Page 2, The Loafer • April 8, 2014
www.theloaferonline.com
April 8, 2014 • The Loafer, Page 3
Volume 28 Issue #18
Publisher - Bill Williams • Editor/Graphic Arts Director - Don Sprinkle • Office Manager - Luci Tate Cover Design - Bill May • Photography - Mark Marquette Advertising - Dave Carter, Akey Kincaid, Lisa Lyons, Terry Patterson Contributing Staff - Jim Kelly, Andy Ross, Ken Silvers, Mark Marquette, Pat Bussard Published by Tree Street Media, LLC., P.O. Box 3238, Johnson City, TN 37602 Phone: 423/283-4324 FAX - 423/283-4369 www.theloaferonline.com • info@theloaferonline.com e-mail: editorial@theloaferonline.com (editorial) adcopy@theloaferonline.com (advertising All advertisements are accepted and published by the publisher upon the representation that the agency and/or advertiser is authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof.The agency and/or advertiser will indemnify and save the publisher harmless from any loss of expense resulting from claims or suits based upon contents of any advertisement,including claims or suits for defamation,libel,right of privacy,plagiarism,and copyright infringement.
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MerleFest - Music. Moments. Memories.
MerleFest, presented by Lowe’s and slated for April 2427, is proud to offer the festival’s most extensive lineup ever. The four-day event, an annual homecoming of musicians and music fans, will once again take place on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. MerleFest offers a genrecrossing mix of traditional and contemporary roots music, a music blend that legendary roots musician Doc Watson named “traditional plus.” It brings together the very best of bluegrass, contemporary acoustic, blues, folk, old-time, Cajun, jazz, country, Celtic, Americana, rock and singer-songwriter music. Among the 130 acts on the Mer-
leFest 2014 lineup are talents like Alan Jackson, Merle Haggard, Old Crow Medicine Show, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Steep Canyon Rangers, Keller Williams and The Travelin’ McCourys, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Sam Bush, Dailey & Vincent with Jimmy Fortune, Dr. Ralph Stanley and The Clinch Mountain Boys, Tim O’Brien & Darrell Scott and many more. “This year MerleFest is pleased to welcome music legends like Alan Jackson, Dr. Stanley, Merle Haggard and Ricky Skaggs. Still we continue to honor and memorialize Doc Watson, who helped found this festival. Through his guidance and artistic creativity, MerleFest has grown into a world-class festival. MerleFest
will always honor the memory and contributions of Doc and his son Merle,” says Ted Hagaman, festival director. “As always, we take pride in the diversity presented in this year’s lineup. That is a credit to Doc Watson, who always believed that all genres of music should be celebrated.” The willingness of some performers to step outside their traditional musical comfort zone is what festival organizers consider one of the things that adds the “plus” to the trademark description as being “traditional plus.” This year, MerleFest is featuring some new additions to its programing. One such feature is BanjoRama, a one-time-only assembly of music’s top banjo players in performance together. The event, created specifically for MerleFest 2014, will be part of Friday’s Watson Stage schedule. Hosted by “Dr. Banjo” Pete Wernick, BanjoRama will feature renowned banjo players Jens Kruger, Sammy Shelor, Alison Brown, Scott Vestal, Mark Johnson, Jim Mills, Rob McCoury, Terry Baucom, Ned Luberecki and Graham Sharp plus a few surprises from the stage. The banjo all-stars will be backed by The Travelin’ McCourys and Bryan Sutton. Because of the tremendous response from MerleFest fans following the initial announcement of BanjoRama, a second set of BanjoRama has been added to the Saturday lineup for those fans who are unable to make Friday’s set. “BanjoRama is going to be an ‘only at MerleFest moment’ in 2014,” said MerleFest’s Artist Relations Manager Steve Johnson. “The idea for the event came about while I was pondering ways to keep the spirit of Merle Watson alive at the festival. Not many people know that Merle was also a banjo player,
as was Doc. So, this seemed a fitting way to keep that part of their music in our program. To me it was important to showcase a diverse lineup of banjoists in the set. It needed to be something that would be hard to replicate and would truly stand out as unique. Most importantly, it needed to be something Doc and Merle would appreciate. “I discussed the concept with Pete Wernick and we immediately developed the idea to include a number of performers, such as the Steve Martin Prize
with the latest Bluegrass Album Grammy Award recipients The Steep Canyon Rangers. McCoury, Wernick, and Sharp, are winners of IBMA’s Entertainer of the Year with their respective bands, The Del McCoury Band, Hot Rize and The Steep Canyon Rangers. We also anticipate some special guests. At present we have over a dozen performers slated for this feature event. No one at MerleFest will want to miss this!” Other unique jams featured at MerleFest include the Midnight
