One of Southwest Michigan’s favorite instrumentalists returns to the Box Factory for the Arts in St. Joseph Saturday evening, previewing his 2025 concert series, “Echoes of Barcelona”.
Guitarist Bryan Lubeck has been an area favorite for 20 years, having started his solo professional career performing in the region’s wineries—and even dedicating a couple of his albums to the ‘vineyard’ vibe.
Lubeck has gone on to national prominence in smooth jazz and Spanish Guitar musical genres’. He’s moved his base of operations to the Chicago area, but always keeps a special place in his heart for Michigan’s Great Southwest and rhe role the area played in launching his career.
Lubeck told us this week that it just seems right to begin a new ‘set’ of music at the Box Factory, where he’s played many times in the past. So, he’ll do exactly that at 7:30 Saturday night, showcasing a list of fresh titles—many of them new compositions after a trip to Barcelona, Spain.
Bryan says the city, its environment and its people inspired him to return to his Spanish Guitar roots and focus on a more acoustic style for the next chapter of his performing career. He’ll still have a fantastic band behind him, but the accent will be more on Lubeck and his guitar. He promises to still include several well-known, signature Lubeck tunes from his ‘Vineyard era’, but he’ll emphasize the Spanish Guitar stylings that were products of his time in Barcelona.
For a more in-depth look at Bryan Lubeck’s creative journey from growing up in Goshen, Indiana, professionally launching his career in Southwest Michigan, and achieving a # 1 ranking on the Amazon contemporary jazz charts, we’ll recommend that you listen to an excellent new WNIT-34 Public Television interview: https://fb.watch/vezf0LCa8M/
Lubeck says fan feedback to Saturday night’s preview show at ‘The Box’ will help him fine-tune the performance for a run of 2025 dates now being put together. He notes that he’s planning a 2025 Valentine’s show for February 14 at the LMC Mendel Center. However, that show will be a special one-time collection of musicl for the lovers’ holiday, not a repeat of the ‘Barcelona’ theme.
Advance tickets for Saturday are available: $25 for cabaret seating (tables in front) and $15 general seating at www.ticketstripe.com/bryanlubeckshow. GA Tickets at the door are $20. A cash bar will be available.
