Chickstock brings country acts to Cave Creek
STAFF REPORT ~ 4/20/2011

Country musicians Jamie O’Neal, Jessi Colter, Sarah Darling, and Black Carl will perform along with 10 other talented acts at the 3rd annual Chickstock Finals and Music Festival on Saturday, at Harold’s Corral, 6895 E. Cave Creek Road, in Cave Creek. Doors open at noon and live performances will continue through 10 p.m. VIP tickets cost $30 per person and include front row seating. General Admission tickets cost $20 per person. Festival patrons are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets. Kids 12 and under are free with a paid adult. Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster.com or by calling Harold’s at 480-488-1906. A portion of proceeds will benefit The Save the Ta-tas Foundation ®, a non-profit that helps fund breast cancer research.
Co-presented by AZ Chicks with Picks and Harold’s Corral, “Chickstock” provides emerging female artists with an opportunity to showcase their talent and take a shot at furthering their musical careers. Weekly singing contests are taking place at seven venues Valley-wide and the winners will advanced to the semifinals on Sunday, at Harold’s Corral.
A minimum of four semi-finalists and one Wild Card pick will then compete on Saturday, at the Chickstock Singing Contest Finals. The Grand Prize winner will receive $1,000, eight hours of studio recording time from Epicentre-Recording.com, a paid gig at Harold’s, and will have an opening spot on the main stage of the Chickstock Music Festival for Grammy-nominated Jamie O’Neal (#1 hit songs: There is No Arizona, When I Think About Angels, and Somebody’s Hero). The second place winner will receive four hours of recording time and a Fender® guitar from Cave Creek Guitar. A third winner will receive $500 for “Best Original Song.”
When musicians Rhonda Hitchcock and Pandy Raye co-founded AZ Chicks with Picks and hosted the first Chickstock Music Festival, they had 35 female singers and Jessi Colter headlined the first event.
“Now, three years and 570 shows later, we have worked with over 200 chicks. It's amazing what just Phoenix has in female talent,” Rhonda Hitchcock said.
In addition to O’Neal, Colter, and Darling, the Chickstock line-up includes: Black Carl, Destinee Quinn, Haven James, Mary Hoffman, Carey Slade, Cali Rodi, Slightly Right, Lisa and the Factory, Rhonda and Pandy, and Amber Cox. The festival atmosphere will also include food and drink specials, face painting and other activities.
For information, call 480-488-1906, email contest@azchickswithpicks.com, or visit www.azchickswithpicks.com or www.HaroldsCorral.com.