The band America is celebrating their 50^th year together, and they are bringing the show to the Keith Albee for the Marshall Artist Series.

Touring has been a part of the band’s life nonstop for the last 50 years. There tours have taken them all over the world.

“We do 85 to 100 shows a year and about 80% of those shows are domestic, and we do go to Canada a lot,” said Dewey Bunnell, an original member of the band America.

The group has been making and performing music since 1970, and while they have come out with music in recent years, while performing they like to keep it mostly about their older hits.

“We have been very fortunate over the year to have had a lot of charted records and #1 records, and a lot of top 10 records. So primarily the audience that is coming to see us  want to hear those charted song that they know,” said Bunnell. “So, the set is mostly the songs from the 70s, 80s, and early 90s, but we do have a few surprises as well.”

After all these years of writing their own music,  Bunnell says that the process of songwriting has not really changed.

“The essence of it is sitting down and making a three to four-minute song, and creating some imagery, or emotion, or feeling. That all songwriting is,” said Bunnell.

Bunnell says that over the years the process has been made easier by phones having different apps to record on, but he would perfer sitting down with a guitar and a piece of paper.

When the band is not traveling to other countries, they mostly keep their shows on the weekend.

“We will usually go out and play on a Thursday and then two or three shows over the weekend and come home on a Monday,” said Bunnell.

With this being their 50^th year as a band, they are doing more than they usually would on an average year with promoting and touring.

“With this year being the 50^th anniversary there is an added layer of stuff going on. We are coming out with a box set, as well as an authorized biography that is being published this May. We are also putting out DVDs with old outtakes, and songs that weren’t released,” said Bunnell.

America on their 50^th Anniversary Tour will be performing on March 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Keith Albee as a part of the Marshall Artist Series 83^rd season.

Tickets can be picked up 12 p.m.- 4 p.m. Monday- Friday at the Joan C. Edwards box office, and they are free for full-time students with a student ID and half-price for part-time students. Tickets may also be purchased by calling the Joan C. Edwards box office.

Emily Hayslett can be contacted at [email protected].