90s sensation Boyz II Men return to the Club 88 stage

BROOKS, Calif. – It’s a tale that sounds straight out of the script pages of a feature film. In the waning years of the 1980s, a burgeoning singing group sneaks backstage during a performance by New Edition spin-off group Bell Biv DeVoe. The boys perform an a cappella rendition of New Edition's "Can You Stand the Rain" for New Edition/BBD member Michael Bivins. He’s so impressed by the group that he signs them to a production deal with his own Biv Ten Records company – and the rest is history.

For those interested in “the rest of the story” the group being described is the sensational Boyz II Men, the four-time Grammy Award-winning R&B singers, who return to Cache Creek Casino Resort’s Club 88 on Jan. 15 at 8 p.m. to perform from their roster of well-known hits.

Based on sales, Boyz II Men is the most successful R&B male vocal group of all time, recording five #1 R&B hits between 1992 and 1997 and selling more than 60 million records. Three of their #1 hits, "End of the Road," "I'll Make Love to You," and "One Sweet Day" with Mariah Carey set and broke records for the longest period of time a single remained at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 – the last of them still holding that record. Although their song "On Bended Knee" did not break any records, it was still an immensely popular song that reached #1 and made Boyz II Men the third artists behind Elvis and The Beatles to replace themselves at the number one spot of the Billboard Hot 100.

Tickets are available for $65, $55, and $45 through Tickets.com on the web: www.Tickets.com, by phone: (800) 225-2277 or at: www.CacheCreek.com and Cache Creek Casino Resort guest services.

Interview with San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson

You recently were able to broker deals with both Pavelski and Marleau. Many thought that the organization would only be able to hold on to one or the other. How did you manage to make that work and how important are these deals moving forward?

“We have always tried to make San Jose a place that players want to come and play but at the same time, much of the credit goes to Patty and Pavs. I think they recognized what we have going here as a team and as an organization. History has shown that had these players gone to free agency, the marketplace would have been very friendly and kind to them. I can't say enough how much we truly appreciate them making this statement. This is where they want to be, and they believe in where we're going.

“Under a salary cap system, you can’t always keep everyone so with these players agreeing to deals that are not only fair to them but stay within the ‘team’ system we have built, it provides us a much better chance to keep the core of our team intact.”

How do you feel about the results of the recent draft?

“First off, I think we have the best scouting department in the game. These guys work their tails off year-round, watching players all over the world and it all comes down to those two days at the draft. We entered the draft this year with only four selections but by the end of it, we left with eight players. We think many of these kids have a real chance to be NHL players so we’re pretty happy with it. It’s always challenging when you’re drafting 18-year old kids and trying to project where they will be in three to four years but I have a lot of faith in the work our scouts do.”

What are you looking for out of this year's training camp? Which players should fans be watching as future stars or big contributors?

“Although our season ended a little too early last season, we still feel that our team and players took a huge step forward last season. And none of that will matter if we don’t build on that success this season. As always, our training camp will be competitive from Day 1. There are a few roster spots available and those will be earned on merit, not just handed to anyone.

“We are also excited about some of the young players that are coming through our system and may be ready to make an impact at the NHL level. Last year, we saw a good example of that with players like Logan Couture, Jamie McGinn, Jason Demers, Thomas Griess, Benn Ferriero, Frazer McLaren and John McCarthy helping the team at the NHL level. Those players are in the mix but you also have another layer of players fighting for those spots, like Alex Stalock, Cam MacIntyre, Tommy Wingels, Nick Petrecki, James Marcou, to name just a few. It should be an exciting camp.

“We also, for the first time in 10 seasons, will have a new goalie in camp in Antero Niittymaki. We think his style will fit well with our team and we like his history of playing big in big games, like playing for Finland at the 2006 Winter Olympics.”

What is your philosophy or set of goals for the team this season?

“Again, we want to build on the team’s successes from last season. We want to be able to go into any building play any style of hockey we need to in order to win games.”


How important is it for a team like the Sharks to open the season in Europe? How important is it for the NHL as a whole to schedule games in countries such as Sweden?

“Our trip to Sweden will be exciting for the organization. Hockey is the greatest game in the world and it truly is a global game. Many of the players in the NHL come from Europe so it’s important for the NHL to not only increase its global footprint but also to allow the great fans in Europe the opportunity to see their native players compete at the game’s highest level. We are really looking forward to it.”

Describe Sharks fans for me.

