Furthur Bus 50th Anniversary Tour to Rock Kent, Ohio

KENT, Ohio - Sept. 2, 2014 - PRLog -- On Monday, September 15th, rock n’ roll history will roll through Kent, Ohio and onto The Kent Stage for a special performance with Ohio band Aliver Hall and Big Leg Emma from New York. The audience is invited to wear “60’s ecstatic dress” to the show and will highlight music from the era including The Grateful Dead and other themes expressing social freedom. Kent has been known for its stand on freedom and the promoters are reinforcing this theme throughout the event being produced by AlchemyHouse Presents with offices in Kent and Yellow Springs, Ohio.

The Bus, known as "Furthur", with neon-painted ceilings and artistic patterns of bright colors and themes, started trekking east from Oregon in early July to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the legend of an LSD-filled (the drug was legal then) cross-country journey and was written about in Tom Wolfe’s “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test”. The story is about the bus trip across country to attend The 1964 New York World's Fair. The trip was filled with Grateful Dead concerts and was where the phrase was born, “The bus came by and I got on, that’s when it all began”.

The iconic bus is being driven by Zane Kesey, the son of late Ken Kesey, author of “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest,” and an organizer of the singing band of Merry Pranksters who in the 60's and 70's were promoters of happiness at events by threading kindness and fun into the concertgoers experience. Kesey is picking up where his father left off and is celebrating the history of the journey by driving the renovated Furthur bus across the country with a new group of Pranksters. The Eastern tour is scheduled to conclude on September 27, 2014 at the Great North Music Festival in Norridgewock, Maine with a welcome home event scheduled shortly after in California.

Today's Pranksters still all go by monikers, like “Too Loud” or “Fast Eddie” and "TC" (Trashcan) with original Pranksters like Wavy Gravy making appearances in select cities and events across the country. “The Pranksters darn tie-dye shirts, sparkly top hats and ecstatic and flamboyant clothing to attract the eye, which represents the diversity of people and the beauty of life,” according to the event producer, Tom Blessing, from AlchemyHouse Presents. “Zane Kesey sits in the driver’s seat of The Bus today to raise awareness of the original bus ride and to see if the Pranksters can rekindle  the feel of the freedoms of the 60's,” according to Blessing.

The Bus was inducted into The Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 in Cleveland, Ohio and according to Kesey, "We are so pleased to be back in Ohio!  Furthur has been crisscrossing America on its journey and the reception in Ohio has always been tremendous."  Fellow organizer and Prankster, Derek Stevens added, “As to Kent state, the freedoms of expression and thought that the bus represents lent those same ideals to the anti-war movement. The freedom to question the status quo to express, in this case, displeasure with the path the establishment was taking in Vietnam was evident up until the Governor of Ohio and the National Guard stepped up to crush the anti-war movement at The University and brought Kent State forward to infamy."

Local band Aliver Hall is a national touring group known for groundbreaking performances at venues across the United States. Aliver Hall’s music combines their signature Akron, OH rock ‘n’ roll grit with groove-based dance music, but fans are simply addicted to the raw power, drive and energy that captures the soul of any music-lover.

Hailing from Western New York, Big Leg Emma has infused high quality, original, Americana roots rock with the magic and art of traditional folk, bluegrass and country.  This gives them the catchy dance vibe that initially will attract you.  But, once you are there, and their jamming explodes through the dancy vibe, they begin to take you on a musical journey with their psychedelic and Jam band persona.  Big Leg Emma has emerged into a winding powerhouse that is creating a musical addiction to those who see them; coming back for more and more.

AlchemyHouse Presents provides live-event services for high-profile clients and this includes startup initiatives and talent.  The AlchemyHouse Presents division provides artists with increased exposure and media attention, and works to provide a playground for artists and patrons to experience the love of life through entertainment and creative endeavors for all ages.

Tickets for the show are now on sale at The Kent Stage for $10 presale and $15 day of show and available at The Kent Stage. Doors for the event open at 7PM EDT.

For more information about the event or the bands please contact Tom Blessing at 213-290-6722 or visit http://www.alchemyhouse.com.

For more information about The Furthur Bus, please contact Derek Stevens at 541-610-3415 or visit https://www.facebook.com/furthurbus50th.

For media information about The Kent Stage, please contact Rod Flauhaus at 216-272-7776; for general questions about the venue and ticket information please call 330-677-5005.