March 26: Storytellers Series Features Martin Zellar

Tuesday, March 26, 2019
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Elias J. Halling Recital Hall

Mankato Free Press coverage

MANKATO, Minn. –The Nadine B. Andreas Endowment Program and the College of Arts and Humanities welcomes Martin Zellar, the inaugural performer for the Minnesota Storyteller artist-in-residence and performance series at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Zellar will share the stories of his music and career in a unique concert format with his band, The Hardways, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 26 in the Elias J. Halling Recital Hall of the Earley Center for Performing Arts, 320 Maywood Ave.

Zellar, a native of Austin, Minn., first appeared on the Twin Cities music scene in the late ‘80s as the lead singer and songwriter for the alt-country band The Gear Daddies. The Gear Daddies released two albums on Polygram Records, appeared on Late Night with David Letterman and toured extensively for three years before amicably parting ways in 1992. Zellar continues to record and perform as a solo artist and with his band, The Hardways, releasing eight more albums on the Rykodisc and Owen Lee Recording labels. More than 30 years down the road from his first release, Zellar continues to make his living writing, recording, and performing music. And he’s happy and grateful.

Zellar says: “It’s just who I am. I would not be happy doing anything else. The same things that made me want to do it in the first place are still there. The writing part is really what I love, love, love. I love to perform, but it’s writing that really keeps me going.

Robert Hillburn of The Los Angeles Times writes, “ …writers, from Dylan to Springsteen, often tell us far more about the human condition by concentrating on life’s everyday moments. That’s the strength of Martin Zellar …”

General admission for the concert is $12; Minnesota State Mankato students will be admitted free with a valid MavCARD. Advance purchase or registration is encouraged. Those who wish to purchase tickets online should go to www.mnsu.edu/music.

For more information, call the Performance Series office, (507) 389-5549.