for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass recipients, International Bluegrass Music Association Banjo Player of the Year award winners, unique stylists, and innovators of certain ‘styles’ of banjo playing,” Johnson continued. “We achieved that desired outcome by including recipients of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence: Jens Kruger, Mark Johnson, and Sammy Shelor, and IBMA Banjo Players of the Year: Sammy Shelor (2012, 1995, 1996-tie, 1997, 1998), Scott Vestal (1996-tie), Alison Brown (1991) and Jim Mills (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006), along with Graham Sharp, who is best known for his banjo work
Jam, Hillside Album Hour and spontaneous collaborations that take place on stages around the festival. “MerleFest fans already know about some of this year’s special ‘MerleFest moments’ we have planned, which include Dailey and Vincent’s special performance with Statler Brother Jimmy Fortune and Alan Jackson’s Thursday night performance of his recent all-bluegrass album, featuring some heavy hitters in the bluegrass world as part of his band,” said Johnson. “And so many of the special collaborations that have become part of MerleFest legend weren’t planned; they came together
www.theloaferonline.com mere minutes before the artists hit the stage! Midnight Jam is the Saturday after-hours hootenanny that has produced artistic collaborations and one-of-a-kind superstar jams that have become legendary in the festival’s history. Scythian will once again host the Midnight Jam, which is being sponsored this year by The Bluegrass Situation. Another unique jam session is the annual Hillside Album Hour – where a revered or iconic album is performed live from start to finish – which had its official start in 2008, when festival favorites The Waybacks were asked to host a Saturday afternoon jam at the Hillside Stage, and performed “Led Zeppelin II.” Since that time, the Hillside Album Hour has showcased the Rolling Stones’ “Sticky Fingers,” the Beatles’ “Abbey Road,” the Allman Brothers’ “Eat a Peach,” “Are You Experienced” by Jimi Hendrix and last year’s album, “Before the Flood” by Bob Dylan and The Band. Over the years, the Waybacks have also recruited the talents of such performers as Emmylou Harris, Sam Bush, Rob Ickes, John Cowan, Jerry Douglas, Jim Lauderdale, Elvis Costello, Joan Osborne, Susan Tedeschi and many others.
April 8, 2014 • The Loafer, Page 5 Each year, the crowds for this event have grown substantially; the hillside is packed with thousands of delighted music fans who gather to find out what album will be featured, always a closely held secret until the show begins. A new performance series for MerleFest 2014 is the Doc and Merle Watson Performing Arts Showcase. This set, hosted by Joe Smothers and Bob Hill of Frosty Morn, will take place on Friday on the Austin Stage. Artists selected to perform include Locust Honey, Grits and Soul, The Barefoot Movement, The Local Boys, Jesse Stockton and Moonlight Company and the Sigmon Stringers. Additionally, there will be performances from frequent Watson family collaborators Joe Smothers, Bob Hill and Mitch Greenhill, as well as from Merle’s son, Richard Watson. “The idea behind the showcase is to give local and regional talent an opportunity to perform at MerleFest,” said Johnson. “Doc was always willing to help support ‘up and coming’ and regional talent. Many of the artists who will be performing are successful in their own right already; this will allow festival-goers to see these artists in a more
intimate setting. The music will be diverse and should provide the listener with a very eclectic sampling.” “The ‘Memories of Doc and Merle’ set was suggested by musician T. Michael Coleman, long associated with his work as bass player for both the Seldom Scene and with Doc and Merle Watson,” said Johnson. “Each year at the festival Doc used to hold a similar set in memory of his son Merle; this new set will allow many of Doc’s musical friends to share memories about their times with both Doc and Merle.” Coleman said, “I feel that since Merle, Doc and Doc’s beloved wife RosaLee have left us, I need - and want - to take up the mantle of reminding people about the music, influence and lives of the Watson family. They have meant so much to my family and me, far more than the music I shared with them. I was in a unique position with Doc and Merle and feel very lucky to have had that opportunity; I would like to convey that from where I sat in their history. “I want to remind the tens of thousands of people that attend the festival that the heart and soul of this gathering in the foothills of North Carolina still flows down from Deep Gap. All
