A warning — the Thunder is coming to St. Cloud off Narcoossee Road on Sunday.
This is not a weather report. We’re talking about Rising Thunder, a Country and Southern Rock music festival that will start at 11 a.m. at the Hastings Ranch just off Jones Road.
Tickets are general admission and are $10 in advance — at the Rising Thunder website — or $15 at the gate (ages 10 and under are free), and parking is free. Food will be available for purchase.
Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and rock out all day to a Battle of the Bands that will feature the best in local country and southern rock.
The bands are competing for the chance to perform in a 30-minute spot at the nationally-known Country Thunder Florida, taking place March 27-29 at Osceola Heritage Park, while raising money for the Education Foundation Osceola County. The winner will be the lead-off Country Thunder March 29 at 1:30 p.m.
Your Battle of the Bands contestants, who are eligible to win the People’s Choice Award and a $2,500 cash prize by voting at the event website, are:
Oak Lee Music: The quartet with play anything from old classic Johnny Cash and Hank Williams to anything nowadays on the radio. We even throw a taste of Rock ‘N’ Roll with anything from Tom Petty to Pearl Jam.
Embertown: A band from right here in St. Cloud composed of all teens — the oldest is 17. Their style is Style is a mix between indie, pop and country.
Crowned Rebels: This three-piece powerhouse band delivers a smooth mix of blues, rock, soul, punk and overall good vibes, coming from a deep-rooted rock and blues tradition.
Randall Crawford Band: Randall started playing in bars, clubs “and for anyone else that would listen” at age 18, and now performs with “one of the greatest bands that I’ve ever had. ”
Scott Brown Band: This six-some out of Ocala performs classic country and rock as well as original material. Band members Scott Brown, Tommy Livid, Jerome Robinson, Mike Linville, Mark Beasley and Chazz Fencil plan to rock the stage.
Trevor Dreher Trio: Fiddler Mollie Lentini, guitarist Aaron McCreless and lead singer Trevor Dreher are from all over and have played all over: rodeo shows, concerts, state fairs and festivals. They play all-time favorite classic hits from country, folk, pop, oldies, bluegrass, and a couple originals Trevor co-wrote.
Justin Lee Partin: This Branford, Fla., product channels musical heroes Merle Haggard, Garth Brooks, Don Williams, channeling the music styles of these great artists and honing it into his own distinct style.
Greg Warren Band: A modern country band based out of Orlando summed up in three words; songwriting, musicianship, and passion. Self-described as combining a rock influence into country songwriting producing very melodic songs with an edge.
After they’ve rocked the stage, Rising Thunder will brighten the spotlight and welcome American Idol finalist Alyssa Raghu, a 17-year-old singer and songwriter from Orlando who will close the show with her soft yet powerful tone and breathtaking vocals.
All proceeds from Rising Thunder will benefit the Education Foundation of Osceola County, a non-profit that provides college scholarships, mentoring programs and career pipelines to students and support for educators.
