Andrew Cole to open for Blasters at Lodge concert

BY Dawn Rankins

Well-traveled Andrew Cole, who has opened for a slew of iconic artists, will be the opening act for The Blasters at next month’s Concerts at the Lodge concert.

Andrew has toured around the globe to open for some big names such as Elton John, Lorde, Tom Jones, John Fogerty and Metallica.

He will be the Aug. 27 opening act for The Blasters, an American Rock and Roll group formed in 1979 by brothers Phil and Dave Alvin. The concert, put on by Canyon Lake POA Concert Producer Doug Schultz, is part of the Concerts at the Lodge Series.

The Blasters’ music is influenced by rockabilly, rhythm ’n blues and rock n’ roll.

Andrew Cole will perform as the opening act of the upcoming Blasters Concert at the Lodge. His performance alone is worth the price of admission as he has released albums and has opened for some of the music’s most iconic performers. Photo by Joe Schaeffer.

Andrew is probably best known for his work on an anti-bully campaign that revolved around a song he wrote called “I Am No Joke.” The song, which captures a “We Are the World”-like spirit, was recorded at the world-famous Capitol Records building and was mixed by Grammy Award winner Chris Lord Alge.

“I Am No Joke,” which was sung by over 50 well-known artists, became a global movement. “#No Joke” is a documentary film of the making of the recording of the song. It was released in 2019 and features over 75 music and movie icons including Slash, Sir Patrick Stewart, Henry Rollins, Jeff Goldblum, Ozzy and Sharron Osbourne, Jane Lynch, Julian Lennon, Chad Smith, Meatloaf, Motorhead and the L.A. Symphony Orchestra.

Photo by Joe Schaeffer.

The song and the documentary are part of an anti-bullying movement that merged with Kathy Eldon, CEO of Creative Visions Foundation, and Paul McCartney’s anti-bullying awareness campaign (in partnership with Princess Diana’s Trust) named “Who Cares, I Do.”

It was National Geographic President and former Disney Films President Adam Leipzig who helped shape the vision of the film.

Andrew received the National Canadian Humanitarian Award for his efforts in suicide prevention and is currently supported by the Canadian Government, the Grammy Foundation and school boards across North American.

Andrew also frequently fills Jim Morrison’s boots as the lead singer of Robby Krieger‘s iconic band, The Doors.

Tickets to The Blasters and opening act Andrew Cole are available at www.canyon lake poa/concerts. Ticket prices are General Admission $29.00 and VIP $49.00.