William Kerns 7-2008
This year, the headliner expected to interest the younger, college-age market is Cross Canadian Ragweed, a four-piece alternative country band originally from Yukon, Okla., and became known for touring hundreds of days per year. Record label executives could not ignore the band's gigantic fan base. Local singer-songwriter Andy Eppler, 22, was hired to open Saturday for Ragweed. He also performed at a Cactus Theater show with Joe Ely, and was to have opened a Ray Wylie Hubbard concert, which canceled. Eppler calls his festival participation a "huge honor," adding, "Don Caldwell is the most historic music figure left in Lubbock; that he likes what I'm doing means even more." Broadway Festivals is administrating the Lubbock Music Festival's street fair. Tracy Bacon, president of Broadway Festivals, noted, "This won't be like 4th on Broadway.”