Common Ground Music Festival, presented by Miller Lite, heats up the Midwest once again as it tacks another nine artists to its July lineup. Contemporary, rock, classics and country are represented as officials announce: Morris Day & the Time (Tuesday, July 10); American Idol Casey James, Sister Hazel (Wednesday, July 11); The Wallflowers, Soul Asylum; Walk Off The Earth; Lights (Friday, July 13); and Saving Abel (Saturday, July 14).

TUESDAY, JULY 10 — (previously announced: Joe Walsh) Tickets on sale NOW

Morris Day & The Time —Pearl Vision Pavilion Stage — With his dynamic dancing and smooth yet gutsy, vocals, Morris Day played an essential role in the development of the Twin City dance/club sound of the 1980s. Releasing his debut solo album, Color of Success, in 1985, Day reached his apex with his second solo album, “Daydreaming,” two years later. Produced by ex-Time members Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam, the album included the chart-topping R&B tune "Fishnet.”  Day has appeared in such films as Prince's 1984 autobiographical-pic, “Purple Rain,” which included hits “The Bird,” “Jungle Love.” The 1990’s “New Attitude” also fanned Day’s fame.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 11—(previously announced: Kevin Costner & Modern West and High Valley) Tickets on sale NOW

Casey James —Auto Value Main Stage —Casey James first emerged on the national scene with his third-place run on Season 9 of American Idol. Following his success on Idol, Casey set his sights on Nashville, touring with Sugarland in early 2011 and playing his own shows while working on his upcoming debut album, set for release in 2012. Casey is currently giving fans a taste of what to expect on the album with the bluesy, goodtime feel of the first single, “Let’s Don’t Call It a Night,” co-written with Terry McBride and Brice Long.

Sister Hazel —Pearl Vision Pavilion Stage — "All for You" and “Happy” topped the adult alternative charts during the summer of 1997, and the success propelled the album to platinum status. Sister Hazel’s creative train just keeps rolling. Last year’s well-received “Release,” reached the band’s highest ever spot on the Billboard Album Charts, topping even their platinum disc “Somewhere More Familiar,” and they are keeping the momentum going with “Heartland Highway,” (Oct. 12, 2010, Rock Ridge Music), marking the band’s quickest album-to-album turnaround in their 15-plus-year career.

FRIDAY, JULY 13 —Tickets on sale Friday, May 18^th at 8 a.m. *Special Pricing Promotion below *

The Wallflowers —Auto Value Main Stage — With a new album in the work The Wallflowers are back out on the road giving fans a taste of the new songs as well as the old favorites. The Wallflowers rose to fame with their 4x platinum album “Bringing Down The Horse,” which featured four top charting singles including “6^th Avenue Heartache,” “One Headlight,” “The Difference,” and “Three Marlenas.” The two-time Grammy award winners went on to sell 7 million records worldwide.

Soul Asylum —Auto Value Main Stage — Soul Asylum are the quintessential little band that could; it only took ten years to turn them from a teenage garage band into multi-platinum-selling rock stars. Known for top ten albums such as 1992’s “Grave Dancers Union,”  which earned them a multi-platinum record. Number one single, "Runaway Train," propelled by a public service announcement-style video for missing children, helped turn the band into a household name. “Let Your Dim Light Shine,” in 1995 brought us single, "Misery," that hit the Top 20.

Lights —Pearl Vision Pavilion Stage — When Canadian electro-rock sensation Lights first hit the music scene in 2008, she was just a songwriter with a synth and a dream. Several singles found a warm reception on Canadian radio outlets, while Lights' vibrant attire and good looks made her an endearing presence on MuchMusic's TV countdown. Early the following year, Lights won a Juno Award for New Artist of the Year and landed a spot on that summer's Warped Tour, all the while preparing her debut album, 2009’s “The Listening.” In 2011, Lights returned with the more mature, sonically sophisticated album, “Siberia.”

Walk Off The Earth —Pearl Vision Pavilion Stage —Indie band Walk Off The Earth, whose current YouTube video, a five-person, one-guitar cover of "Somebody That I Used to Know," has racked up 112 million views on YouTube to date.  The powerful fan response to the video has turned the five-year-old Canadian group into a media phenomenon and propelled them onto American network television, where a posted video of their appearance on “The Ellen Degeneres Show” received a half-million views in less than a week.

SATURDAY, JULY 14 — (previously announced: Three Days Grace & Like A Storm) Tickets on sale NOW

Saving Abel —Auto Value Main Stage — Backyard barbecues, front porch jams, old-fashioned family values and hard-partying rock n' roll is the name of the game for Saving Abel. The no-frills, no pretension and down home charm driven compositions from these Southern boys have burned up the radio charts with soaring melodies and crunching hooks, caused guys and gals alike to shake what their momma gave 'em while pumping a fist in the air and served as feel good anthems for American troops on military bases abroad. You’ll be pounding your fists to hits like “Addicted,” “18 Days,” “Stupid Girl (Only In Hollywood),” “New Tattoo,” “Drowning (Face Down),” and “The Sex Is Good.”

SPECIAL PRICING PROMOTION – A limited quantity of $15.00 (+fee) tickets will be available beginning Friday, May 18 for The Wallflowers, Soul Asylum, Lights & Walk Off The Earth (Friday, July 13). The $15 pricing promotion runs 8 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday, May 18 ONLY while supplies last. Ticket orders limited to eight per festival day, per person.

SINGLE-DAY TICKETS ALREADY ON SALE:

UPGRADE SEATING TICKETS:

SINGLE-DAY VIP PASS:
Fans seeking a VIP experience including access to the VIP pit and UnCommon Club.  Quantities are extremely limited.
Full VIP Ticket details available at CommonGroundFest.com

FAST PASS: This pass will allow you to enter the venue between 5:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Quantities are limited. The 7-Day Pass is $50.00 (+ fee) and the Single-Day Fast Pass is $10.00 (+ fee).

SEVEN-DAY GENERAL ADMISSION PASS: Seven-Day festival passes are limited and first-come, first-served. Week-long passes are the week’s best value at $89 (+ fee).

SEVEN-DAY VIP PASS: Seven-Day VIP Pass. Quantities are extremely limited and include week-long access to the VIP pit and UnCommon Club. Full UnCommon Club details are available at CommonGroundFest.com. Tickets are only $299 (+ fee).

All tickets have a $3.00 fee per ticket when purchased online, by phone and at the Common Ground Festival office.

 PURCHASE TICKETS:

All Common Ground Music Festival tickets may be purchased —

• In Person: Common Ground Music Festival Office located at 901 N. Washington Ave. in Lansing.
  (NW corner of N. Washington Ave. and Oakland Ave.) Free parking is available on N. Washington Ave.
• Online: www.commongroundfest.com
• By phone: 877-569-7767

• Office hours are 11:00 AM- 6:00 PM, Monday-Friday.

• Print tickets at home or —NEW!—send them to your smart phone.

 For more detailed information about the 2012 Common Ground Music Festival, log on to the official website at www.commongroundfest.com or call the festival office at (517) 267-1502.