the musicians involved with this informal set had a personal relationship with Doc and Merle and carry that connection, both musically and personally, to every audience they performed for around the world. “It will be very spontaneous and fun, because that’s the way the music happened with Doc, Merle and me,” Coleman added. “We never rehearsed; we would just play whatever song came to mind with no set list – ever.” In addition to world class music, MerleFest presents various workshops, a children’s area called the Little Pickers Family Area with Andy May’s Acoustic Kids, a Songwriters Coffeehouse, Heritage Crafts, and unique shopping experiences from over 70 vendors in
the Shoppes at MerleFest. The popular and ever-so-lively Pickin’ Place is open throughout the festival for anyone to sit and jam with other musicians. There truly is something for everyone at MerleFest. As always, there are no hidden fees or surcharges on MerleFest tickets. Free parking is available, and children 12 years of age and younger are admitted free to the festival when accompanied by an adult with paid admission. Ticket purchases may be made on the web at www.merlefest. org or by calling 1-800-343-7857. With more than 130 acts performing on 13 stages during the course of the event, MerleFest is an excellent entertainment value, which promises non-stop excitement for everyone.
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STRINGTACULAR! Academy of Strings fundraising gala more family-friendly this year Family is important to the Academy of Strings, which teaches the Suzuki Method of music instruction. Family is important to the Suzuki Method itself, where the involvement and commitment of the whole family is so crucial and internationally successful. So it is no surprise that the third spring ‘STRINGTACULAR!’ fundraiser for the Johnson City-based Academy of Strings will be family and fun focused, says AOS Executive and Artistic Director Tim Barrett. This year’s family-friendly event – from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, April 12 – will be held at Boones Creek Christian Church, off I-26 exit 17, in the church’s family center. “In recent years, we have re-designed the STRINGTACULAR! to be a familyoriented event, rather than a country club formal gala,” says Barrett who co-directs the Academy of Strings with his wife, Kim. “Since we work with families, we wanted to bring an event for the whole community that would bring families together and offer lots of fun in a not-so-formal, more casual atmosphere – to celebrate the children playing music.” And, as always, much of the celebration will come in the form of music. The Academy’s students, ranging from age 4 to 18, will entertain with a light fare of music mostly from films, such as Jurassic Park, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and James Bond, in addition to classical pieces. In true Suzuki style, the young musicians will play in ensembles, Barrett says. In addition to the repast of string
music, the Academy of Strings Foundation will also be serving up light appetizers and desserts for the guests who are also encouraged to bid in silent and live auctions. “In previous years,” Barrett says, “many have remarked that STRINGTACULAR! has one of the best auctions, featuring items that appeal to families of the Tri-Cities. This year, we already have donations of $10,000-12,000 in items for the auction. The local business community support is truly humbling and outstanding.” STRINGTACULAR! auctions include “Restaurant Row,” featuring gift certificates from some of the area’s top eateries, family vacation getaways to Disney World, Dollywood and Smoky Mountain resorts, golf packages, and a variety of themed baskets. Proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit the educational and charitable works of the Academy of Strings, Barrett says, which functions under the
belief that “with the right environment and the right works, every child can!” “We are not set up to make a profit,” he says, “but this annual fundraiser does offset operating costs and allows the kids share concerts, whether strolling through the hospitals playing for people there or concerts for the whole community.” Tickets to STRINGTACULAR! are $10 per person or an immediate family household maximum of $30. They can be purchased online at www.academyofstrings.com through Wednesday, April 9. The Academy of Strings was established in 1991 by a generous gift of $50,000 from the late Ruth Harris of Johnson City, in honor of her son “Chip” Harris. Mrs. Harris desired to establish an academy that would use music as a tool to foster well-balanced children through arts education. The Academy of Strings is devoted to the personal development of children/youth through quality music education and performance and uses the Suzuki Method and its truths and principles as the core of its musical curriculum. The Suzuki Method, often referred to as “talent education,” has proven itself as the premier method of music instruction in the world. This method employs a three-phase approach that includes individual lessons, group lessons and recitals. The Academy of Strings uses a “full immersion mastery” approach, requiring a commitment from both students and parents. For information on the Academy of Strings, visit www.academyofstrings. com or call Tim Barrett at 423-9151212.
