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Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 7:00 pm | Saturday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm (205) 385-0100 Service Department: Monday – Friday 7:30 am – 6:00 pm | (205) 282-4427 www.hyundaiofjasper.com PAGE 2 | A GUIDE TO FOOTHILLS FESTIVAL
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Features 08 12 16 20 24
Myles Kennedy
THE DAILY MOUNTAIN EAGLE www.MountainEagle.com 205.221.2840
- SEPTEMBER 2021 -
PUBLISHER James Phillips
Charlie Worsham
ART DIRECTOR Malarie Brakefield
Aubrie Sellers
CONTRIBUTORS Jennifer Cohron Ed Howell Nicole Smith
The Steel Woods Fastball
2019 FOOTHILLS FESTIVAL featuring Blues Traveler
PAGE 4 | A GUIDE TO FOOTHILLS FESTIVAL
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6:30pm Aubrie Sellers
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9:30pm The Steel Woods
8:00pm Myles Kennedy 9:30pm St. Paul & The Broken Bones
A GUIDE TO FOOTHILLS FESTIVAL | PAGE 5
Vendor list: 73 + 74 – Southern Style + Stash 70 – Country Financial 123 – Mandi Blake 218 – Wendy’s 165 – Nothing Bundt Cakes* 126 + 127 – Bab’s Jewelry + Hairbows 248 – Banta’s Bountiful Nails 28 – Swat Team Reptiles 217 – Joe’s Shirt Shop 30 – Redline Leather Workz 108 – Riverside Designs 25 – Space Air Airbrushing 33 – From Both Sides 209 – Angie’s This + That 17 – Luna Belle Children’s Boutique 106 – McCoy Krafts 242 – Enchanted Green Earth Jewelry 29 + 114 – Tennessee Novelty 113 – Get Reel Fishing 112 – Urgent Care NW 249 – Stover’s Naturals + Twisted Peacock 104 – Glitter + Shine w Cynthia 216 – Hiller Custom Wood Lines
* food court
68 – AT&T 31 – Empty Jar Creations 107 – Hope Is The Anchor Healing Studio 195 – Green Point Merchant Systems 194 – Grace + Rose Co 105 – TD Design / Young Farms 251 – Nana Bakes LLC 21 – U.S. LawShield 23 - Lamastay 189 – Artistry Imagined 254 – Magical Marionettes 255 – Five Point Knives 18 – Exit Justice Realty 19 – Rebel Rose Boutique 190 – Drayer Physical Therapy 20 – Elect Dr. Thomas Kyzer 111 – Alabama Storm Troopers 167 – An Original Creation Co 256 – Health Connect America 206 – Ninny’s 201 + 202 – Monogram Fever Boutique 161 – Jasper Axe House 168 - ArtBama
PAGE 6 | A GUIDE TO FOOTHILLS FESTIVAL
138 - Gibson Girl Boutique 207 – Laird, Robertson, Allen 226 – Hometown Vinyl 211 – Rock N Roll Sushi 26 – MTZ Construction 192 – Southeast Hospice 266 + 267 - Lavish 246 – Designs On You 245 – Bernard’s 244 – ABC 33/40 243 – Guin Law 97–101 – Carl Cannon 212 – Comfort Care 213 + 214 – Johnny Brusco’s 72 – CBS 42 71 – Connie Rowe 69 – C-Spire 199 – J + T Apparel 34 – Bevill State 24 – Extreme Roofing 27 – Aaron’s 32 – Daily Mountain Eagle 35 – Walker County DHR
1 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 2 6 1 9 8 1 1 2 2
109 – Timberline Homes 261 – Carol’s 259 – Bailey’s Bakery 208 – Guild Mortgage 13 – Elle Luxe 155 – Jasper Bottle & Tap 191 – Realty South 154 – Sycamore Grove 200 – Young Jewelers 136 - Terry Comer 215 – Sapp Law Firm 250 – Gracie United 188 – Gina Scruggs 110 – Redemption Baptist Church 22 – We Will Ride Ministries 67 – American Legion 196 – Worship Life Jasper 93–96 – Farley Tractor Co. 84 – 88 - Honda 17 – Luna Belle Children’s Boutique 15 – Dippin’ Dots* 252 – Lil Pappy’s Lemonade* 257 – Cool Shavings*
1 – Spiedies + Sweet Treats* 2 – Sweet Parad-ICE* 3 – Venice Gelato* 4 – Brawner’s Concessions* 5 – Smoking Barrel Tacos* 6 – Southern Concessions* 7 – Poe Family Sandwiches & More* 8 – Cesar’s Concessions* 9 – Greek Tavern* 10 – Walker County Cattlemen’s Assoc.* 11 – Five Loaves* 12 – Cousins Maine Lobster* 197 + 198 – Cigar Box 162 – Over The Top Concessions* 164 – Statewide Concessions * 163 – Steel City Pops* 165 – Nothing Bundt Cakes* 166 – Viking Rock Cafe* 219 – C.A.R.S 220 – C.A.R.S 221 – C.AR.S 222 – C.A.R.S 223 – C.A.R.S
A GUIDE TO FOOTHILLS FESTIVAL | PAGE 7
224 – C.A.R.S 225 – C.A.R.S 227 – C.A.R.S 228 – C.A.R.S 229 – C.A.R.S 230 – C.A.R.S 231 – C.A.R.S 232 – C.A.R.S 233 – C.A.R.S 234 – C.A.R.S 235 – C.A.R.S 236 – C.A.R.S 237 – C.A.R.S 238 – C.A.R.S 239 – C.A.R.S 240 – C.A.R.S 241 – C.A.R.S
PAGE 8 | A GUIDE TO FOOTHILLS FESTIVAL
Myles
KENNEDY TEXT BY JENNIFER COHRON AND JEREMY COHRON
