Blues Traveler to Headline Dearborn Homecoming Festival

Blues Traveler, the contemporary rock band most known for the tunes "But Anyway," "Run-Around" and "Hook," are coming to Dearborn.

On Tuesday, the Dearborn City Council approved a request from the Department of Parks & Recreation to authorize Mayor John B. O'Reilly, Jr. to enter into a contract with the band in the amount of $40,000 to serve as the headline act for the 2013 Dearborn Homecoming Festival. The festival is currently scheduled for Aug. 2-4.

"It's outstanding that we will have Blues Traveler perform at the Dearborn Homecoming," O'Reilly said. "The band has such a broad audience. Hopefully their appeal will help draw more people to our city and get them engaged at the festival. It's pretty neat."

Blues Traveler formed in New Jersey in 1987. The band's music covers a variety of genres, including blues-rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock, and Southern rock. The band is well-known for its improvisational live shows, and is credited with playing a key role in the re-emerging jam band scene of the 1990s.

The group is comprised of singer/harmonica player John Popper, guitarist Chan Kinchla, drummer Brendan Hill, bassist Tad Kinchla, and keyboardist Ben Wilson. Their most recent studio album, "Suzie Cracks the Whip," was released in 2012.

Under the proposed contract, the Dearborn Community Fund will serve as the fiduciary agent for the Dearborn Homecoming Festival, as well as coordinate non-profit service club vendors. The city will be responsible for securing all entertainment acts for the festival. The band's performance fee will be paid through the Dearborn Community Fund.