“Anyone who has ever been to a game at HP Pavilion knows that we have the greatest fans in the country. Within the past year, our building was selected as the having the “Ultimate Seat” of any sport franchise in the country by ESPN and NHL players voted HP Pavilion the toughest opponent building to play in. There can be no bigger tribute to our fans than that and it is because of the passion, noise and energy that they bring every single night. Our fans know and respect the game and our players. We’re very lucky to get to play for people who care so much about the franchise.”

Cache Creek shares fans with 'Raider Nation'

The Oakland Raiders began play in 1960 as the eighth charter member of the American Football League (AFL), where they won one championship and three division titles before joining the NFL in 1970 as part of the AFL–NFL merger. Since joining the NFL, the Raiders have won twelve division titles, three Super Bowls (XI, XV, XVIII), and have appeared in two other Super Bowls. Nineteen Raiders have been selected for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including Owner Al Davis. Jerry Rice, who wore the Silver and Black from 2001-04 and played in Super Bowl XXXVII, is the latest.

Raider fans, affectionately dubbed “The Raider Nation” are arguably one of the most fervent, energetic and notable groups of fans in the entire NFL. Many of Cache Creek’s players are also fans of the team and have enjoyed the privilege of receiving tickets to home games as part of our rewards program for the last several years. The program will continue this fall. We’ll purchase 250 pairs of tickets for three home games to pass on to our guests. Qualified players can expect to see a postcard with more details as the season draws closer.

“The Raider tickets are offered as a thank you to some of our best players,” said Kent Donithan, Cache Creek’s VP of Casino Marketing. “They are one of the most sought after player rewards and go quickly when we offer them every year.”
Due to recent trades and acquisitions there will be a few new faces to watch on the field. “With some of the young players and the changes they’re making, this will be an exciting season,” said David Humm, former Raiders player and co-host of the Raider pre and post game radio show. “This season will have a completely different look and feel for fans. It’s as talented a pool of players as we’ve had in a long time.” And Humm would know, having played seven seasons with the Raiders in addition to stints with the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Colts in the 70s and 80s as quarterback, and earning two Super Bowl rings with the Raiders (Super bowls XI and XVIII).

“When you look at this year’s team, we’re strong at quarterback,” said Humm. “We have a quarterback with solid experience in Jason Campbell, and solid back-ups with Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye. We’re also strong at running back, with Darren McFadden and Michael Bush being backed up by Michael Bennett. This offense is really going to click.” Other players to watch, says Humm, are the solid draft pick Lemarr Houston and John Henderson on defense, as well as receivers Chaz Schilens and Darius Heyward-Bey, who are backing up Louis Murphy. Rolando McClain, Kamerion Wimbley and Quentin Groves round out the team as stand-outs at linebacker. “All in all we’ve got some solid players, and we’re moving in the right direction with this group.”

The Raiders regular season begins Sept. 12 at 10 a.m. on the road against the Tennessee Titans, with the Raider Nation fired up from pre-season play already in progress. “There are no other fans like Raider fans,” says Humm. “They have a loyalty to the team, an emotion, and a passion you just don’t see with other teams.”
David Humm can be heard on the Oakland Raiders radio broadcast on 105.3 KITS FM and simulcast on KFRC-AM 1550.

‘Essential’ funk group Con Funk Shun comes to Cache Creek

BROOKS, Calif. – A show by the funky group Con Funk Shun is always packed with electrifying choreography, glistening six-part vocal harmonies, and a dash of humor. Even after 35-years in the music industry, these veterans never fail to wow their audiences. With their library of dance party hits and romantic ballads, the 70s and 80s superstars who got their start in Vallejo will return to Northern California with a stop at Cache Creek Casino Resort’s Club 88 stage on Sept. 4 at 8 p.m.

Through their memorable melodies, inventive horn arrangements and guitar woven grooves, Con Funk Shun has at times been identified as the group absolutely essential to the evolution of funk. They charted four consecutive Gold and one Platinum album, and their 20 hit singles included eight Top Ten R&B Hits and one #1 R&B smash between 1977-1986. This is a resume any band would be proud of.
With finesse and consistency, they legitimized those who followed them, and countless rap and hip-hop samples exposed them to a new generation. In response to this new exposure, albums like the” Best of Con Funk Shun" have been re-released multiple times. It’s this type of fan enthusiasm that encouraged the band to return to the stage.