As a vocalist, Myles Kennedy is instantly recognizable and widely respected. His sophomore solo project, “The Ides of March,” shows off his versatility as an instrumentalist as well. In addition to guitar and bass guitar, Kennedy, who also wrote all 11 tracks, is heard playing the banjo, mandolin and lap steel – instruments that are unlikely to find their way onto his projects with Alter Bridge or Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators. “I never intended to be a singer. I started off wanting to be a studio guitar player,” said Kennedy, who will be performing at Foothills Festival on Saturday, Sept. 11. “I liked the idea of going into a studio and being hired to play on other people’s projects. That’s what I did for a long time. So I had to learn to be really versatile and learn to play a number of different instruments and a lot of different styles. That’s one of the things that I really savor with the solo realm is getting to explore more of that.” Stylistically, “The Ides of March” is closer to what fans have gotten from Kennedy throughout his career than his 2018 solo debut, “Year of the Tiger,” a more acoustic-driven concept album that explored the death of his father when he was 4 years old. Kennedy put off making a solo record 20 years ago because he had so many other things going on in his career but returned to the idea four years ago. “Year of the Tiger” was well-received by fans and critics alike. “The Ides of March,” released in May, was intended to be louder. Kennedy has said he wanted to “plug in, turn the amps up to 11 and improvise to my heart’s content.” Still, both of Kennedy’s solo projects are more influenced by the blues and Americana than hard rock, which reflects both the sonic filter through which he was viewing the world at the time he was writing the track as well as his own desire to take risks and stay creative. “I really like that because it helps keep me challenged. I feel like I’m not doing the same thing over and over in each project. It’s fun,” he said. Most of the songs on the recent album were written in the early days of the pandemic. The uncertainty, fear and boredom that so many experienced
A GUIDE TO FOOTHILLS FESTIVAL | PAGE 9
during lockdown informed tracks such as “In Stride” and “Wake Me When It’s Over.” The title track, a reference to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, opens on a bleak note (“Some say the end is nigh, that no one will get out alive”) but ends with an admonition that Kennedy makes time and again on the album – stay calm, get some perspective and trust that the situation will eventually get better. For Kennedy, music is “a wonderful elixir” that has helped him cope with anxiety, and his hope is that his songs serve the same purpose for listeners. “I think that’s part of what got me into wanting to write songs and be a musician is to try and create something that hopefully will help ease someone else’s suffering. That’s something I don’t take lightly,” he said. Though not directly related to the pandemic, the poignant track “A Thousand Words” nevertheless speaks to the grief that families who lost loved ones have struggled with in the past year. Kennedy was searching for a lyric to match a melody he had just written one day last March when his wife showed him a photo of a friend’s mother standing over her husband’s grave as his
coffin was lowered into the ground. “It’s really one of the heaviest pictures I’ve ever seen. Within a second, the phrase, ‘A picture’s worth a thousand words’ came to mind,” Kennedy said. The chorus continues, “In the ache of an image I have seen the worst, like a million screams for mercy that can’t be unheard.” “This photograph said so much about our mortality, life and loss,” he said. Though St. Paul and the Broken Bones are the scheduled headliner of the 2021 Foothills Festival, the announcement that Kennedy had been added to the lineup was met with excitement by local rock fans. He will be performing at the main stage at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11. “For whatever reason, it (hard rock) has this shelf life that will never expire. So many artists are here today and gone later today in the pop realm. If you come up with something as a rock musician that people gravitate towards, it’s kind of like ‘Field of Dreams.’ The hook was ‘If you build it, they will come.’ It’s the same with rock and roll. If you build a quality body of work, the fans will come and they’ll stick around,” he said. •
PAGE 10 | A GUIDE TO FOOTHILLS FESTIVAL
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PAGE 12 | A GUIDE TO FOOTHILLS FESTIVAL