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JCCT presents Comedy/Thriller
The 39 Steps
Hitchcock meets Monty Python in next production at JCCT
Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre. When the audience takes their seats and the overture begins, the suspense, the thrills, and the gutwrenching laughter may drive them psycho as JCCT presents The 39 Steps. This 2-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters, an on-stage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers and some good old-fashioned romance. In The 39 Steps, a man with a boring life meets a woman with a thick accent who says she’s a spy. When he takes her home, she is murdered. Soon, a mysterious organization called “The 39 Steps” is hot on the man’s trail in a nationwide manhunt that climaxes in a death-defying finale. The 39 Steps amounts to an unforgettable evening of pure pleasure. The 39 Steps is a melodrama adapted from the 1915 novel by John Buchan and the 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock. The original concept and production
of the story was by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon. Patrick Barlow rewrote this adaptation in 2005. The 39 Steps played its 500th performance on Broadway, May 19th, 2009. JCCT’s production of The 39 Steps is directed by JCCT Artistic Director, Thomas Townsend. “I can say in all candor that this is the most fun I have ever had directing a show. The material is so good and the cast are dedicated, talented, and hardworking. The 39 Steps is head and shoulders above any other farce to play Broadway in the last 20 years. The play is versatile and original, a real comedic breath of fresh air.” Directing with Mr. Townsend, Vicky Livesay commented, “This cast has been remarkable in their ability to play such a wide variety of parts. The 39 Steps is not to be missed. It is the must-see show of the season.” The cast of The 39 Steps cast includes Brent Edwards as Hannay, Emily Barnes as all the leading ladies, Dick Lura and Corey Tickles as the Clowns, and, unique to JCCT’s productions, Angie
Hyche, Megan Blevins, and Audrey Schyphers as the Mimes. Rounding out the production team are Stage Manager Rachel Townsend, Light Designer Veronica Roberson, Sound Designer Kallie Gay, and Stage Crew Stephanie Mangiacotti, Jim Mangiacotti, and Victoria Dilliott. “My favorite aspect of The 39 Steps is that the author in the foreword to the play does something most authors don’t do, and that is not only gives license to expound and innovate the staging, but encourages directors to do so. This means each theatre company’s production of The 39 Steps is completely different,” commented Townsend, “We are very proud of the work and resulting play and can’t wait to share it with audiences. I could mention that the comedic heights we achieve give the cast vertigo, but that would be going too far.” Mountain States Health Alliance is a proud season sponsor of JCCT. The 39 Steps is sponsored in part by Celebrate and East Tenn Rent-Alls. The 39 Steps is made possible, in part, by support from the Tennessee Arts Commission, the Arts Builds Community Grant, and the Johnson City Area Arts Council. JCCT is a proud member of the Johnson City Area Arts Council and the Johnson City/Washington County Chamber of Commerce. JCCT will hold performances of The 39 Steps on April 11, 12, 18, and 19 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 13 and Saturday, April 19 at 2:00 p.m. Regular ticket prices are $15.00, with students, seniors (55 and up), active military, and MSHA employees discounted tickets at $12.00. Season Tickets are also available. For more information on JCCT performance dates, tickets, auditions, or volunteer opportunities, please go online to www.jcct. info or call JCCT at 423-926-2542. Reservations can also be made online 24 hours a day by clicking on the reservations tab.