Their recognizable stable of hits includes "Sho Feels Good To Me," "Confunkshunizeya," "Ffun," "Shake And Dance With Me," “Chase Me," "Got To Be Enough," "Bad Lady," "Too Tight," "Baby I'm Hooked (Right into Your Love)," "Ms. Got-The-Body,” "Electric Lady," "I'm Leaving Baby," "Burnin' Love," and "Throw It Up, Throw It Up." Guests of the show will be sure to hear some of these chart topping hits on the Club 88 stage just as they sounded when they originally climbed the charts.

“My sound has stayed essential because the guys and I still actively tour,” says Con Funk Shun’s Michael Cooper. “My musical inspiration comes from my audience, my family and from life. My sound has fueled a generation and that same generation fuels my sound.”

Tickets are available now through Tickets.com on the web: www.Tickets.com or by phone: (800) 225-2277 or at: www.CacheCreek.com or Cache Creek Casino Resort at the guest services desk for $45, $35, and $25.

‘Guitar prodigy’ Jonny Lang had a young start

BROOKS, Calif. – Blues man Jonny Lang started playing guitar at the age of twelve after his father took him to see the Bad Medicine Blues Band, one of the few blues bands that could be found in his home town of Fargo, North Dakota. Inspired, Lang started taking lessons from Ted Larsen, the band's guitar player. Most stories would end right there. After a few months of lessons many pre-teens would move on to other hobbies or lose interest. One of two might start their own band as a teen, playing birthday parties and family functions. Lang took another path altogether -- after several months of playing, he was dubbed a guitar prodigy and eventually joined the very same band that inspired his love for the blues and hit the road.

Things began to heat up as the group moved to Minneapolis and independently released the album Smokin' when Lang was only fourteen-years-old. At the tender age of 15, he released another album, the critically acclaimed multi-platinum Lie to Me. Things continued to get better as his next release, Wander this World, earned him a Grammy nomination. A few years and albums later, Lang's newest album, the gospel-influenced Turn Around, won him his first Grammy Award in 2006. He will perform selections from these albums in front of a Club 88 crowd at Cache Creek on Saturday, Sept. 11 at 8 p.m.

The career of this guitar virtuoso has been meteoric to say the least. While kids his age were still playing high school gigs and performing in garages, he was touring with music industry giants like the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith, trading licks for more than ten years with mentors like B. B. King and Buddy Guy, played for a White House audience including President and Mrs. Clinton, and even made a cameo appearance in the film Blues Brothers 2000 as a janitor.

He’s also shared the stage with other greats such as Blues Traveler, Jeff Beck, and Sting. Eric Clapton asked Lang to play at the Crossroads Guitar Festival. Currently, he’s promoting his collaborative work on Cyndi Lauper’s new album, Memphis Blues. Through it all, he has continued to mature and improve his craft, silencing critics who dismissed him as too young with displays of his God given talent. U.S. News and World Report perhaps summed Lang up best when they lauded him for having “the voice of a grizzled blues veteran … and guitar skills to match.” There can be no better compliment for a blues man who has yet to reach the age of 30 and still has a long successful career still ahead of him.

Tickets are available now through Tickets.com on the web: www.Tickets.com or by phone: (800) 225-2277 or at: www.CacheCreek.com or Cache Creek Casino Resort at the guest services desk for $59 and $45.

Kenny Loggins flies from ‘the danger zone’ onto Cache Creek Casino Resort stage

BROOKS, Calif. – Best known for his driving themes to several 80s blockbuster films such as “Caddyshack,” “Footloose,” and “Top Gun,” rocker Kenny Loggins has entertained audiences for decades as a songwriter, solo artist, and collaborator with many of the industry’s most talented performers. Known by audiences of all ages, he will perform from his stable of hits at Cache Creek Casino Resort’s Club 88 on Aug. 21 at 8 p.m.

Loggins has been many things to many people over the course of his career – “a moving target” as he’s put it. In his time, he’s been a guitar-slinger with a psychedelic rock band, a hot young songwriter with a publishing deal, half of a legendary country-rock duo, a massively successful and accomplished solo artist, a sonic pioneer in the smooth jazz genre, a reigning soundtrack superstar, a rocker, as well as an enduring recording artist and live performer whose most recent works have spoken deeply to both young and adult audiences. At the heart of it all, there remains a brilliant singer-songwriter and guitarist with a lifelong passion for exploring the endless power of the song to communicate.