Charlie Worsham Mississippi native Worsham shares on diversity, heritage of music TEXT BY ED HOWELL | PHOTOS BY JASON MYERS
COUNTY SINGER, SONGWRITER AND MUSICIAN CHARLIE WORSHAM comes to the Foothills Festival as a proud native of Mississippi who was talented from the time of his youth. Today, he is recognized as a talented country artist who helps to make others aware of the diversity and heritage of music. Worsham, who turned 36 on Sept. 1, is known as a former member (guitar, banjo, vocals) of the band Old Crow Medicine Show who is today signed to Warner Bros. Records. With that contract, he reached No. 12 on the U.S. Country chart for the 2013 album “Rubberband,” which had his debut single, “Could It Be.” At that time, Billy Dukes of Taste of Country compared him favorably to Keith Urban and Vince Gill in a Taste of Country review. “While he doesn’t show the range Gill is known for on this song, his vocals are similarly smooth” and “after a few listens, lines like those in the pre-chorus begin to stand out,” he wrote. That was followed up by “Beginning of Things” in 2017, which Rolling Stone called “criminally overlooked.” Worsham did earn a nomination for International Act of the Year at the 2017 British Country Music Association Awards, based on the strength of the album. He has toured or appeared with the likes of Taylor Swift,Vince Gill, Lee Ann Womack and Miranda Lambert, Darius Rucker, Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. He was with Old Crow Medicine Show when it played Huntsville in 2019. He also appeared on “Opry at the Ryman” that year.
After a four-year wait, this year he released the single and video, “Fist Through this Town.” “I think we all go through those times when it feels like the world is against us, and that’s especially true for anyone who dares to chase down their dream,” Worsham told Rolling Stone in April. “’Fist Through This Town’ fell onto the page late one solitary night in a little house I used to rent,” Worsham says. “‘Fist’ was the first time I got that honest with myself about my anger. My hope is that this song can be rocket fuel for everyone else out there struggling to will a dream into existence.” He’s also tries to help the dreams of others. The philanthropic arm of the Country Music Association, the CMA Foundation, recently said Worsham is the non-profit’s newest Artist Ambassador. The foundation is is kicking off a busy season of supporting equitable music education initiatives across the U.S. As an Artist Ambassador, Worsham will participate in a virtual panel that will be shared soon with Tennessee Music Education Association (TNMEA) membership. Joined by his mother, Sherry Worsham, and TNMEA Advocacy/ Government Relations Chair, Christopher K. Dye, the group will discuss the impact of music on young people, especially rural children. “Sherry and Charlie have witnessed this positive impact first-hand following their 2016 launch of the Follow Your Heart Arts Program, a music education and advocacy program located in rural Mississippi available to elementary and high school students free of charge,” the foundation
A GUIDE TO FOOTHILLS FESTIVAL | PAGE 13
said in a release. Worsham is also participating in season two of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Words & Music at Home, which provides free, digital programming and resources to encourage audiences of all ages to try songwriting as a way of self-expression. His episode can be found on the museum’s YouTube channel. Last year, Worsham also started hosting the “Air Castle Community Hour” on WSM Radio in Nashville to celebrate the diversity of musicians in Nashville, while Worsham recalls stories in country music history. “It’s always been important to me that the Grand Ole Opry strives to showcase the past, present, and future of country music,” said Dan Rogers, vice president and executive producer of the Grand Ole Opry, in a release. “I firmly believe that Charlie Worsham does the same thing.” The release noted Worsham “continues to use his voice to advocate for equality, recently penning an editorial for Rolling Stone about the Mississippi state flag. A proud native, Worsham acknowledges its history while standing up for a change that he believes will better represent all members of his beloved home state.” While the Rolling Stone piece notes his
