Manitowoc's Metro Jam announces 2023 headliner, a new wave/power pop band that toured extensively with Cheap Trick and became MTV music video icons
The Producers will take the stage at 8:30 p.m. June 17.
Brandon Reid
MANITOWOC – The Producers, a new wave/power pop band from Atlanta that came to prominence in the early 1980s as music video icons, will headline the 44th Metro Jam in downtown Manitowoc June 17.
The band will take the stage at 8:30 p.m. June 17 at Washington Park, 1115 Washington St.
The Producers is the first performer to be announced by concert organizers for the free-admission, two-day festival that will run June 16-17. Metro Jam’s website lists slots for nine other performers — starting at 5:15 p.m. June 16 and noon June 17. The performers will include an array of national, regional and local acts covering a spectrum of musical styles including jazz, blues, reggae, ska, folk, alt-country, Americana, classic rock and original rock.
The Producers is still performing today with its original lineup of Van Temple on guitar and vocals, Kyle Henderson on bass and vocals, Wayne Famous on keyboards, and Bryan Holmes on drums and vocals.
The band first formed as a Beatles cover band named Cartoon before performing its own material in nightclubs around the Atlanta area.
The response to band's music was reportedly so good that they were quickly signed to CBS subsidiary Portrait Records by producer Tom Werman, who had worked with Cheap Trick, REO Speedwagon and Mother’s Finest, among others.
The band released two albums for the Portrait label, “The Producers” (1981) and “You Make the Heat” (1982).
The Producers became a regional favorite in the southeastern United States, propelling “What She Does to Me” onto the national Billboard magazine singles charts. “What’s He Got,” “Certain Kinda Girl” and “Who Do You Think You Are” had some popularity as music videos, but did not chart.
The band toured extensively with Cheap Trick and The Motels and also played with such acts as Toto and Hall and Oates.
The music video for “She Sheila” from the “You Make The Heat” album found its way to the eyes and ears of the fledgling MTV generation, where it became popular among its viewers.
The end of 1982 saw The Producers headlining MTV’s New Year’s Eve Rock n’ Roll Ball, where their lively and energetic performance helped the world usher in the new year.
Keyboardist Wayne Famous had a comedic stage presence in contrast with the other rock stars in the band, which was similar to that of Cheap Trick. Years ahead of the “keytar,” Famous modified the keyboard of a synthesizer with straps to hold it around his neck, allowing him to do a signature dance center stage. His own invention, he used an umbilical cable to communicate with the remaining electronics off stage.
Subsequent albums followed with the band’s third album, “Run For Your Life,” being released in 1987 on its own label. That album featured a collaboration between The Producers and Kansas, “Can’t Cry Anymore,” a song that appeared on both “Run For Your Life” and the 1986 Kansas album “Power.”
The Producers regained a major label contract in the late 1980s with MCA Records and recorded what was to be its fourth album, “Coelacanth.” Because of a revamping at MCA, the release was canceled and The Producers chose to put “Coelacanth” out on its own in 2001.
The Producers continue to play regular live shows throughout the United States.
Metro Jam is presented in partnership with and in support of Grow It Forward, which also coordinates the beverage and food concessions for Metro Jam. Metro Jam is a unique music festival that attracts fans from across the state and brings well-known national performers to Manitowoc. The Green Bay Press-Gazette has described Metro Jam as “the musical oasis in the busy Wisconsin festival scene.”
Get the latest on Metro Jam at metrojam.org.
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Contact Brandon Reid at 920-686-2984 or breid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @breidHTRNews.