Rock ‘n Roll show will wake up Empire

Tekoa’s Empire Theatre will officially come out of winter hibernation this week with the appearance of rocker Jim Basnight and his band from Seattle Saturday, March 6, at 7 p.m.

Basnight is no stranger to Tekoa, having played at the Café Artisan and also at the Tekoa Jaycee Club.

Basnight’s brand of rock is along classic rock lines, but he also plays blues, punk, soul and other musical styles.

Basnight hails from Seattle and has been involved with music since he was 10 years old. Basnight has recorded a number of albums with the latest called “We Rocked and Rolled, the First 25 Years of Jim Basnight,” a career retrospective of his work.

Basnight and his band have performed all over the Pacific Northwest. One of those places was One-Shot Charlie’s in Harrison, Idaho. In the audience one night were Klaus and Amber Giebeler, owners of the Café Artisan at Tekoa, and they asked Basnight to play at their restaurant for their business anniversary. That was followed by performances at the Tekoa Jaycee Club.

Basnight plays guitar and sings. He will be accompanied by drummer Brad Dolsen and bass player Dan McDonald.

Basnight gets his bread and butter working as a stock broker. Even though he was a successful stockbroker, he said music has always been his passion. He returned to Seattle where he has become very involved in the music world there.

Show tickets cost $10 for adults; $5 for students in grades 7-12; and children age 12 and under will be admitted free when accompanied by an adult.