concern for the state’s dark racial history saying it gives him “a twinge of anxiety” - he also has pride in the state, where he was born in Jackson and grew up in Grenada. “I am a proud, sixth-generation, born-andraised Mississippian. I’ve traveled around the world singing songs, and though I hang my hat in Tennessee, I tell people I’m from Mississippi,” he wrote, later adding, “The Mississippi I know and love sounds like Charley Pride’s voice, Marty Stuart’s Telecaster, and B.B. King’s Lucille. It tastes like gravity-defying meringue and cathead biscuits. It intoxicates you with the hospitality and style of Willie Seaberry on a hot, Merigold juke joint Thursday night.” The Mississippi Senate recognized him for his musical accomplishments with a 1999 resolution that noted he took piano lessons in kindergarten, and was named outstanding nad member in his sixth-grade band. Proving himself to be something of an honor student - he was also placing in everything from spelling bees to the science fair - he won Superior-Plus ratings for his piano playing with music organizations including a Bach Music Festival. He would also win prizes for the banjo and fiddle, including at the Mississippi State Fair. He would go on to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. •
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AUBRIE SELLERS Aubrie Sellers to bring country edge to Jasper TEXT BY NICOLE SMITH | PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED
AUBRIE SELLERS IS READY TO BRING WHAT SHE CALLS “GARAGE COUNTRY” to Jasper’s Foothills Festival. Sellers is a multi-talented singer/songwriter who learned to play the guitar so that she could write songs. She’s even played the banjo and piano. Musical talent is in her blood. Aubrie Sellers is the daughter of country music stars Jason Sellers and Lee Ann Womack. “I was born in Nashville, so I grew up around music. My dad played with Ricky Skaggs and Vince Gill when I was little, and my mom is a singer as well,” Sellers said. “I got my first guitar when I was around 13 and started playing and writing songs casually, and then, when I was around 19, I decided to start pursuing it as a career.” Sellers has released two albums — “New City Blues” in 2016 and “Far From Home” in 2020. “I grew up on traditional country music but am very influenced by rock, blues, and roots music as well. You can call it garage country,” she said. “Music is a part of my family and my history in a way where I would never be able to live without in my life in one way or another. I wasn’t always sure what I would do with it or when, but I knew it would continue to be in my life.” Sellers is currently promoting a debut pop-rock album with country artist Jade Sellers called “Breaking Point.” The duo’s name is Jackson+Sellers. “Jade and I crossed paths at Americana Fest a couple of years ago, but didn’t meet,” Sellers said. “She reached out to me on Instagram about singing on one of her songs, and when we met we hit it off instantly. We ended up recording two demos that day, both songs that made it onto the record. The record is even more rock than either of our previous albums, and we are having a ton of fun working together.” Information on the Jackson+Sellers website describes the new album as an outlet for the duo to explore all of their musical talents. “By shedding the identities pre-assigned to them by the music industry,
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Jackson+Sellers have fashioned an album reflective of their expansive musical interests, from ‘70s rock to indie pop to West Coast country,” according to the Jackson+Sellers website (https://jacksonsellers.com/). Sellers says she is excited to perform at the Foothills Festival, and Jade Jackson will be joining her as well. “This will be my first show since touring
got canceled at the beginning of last year, and the first preview of the songs from the new record,” Sellers said. “We are going to have so much fun just being able to play for everybody, and Jade is going to join us as we play songs from the new album. I’m so grateful we get to share music with people in person again, so I can’t wait to see everyone there.” •
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The Steel Woods moves on after loss of Cope 20
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TEXT BY JENNIFER COHRON