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Saturday, April 12th, The Carter Family Fold persents
Backstep Old Time Band
Saturday, April 12th, 2014, at 7:30 p.m., the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, Virginia, will present a concert by the Backstep Old Time Band. Admission to the concert is $10 for adults, children 6 to 11 $1, under age 6 free. Backstep performs old time stringband music in the “Round Peak style” native to Mount Airy, North
Carolina. Known for its driving rhythms and prominent melodies, Round Peak music is just the thing to make you kick up your heels and dance. Back Step features Chester McMillian (a founding member of the band) on guitar and his son Nick McMillian on fiddle (he also plays banjo and bass). Chester McMillian, one of the
band’s founders, was born in Carroll County, Virginia, into a musical family and community. He has played traditional old time Round Peak style music since his childhood. By the time he was eleven or twelve years old, he was living in Surry County and taking an active part in the Round Peak music community. In 1962, Chester married into Dix Freeman’s family, and the two began playing a lot of music together. Chester played guitar with Tommy Jarrell for fifteen years, and he developed his guitar style specifically to play with Tommy. He also played and recorded with Dix Freeman, Kirk Sutphin, and Greg Hooven – with whom he founded Back Step. Nick McMillian was raised in the Round Peak community surrounded by music. He is truly of the tradi-
tion, bringing a whole family history into his banjo, fiddle, and bass playing. He first learned to play banjo from his grandfather, Dix Freeman, whose style he can closely imitate. He also plays Round Peak style fiddle. Steeped in music from an early age, Nick made his first recording – Backstep – at age eleven. He has performed in public since the ripe old age of eight. He also recorded with the New Pilot Mountaineers on fiddle and banjo. Nick’s musical mentors include Fred Cockerham, his grandfather Dix Freeman, and his father, Chester McMillian. Backstep has performed at the Fold in years past, and they came back for a concert last year. The Fold is proud to welcome them back. They have the highest recommendation from Dr. Mark Handy of the Mountain Park Old Time Band.
Fans of groups like the Mountain Park Old Time Band and the Whitetop Mountain Band will love the the Back Step Old Time Band. Backstep has won first place in the old time band competition at the Mount Airy Fiddler’s Convention and the Fiddler’s Grove fiddler’s convention. For more information on the group, go to: www.myspace.com/ backstepmusic. For further information on the center, go to http://www.carterfamilyfold.org. Shows from the Carter Family Fold can be accessed on the internet at www.carterfoldshow. com. Carter Music Center is part of the Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail. You can visit the Crooked Road Music Trail site at thecrookedroad.org. Partial funding for programs at the center is provided by the Virginia Commission for the Arts the National Endowment for the Arts. For recorded information on shows coming up at the Fold, call 276-386-6054. The Fold is on Facebook – page Carter Fold – and Twitter – @carterfoldinfo. To speak to a Fold staff member, call 276-594-0676.
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Carter Mansion Celebration Saturday, April 12 & Sunday, April 13
Sponsored by the Washington Co. Regiment of North Carolina Militia Travel back to the 1780s… The American colonies have declared Independence, but the outcome of this bitter struggle is still in question. Hardy frontiersmen have crossed the mountains in defiance of British law and have carved out homes in the wilderness. Conflict is rising between
American Patriots, Loyalists who support the Crown, and native Indians who struggle to retain their way of life. But the people of this time still find cause for celebration, merriment, music, and the arts; so come out and see it all come together at the oldest frame house in Tennessee.
The Historic John and Landon Carter Mansion, built ca. 1775-1780, boasts beautiful over mantle murals, hand carved moldings and raised panels making it one of the most treasured sites in Tennessee history. The house is the only surviving link to the famed Watauga Association, the democratic government set up by the early settlers in the Watauga Valley. The home’s builder, John Carter, served as a chairman of the Association. The Washington County Regiment of North Carolina Militia, Sycamore Shoals’ host living history organization, will be celebrating its five-year anniversary during this exciting celebration! The Militia will be encamped on the grounds of the Carter Mansion and will present demonstrations of the daily lives of 18th century backwoods settlers. As part of the activities a reenactment of a small battle between Patriots and Tories will be presented each day.
Local craftsmen and artisans will be on hand throughout the weekend showcasing and demonstration traditional arts and crafts. Other activities throughout the weekend will include Tours of the Carter Mansion: Tennessee’s oldest frame house, Militia Drill, Musket and Rifle demonstrations, Traditional and Old Time Music, Storytelling, Colonial Military Music by
the Watauga Valley Fifes and Drums, and much more. Come join us for a weekend of History, Entertainment, and Family Fun! The Carter Mansion is located at 1031 Broad Street in Elizabethton, TN. For further information or directions to the Carter Mansion, contact: Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area at (423) 543-5808.
