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The Alternate Routes return to their ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ roots kicking off "Alumni & Family Weekend" with Quick Center concert

8 p.m., Friday, October 19, 2012

ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ presents returning to their roots for a special concert at 8 p.m., Friday, October 19, 2012 , at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´'s . Featuring co-founders - and ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ graduates - Eric Donnelly '01, on guitar and vocals, and Tim Warren '03, on guitar and vocals, with ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ grad Kurt Leon '07, on drums, and Mike Sembos on bass, along with special guests, the band brings its critically-acclaimed original indie-pop, folk-rock sound to the Quick Center stage in a kick-off event for ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´'s "Alumni & Family Weekend" sponsored by the Quick Center and the Alumni & Family Weekend Committee. Opening act is folk-rock singer-songwriter . The event is open to the public. General admission tickets are: $25. Discounts available for ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ faculty, staff, and students, and Alumni & Family Weekend attendees.

The Alternate Routes put 300,000 miles on their van in 5 years. They are road-tested, from California to Paris and back. The band has received the Independent Song of the Year Award, an honor bestowed by a panel including Norah Jones and Tom Waits, and they've shared the stage with countless acts over the years, including Johnny Lang, O.A.R, Live, Toad the Wet Sprocket, The Doobie Brothers, and Need To Breathe. They've headlined at major festivals and concert stages and appeared on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." Tim Warren has a voice that twangs with notes of David Gray and Van Morrison. Eric Donnelly's guitar playing draws comparison to Mike Campbell, Nels Cline, and George Harrison.

The Alternate Routes spent much of 2011 on the road promoting their most recent album "Lately," with two national tours and the band's first trip to Europe. The Hartford Courant called "Lately" a "great sounding record," adding "Even better than good sound, though, are good songs, and these tunes are." AbsolutePunk.Net said: "Now three albums into a critically lauded career, The Alternate Routes show little signs of slowing down ... the ever powerful one two punch of Tim Warren and Eric Donnelly knows no bounds. "Lately" is proof of that."

Most of 2012 has been spent writing new material and honing their live show. The band has recently begun recording in both Nashville, Tenn., and Bridgeport. Conn., and will be releasing material in installments. The first single "Rewind" and "Turn Me Around" are set to release in early October. "The music industry has changed so much since we started," says Eric Donnelly. "As much as we have always enjoyed making albums, we realized that we could record and release material at our own pace. It is both exciting and terrifying. If you eliminate the cyclical nature of recording and promoting an album, you can be creative all of the time. For us, it is an idea that is both classic and refreshingly modern." On performing back at their alma mater, Tim Warren says, "we are so excited to do something ambitious in our hometown, in a room where Eric and I both had some of our earliest experiences on stage. This show promises to be a milestone of its own."

The band's newest video of "Rewind," recorded at Friendly Forest in Nashville, Tennessee, ( ), had over 1,000 views in its first week on YouTube. High resolution jpegs, interviews, and are available.

Tickets are available through the Quick Center Box Office: (203) 254-4010, or toll-free 1-877-ARTS-396 (1-877-278-7396). Tickets can also be purchased online at .

The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts is located on the campus of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ at 1073 North Benson Road in Fairfield, Connecticut. Entrance to the Quick Center is through the Barlow Road gate at 200 Barlow Road. Free, secure parking is available. Access for people with disabilities is available throughout the Quick Center for audience members and performers. Hearing amplification devices are available upon request at the Box Office. ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ is located off exit 22 of Interstate-95. For further information and directions, call (203) 254-4010 or 1-877-278-7396, or visit

Posted On: 10-02-2012 11:10 AM

Volume: 45 Number: 67