THE STEEL WOODS IS SOLDIERING ON after the loss of founding member Jason “Rowdy” Cope in January. Cope, who cofounded the band with Woodland, Alabama, native Wes Bayliss, passed away unexpectedly in his sleep at age 42. “There will never be another Rowdy, and it’ll never be like it was, and I think the fans know that,” Bayliss told Tennessee newspaper “The Daily Times” for a show in July. “They’re not expecting anything other than that, and so they really make the night what it is. If it’s a good night, it’s because the fans make it a good night, and that eases some of the thoughts and the nervousness or whatever.” Cope spent nine years in Jamey Johnson’s band before forming The Steel Woods. The band’s third album, “All of Your Stones” had just been completed at the time of Cope’s death. It was released on May 14 and has been referred to by several reviewers as the best of their work so far. “Though not intended, the theme of the album somehow serendipitously revolves around Cope. The title track, co-written by Bayliss and Cope, is meant to be inspirational, taking the dark that Cope suffered through in a positive direction, building blocks from which he found solace. Standout track ‘Ole Pal’ by Bayliss, is eerie with its line “That said you never made it back/but in a few words, you’re a hero to us all,’” wrote the site Country Standard Time. The Steel Woods, which will be the Friday night headliner at this year’s Foothills Festival, has several ties to past Foothills performers. Brent Cobb, who performed at the 2019 festival, has songwriting credit on the band’s 2017 debut “Straw in the Wind.” The Steel Woods has also toured with Whiskey Myers, another 2019 Foothills alumnus. The Steel Woods is often compared to Lynyrd Skynyrd, and a cover of Lynyrd Skynrd’s “I Need You” is on the new album. •
A GUIDE TO FOOTHILLS FESTIVAL | PAGE 21
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fastball Fastball still going strong after 25 years TEXT BY JENNIFER COHRON
FASTBALL, A ROCK BAND THAT HAD A BREAKOUT HIT IN THE LATE ‘90S WITH “THE WAY,” will be performing at Foothills Festival. “The Way,” which resulted in two Grammy nominations for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Long Form Music Video, was part of Fastball’s 1998 sophomore album, “All the Pain Money Can Buy.” Based on a true story, it centered on a couple who start out on a road trip and end up disappearing together. Fastball, which has continued to put out albums throughout the 2000s and 2010s, is
made up of original members Miles Zuniga, Tony Scalzo and Joey Shuffield. The latest album, “Help Machine,” was put out by the band’s own label, 33 1/3. “When I look at our catalog, there’s not a bad record in there,” Shuffield said on the band’s website. “We’ve been through our ups and downs, but I think we’ve really found our groove over the last few years. We spent a lot of time on a major label, so initially the transition back to being an indie band was a little bumpy. But now it feels comfortable being responsible for everything ourselves, because that way we’re
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more likely to get it right. We’re all so into the music now, and I think you can hear that on the last couple of albums.” Scalzo added, “It’s only natural that you get better at what you do as you get older and more experienced. But you can’t always figure that out when you’re in your 20s. Now that we’re on our own label, the pressure’s all on us, and that’s fine. All I ever really wanted was a consistent creative outlet, and we’ve got that now.” Fastball is set to perform at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11. “We’re always meeting people who tell us how we helped them get through college, and we have whole families that come to the shows now. At nearly every show we’ll meet people who’ve flown in from other states or other countries
to see us play. That kind of thing really warms the heart, and makes us feel like we’re doing something right,” Shuffield said. “We’d love to have another massive hit single,” Zuniga reflects, “but you can’t really plan that. We’re living in a different world now, and all we can do is just make the best music we can. When you’re young, you’re insecure and trying to get attention for yourself. But when you get a little more mature, you start to care more about what’s right for the music. When I was in my 20s, I was always trying to impress people. But now all I care about is making great music, and I think that the whole band feels that way.” •
A GUIDE TO FOOTHILLS FESTIVAL | PAGE 25
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