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VA Intermont College presents
The 25th Annual Putnam County SPELLING BEE Virginia Intermont College Department of Theatre will present the delightful musical comedy “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” conceived by Rebecca Feldman, music & lyrics by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheikin with additional material by Jay Reiss. Performances are April 10, 11, 12 at 7:30 pm and April 13 at 2:30 pm in Trayer Theatre in the Ann Worrell Fine Arts Center. The story line: Six overachieving but charming adolescent outcasts compete for a coveted championship but learn that winning isn’t everything and losing doesn’t necessarily make you a loser. Winner of the 2005 Tony Award for Best Book, this show presents a unique twist: volunteers are invited from the audience to participate in each performance ensuring a fresh and surprising comedy each time. The production is directed by Bonny
Gable, Associate Professor of Theatre at VI, with musical direction by Schery Collins, technical direction by Will Hankins, VI Convocation Director, and additional accompaniment by Diane Thomas and Carnell Cross. The cast includes VI theatre majors Mary Hannah Garber of Boones Mill, VA as Logainne and the show’s choreog-
rapher, Chris Hobbs of Bristol, VA as Mitch, Stephanie McIntyre of Stuart, VA as Olive, Will Duff of Roanoke, VA as Chip. The cast is rounded out by VI students Morgan Rich of Fayetteville, NC as Coneybear, Brey Warren of Wilmington, NC as Marcy, VI Alums Ryan Gray as Barfee and Tascha Carlucci as Rona, and Becca Litton of Abingdon, VA as Panch. Stage management is provided by VI theatre major Salonia Thorn of Ellenboro, NC with VI students Shelby Gage, Stephanie Nix and Avian Schmigiel on technical crew. General Admission tickets, on sale at the door, are $12 for Adults, $10 for Senior Citizens and $5 for Students. “Spelling Bee” contains some adult content and is recommended for audiences ages 13 and over. For more information contact Bonny Gable at 276-466-7973 or bonnygable@vic. edu.
Abingdon High School Falcon Marching Band’s GIANT Indoor Yard Sale Abingdon High School Cafeteria, around the back of the school Saturday April 12th, 2014 8:00am- 2:00pm Donated items for the yard sale may be dropped off on Friday April 11th between 8:00 am and 6:00pm at the band room loading dock on the end of the school where the football field is. For information please call Tracie Farmer at 276-608-5458.
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April 8, 2014 • The Loafer, Page 11
New Country Rehab
Third Leg of Tour For Ghost of Your Charms April 9 - The Down Home
New Country Rehab return to the U.S. for another run behind their second album, Ghost Of Your Charms on Kelp Records. Combining sharp innovation and a deep respect and knowledge of timeless musical themes and motifs, New Country Rehab’s bluegrass-inspired Americana is full of love, loss, longing and joy. Based in Toronto, Canada, the band’s February tour went thru NYC, DC, Detroit and more. See complete April itinerary below. The band just released their latest single “Lost Highway,” now available for free download as part of their Lost Highway EP here (which also includes covers of CCR’s “Effigy” and Hank Williams’ “Alone and Forsaken.” Ghost Of Your Charms shows off their keen instrumentation skills with fiddler and vocalist John Showman, drummer Roman Tomé playing his hybrid kit (which includes a sawblade cymbal and goat hooves shaker), and Ben Whiteley on acoustic bass. A bold step forward from their 2011 self-titled debut, working again with Toronto producer Chris Stringer (Timber Timbre, Ohbijou), New Country Rehab have stepped up their sonic palette. Tall tales of sordid characters inhabit the album’s eleven tracks, including reworkings of Hank
Williams’ (“Too Many Parties”), and “Image of Me,” a Wayne Kemp country classic that Conway Twitty took to #1 in 1961. “New Country Rehab cuts through the clutter of watered-down musical imitations with a modern, high-voltage, alt-country sound. Combining sharp innovation and a deep respect and knowledge of timeless musical themes and motifs, New Country Rehab’s powerful music is full of love, loss, longing and joy. They are more Arcade Fire than Lady Antebellum…
like Canada’s answer to the Avett Brothers and Mumford and Sons.” Nigel Williamson, UNCUT “This album is easily my pick for best album of 2013.” Mathew DeRiso, No Depression “NCR combine experience and technical prowess with a fiery energy, a winning combination.” Exclaim! “The band’s music is not just a new rehabilitation of old country music - as their name was meant tosuggest- but new songs for a country in need of rehab.” National Post.
