph Baglio has been with Roy Rogers since 1990. Born and raised in San Francisco, Ralph has been a guitarist playing with various local rock bands since the 1960s. He helped start the very first ‘Bananas At Large Music Store’ in San Francisco, now known only as Bananas, and saw just about every live show there was to see at The Fillmore, Winterland, and Avalon Ballroom during the 60’s and 70’s.

Tickets for all shows in the 2023-2024 Bankhead Presents season are available online, by calling 925-373-6800, or at the box office windows. For a complete list of events, visit livermorearts.org.