By any standard, Loggins’ commercial impact has been extraordinary – twelve of his albums have gone platinum and beyond. In a world of one hit wonders and fifteen minute sensations, Loggins has enjoyed hit songs in four straight decades – a remarkable testament to his exceptional craftsmanship and stamina. Through it all, he’s earned the faith of those who’ve followed him along the way.

Loggins first achieved solo stardom with million-selling albums such as Celebrate Me Home, Nightwatch (which included the hit "Whenever I Call You Friend" with Stevie Nicks), Keep the Fire (“This Is It,”) and 1982’s High Adventure (“Don’t Fight It” with Steve Perry and “Heart To Heart”). Loggins’ reputation as one of music’s outstanding vocalists became well established, and in 1980 he won the Best Male Pop Vocal Grammy for “This Is It.” As a songwriter Loggins was also known for inspired collaborations such as co-writing the 1979 Grammy-winning Song of The Year “What a Fool Believes” with his long-time friend Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers.

In the 80s, Loggins became even more famous than ever as the king of movie theme songs, thanks to massive smashes like "I'm Alright" (from Caddyshack), "Footloose" (from Footloose), "Danger Zone" (from Top Gun), and "Nobody's Fool" (from Caddyshack II). Loggins also continued to record albums that were introspective and deeply personal, including 1985’s Vox Humana, 1988’s Back to Avalon, 1991’s Leap of Faith, The Unimaginable Life (1997) and 2003’s It’s About Time. During this same period, Loggins continued to take on new challenges, like recording a Christmas album (1998’s December) and two successful and acclaimed CDs for children: 1994’s radiant Return to Pooh Corner and its worthy follow-up, More Songs from Pooh Corner.

Tickets are available for $75, $65, and $55 through Tickets.com on the web: www.Tickets.com, by phone: (800) 225-2277 or at: www.CacheCreek.com and Cache Creek Casino Resort guest services.

Contact: Cean Burgeson, Communications Manager: (530) 796-5333; cburgeson@cachecreek.com

SNL alum Rob Schneider set to take the stage at Cache Creek

BROOKS, Calif. – Anyone who’s a fan of comedy knows Rob Schneider. Most of us were introduced to him as a member of one of the classic casts of SNL, where he first teamed up with Adam Sandler. This relationship led to hilarious cameos in a number of Sandler projects in addition to features which Schneider carried on his own such as the “Duece Bigelow” films and off the wall premised projects such as “The Animal” and “The Hot Chick.”

Schneider is well known for his longtime relationship with Adam Sandler and Sandler’s production company, Happy Madison, which led him to star in several projects, including “Bedtime Stories,” “You Don’t Mess With The Zohan,” “The Benchwarmers,” “50 First Dates,” “The Longest Yard,” “Eight Crazy Nights,” “Little Nicky” and “Mr. Deeds.” Also for Happy Madison, Schneider co-wrote and starred in “Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo,” “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo,” “The Hot Chick” and “The Animal.” Other film credits include “Shark Bait,” “The Waterboy” and “Big Daddy.”

Born in San Francisco, Schneider grew up in the nearby suburb of Pacifica, the son of a secular Jewish Father and Catholic mother. Schneider's maternal grandmother was a Filipina who met and married Schneider's maternal grandfather, a Caucasian American army private, while he was stationed in the Philippines. Schneider graduated from Terra Nova High School in 1982, where he began writing jokes as a teenager, appearing at local venues.

After opening for comedians such as Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld, he made his major network television debut in 1987 on “The David Letterman Show.” A few years later, Lorne Michaels saw Schneider’s appearance on HBO’s “13th Annual Young Comedians Special” and hired him to be a regular on “Saturday Night Live.” During his four seasons at “SNL,” Schneider was nominated for three Emmys and a Peabody Award.
Schneider never stopped working since leaving SNL. Fans can next seen him in the soon to be released film “Grown Ups,” a comedy about five old friends (played by comedy superstars Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Schneider and Adam Sandler) reuniting 30 years after their high school graduation. He also made his directorial debut last year in the prison comedy “Big Stan,” which was filmed at a closed women’s penitentiary in Stockton. Although he lives in Los Angeles, Schneider is still a Northern California native at heart who looks forward to performing for his fans at Cache Creek.

Tickets are available now through Tickets.com on the web: www.Tickets.com or by phone: (800) 225-2277 or at: www.CacheCreek.com or Cache Creek Casino Resort at the guest services desk for $35 reserved.