When Marty Fort does something, he does it big and he does it right., as evidenced by the more than 1700 families who have enrolled their students in the Columbia Arts Academy, Fort’s multi-instrument arts education facility founded in 2003.
This weekend, Fort is doing what seems to come naturally to the artist/entrepreneur. He, his school, and a couple of his favorite SC bands are taking over the Foster Theatre at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. And while the most obvious audience of fans, friends, and family may not all be able to be there to cheer them on, (it should be noted that Jasper Project board president Wade Sellers will be on site, in a working capacity, of course), the rest of us can still watch the performance via a live stream either at home or a one of Fort’s three music schools in Columbia, Irmo, or Lexington where live stream parties will be held.
Shane Manning
Fort is super proud of his students, including one young man, 17-year-old guitarist Shane Manning, son of Shannon and Shawn Manning, who Fort identifies as “an amazing player” who is “on his way to great things if he keeps it up.” There are a total of eight kids taking this once-in-a-lifetime adventure with Fort and they will be performing with their instructors as well as each other.
Hot Lava Monster
In addition to the kids, Fort is taking along favorite local bands Hot Lava Monster—Patrick Baxley, Wes Pellerin, Jon Hawkins, Mike Schaming—and Capital City Playboys, with whom he plays himself, and they will also be performing
Capital City Playboys -
Capital City Playboys, whose membership also includes Kevin Brewer and Jay Matheson, recently opened for Cowboy Mouth at the Main Course on Main Street in Columbia and will be performing at the Art Bar on Saturday August 14th along with Greenville’s Silver Tongue Devils and Deaf Web’s Blues Intrusion.