Anderson East, Howie Day, Drivin N Cryin, and more join Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival music lineup

Anderson East, Howie Day, Drivin N Cryin and more join headliner Joan Jett and the Blackhearts as the music lineup of the 2022 Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival, taking place Saturday and Sunday, March 26-27, at Blackburn Park, 3493 Ashford Dunwoody Road in Brookhaven.  Admission is free.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are the Saturday, March 26, headliner, while Anderson East headlines on Sunday, March 27. Also taking the stage Saturday are Howie Day, Dumpstaphunk, Mike Kinnebrew, and Kaylin Amaro. Drivin N Cryin, Morgan Wade, and Brendan Abernathy join the Sunday lineup. A detailed schedule will be announced later.

“What better way to kick off the 2022 festival season,” said Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst. “We continue to be grateful for our partnership with Live Nation in bringing these A+ acts to Brookhaven.”

Joan Jett grew up when rock ‘n’ roll was off limits to girls and women, but as a teenager, she promptly blew the door to the boys’ club right off its hinges. After forming her band, the Blackhearts, in 1979, with whom Jett has become a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, she has had eight platinum and gold albums and nine Top 40 singles, including the classics "Bad Reputation," "I Love Rock 'N' Roll," "I Hate Myself For Loving You," and "Crimson and Clover." With a career that has spanned music, film, television, Broadway, and humanitarianism, Joan Jett remains a potent force and inspiration to generations of fans worldwide. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts continue touring the globe with headlining shows alongside fellow rock legends like The Who, Green Day, Heart, and Foo Fighters. After two COVID-19 postponements, the group will return to the road in summer 2022 for The Stadium Tour with Def Leppard, Motley Crue and Poison. “Bad Reputation,” a documentary about Jett's life, premiered to critical acclaim at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and is available for streaming.

Maybe We Never Die is Anderson East's first new music since 2018's breakthrough album, Encore, which featured the Grammy-nominated #1 AAA radio single, "All On My Mind." Heralded by critics, The New York Times praised Encore as, “…an often lustrous revisiting of raucous Southern soul, rousingly delivered and pinpoint precise. He has a voice full of extremely careful scrape and crunch, but his howls never feel unhinged," while Rolling Stone declared, “On Encore, East’s influences meld seamlessly, stacking the album with Stax-worthy R&B grooves, gospel-blues ooohs and aaahs, surging keys and blasting brass.” Known for his magnetic live performances, the Alabama-born, Nashville-based \East and his band have performed sold-out shows worldwide and have been featured on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" and "CBS This Morning Saturday," NBC's "TODAY" and "Late Night with Seth Meyers," PBS' "Austin City Limits" and more.

Howie Day’s emotionally resonant lyrics and inventive melodies have earned him both critical praise and a legion of devoted fans. He is known for his energetic, heartfelt shows, where he connects with audiences through the strength of his songwriting and his quirky sense of humor. Day’s warm tenor voice “soars into fluttering, high registers, but also grates with real, pleading grit,” as one critic put it. Day released his major-label debut, Stop All The World Now in 2003. Stop was certified gold in the United States and spawned two Top 10 radio hits: “She Says” and the platinum single “Collide.” After sales of over a million records, Day is back on the road in support of his new studio album, Lanterns.

Celebrating their 35th anniversary, Atlanta-based folk rock act Drivin N Cryin have spent most of their career on tour. In October 1985, Drivin N Cryin played their first show at Atlanta’s famed 688 Club. The band quickly gained attention for their blistering live shows, and amassed a rabid fanbase in the late 1980s Southeast music scene. Now, 35 years later, and after releasing four full length albums on Island Records and one on Geffen Records, founding members Kevn Kinney and Tim Nielsen find themselves enjoying a milestone anniversary for the band. With Dave V. Johnson on drums, and the band’s newest member, Laur Joamets, (originally Sturgill Simpson) added to the lineup, Drivin N Cryin continues to tour the United States to great acclaim. Island Records re-released their highly recognized Mystery Road album in 2017. Mystery Road was named one of “The 50 Best Southern Rock Albums of All Time” by Paste Magazine that year as well. In 2018, New West Records re-released their self-titled 1997 album with a new name, Too Late To Turn Back Now! In addition, the band recently celebrated the release of their 9th studio album, Live the Love Beautiful.

Dumpstaphunk stands out amongst New Orleans' best, cementing themselves as one of the funkiest bands to ever arise from the Crescent City. Born on the Jazz & Heritage Festival stage, and descended from Neville and Meters family bloodlines, these soldiers of funk ignite a deep, gritty groove that dares listeners not to move. Their performances combine ingenious musicianship through complex funk, rock, and jazz arrangements accompanied by soulful melodies and Big Easy traditions. The band just released their fourth studio album Where Do We Go From Here in 2021 featuring Marcus King, Trombone Shorty and Chali 2Na, and is now available on double bronze vinyl, CD and all digital platforms. 

Unafraid to write about the parts of his story that scare him most, Brendan Abernathy is known for his contemplative lyrics, memorable melodies, and a captivating live performance you will feel in your soul. Since August 2019, Brendan has lived out of his car, touring the United States and selling out concerts across the country, including in Atlanta at Eddie’s Attic. Recently, he played the 30A Songwriters Festival in Florida. He has generated over 1 million streams and played over 200 live shows. His forthcoming LP – Single and in Love – is a heart-throbbing, authentic, yet soaring work telling stories of anxiety, singleness, and sacrificial love.

“This year will be another great lineup,” said District 1 Councilmember Linley Jones. “We invite the community to come out and listen to some great music while enjoying the art vendors, food and other fun activities under the cherry blossoms in Blackburn Park.”

In addition to the music, this year’s festival brings back favorites such as the Artists’ Market, Kidz Zone, Pet World, Classic Car Show, and food trucks. The Brookhaven Cherry Blossom 5K will take place on Saturday, March 19. 

For more information about the Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival, visit www.BrookCherryFest.org, and Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @BrookCherryFest.