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Arts Array presents
“All is Lost” The Arts Array Film Series presented by Virginia Highlands Community College is in its 43rd year. All films are presented at the Abingdon Cinemall on Mondays and Tuesdays at 4 p.m. and again at 7:30 pm.
All is Lost (April 14 and 15) Deep into a solo voyage in the Indian Ocean, an unnamed man (Redford) wakes to find his 39foot yacht taking on water after a collision with a shipping container left floating on the high seas. With his navigation equipment and radio disabled, the man sails unknowingly into the path of a violent storm. Despite his success in patching the breached hull, his mariner’s intuition and a strength that belies his age, the man barely survives the tempest. Admission to the films is free for the faculties and students at the supporting institutions. Members of the general community may attend for $7.75. For a brochure on the series or more information, please contact Tommy Bryant at 276-739-2451 or email him at tbryant@vhcc.edu.
Hands On! to Host
Hot Tea & Totes Fundraiser style will be available. Items donated include those designed and hand made by local artisans to designer couture including Tory Burch, Coach, and Longchamp, and many others. A special addition this year will be a jewelry show and sale by local artist, Blair H. White of jewelry by hand, who Hands On! Regional Museum will donate a portion of his sales to will host their 7th annual “Hot Tea support the Museum. “This is the perfect event for & Totes” on April 12, 2014 begin- or grandmothers, ning at 9:30 am at The Charles. girlfriends For women and girls of all ages, mothers, and daughters to enjoy the event will raise funds for pro- together,” said Kristine Carter, grams and exhibits at the Museum. Hands On! Marketing Manager. Guests can take advantage of Guests will be treated to brunch and tea by Cafe Lola and the op- curbside valet parking provided portunity to bid on 40 auction by volunteers from Bank of Tenitems. Purses, totes, and other nessee. Tickets are on sale now for $35. fun bags, each holding a special surprise for the winning bidder, For more information or to purwill be offered in silent and voice chase tickets, please contact Krisauctions, hosted by Sara Diamond tine Carter at (423) 434-HAND ext. of WJHL 11 Connects. Items from 108 or kristine@handsonmuseum. $5 to $500 to fit any budget and org.
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Scotch Tasting to benefit Burton Scholarship Endowment East Tennessee State University’s Appalachian, Scottish and Irish Studies Program will host a Scotch Tasting to benefit the Thomas G. Burton Scholarship Endowment on Friday, April 18, from 7-9 p.m. at the Carnegie Hotel. This year’s event will feature
single-malt selections from Scotland’s Highlands and Islands, plus a special surprise Scotch to conclude the evening. Wellington’s restaurant will provide a selection of heavy hors d’oeuvres. Guests will enjoy music by the ETSU Celtic Pride Band and the
gift of a Glencairn Whisky glass. The Burton Scholarship Endowment was created to honor Dr. Thomas Burton, who initiated and developed the Appalachian, Scottish and Irish Studies Program. It financially assists student participants in the ASIS study abroad course in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Tickets to the Scotch Tasting are $80 per person or $140 per
couple. A portion of the ticket cost is tax-deductible. For tickets, contact Kevin Masters by April 14 by calling (423) 979-6718 or emailing kevin@wellingtonsrestaurant. com. Suggested dress is business casual. The Carnegie Hotel is offering a special rate for Friday evening accommodations and Saturday breakfast for out-of-town guests or those who would just like a
special evening and night at the Carnegie. For more information on the ASIS program, contact Jane MacMorran, director, at macmorra@etsu. edu.
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Slice of Americana Instrumentalist/historian unearths, shares Civil War stories, songs
The songs of the ages still ring in Bobby Horton’s ears. Like the painstaking scribes of old, he translates what now seems like a foreign language into messages and music – oft-buried treasures – still relevant today. “I just got sucked in really, really young to the history and you know that history is just people’s stories,” Horton says. “You know, for every person that participates in the Depression, or the Dust Bowl or a war, it’s a story. And every story is just as valid as the last one because that’s experience and that’s history.” Cached away in his recording studio in his home in Birmingham, Ala., composer, multi-instrumentalist and music historian Horton distills memories and stories of days gone by into music still full of life, vitality and lessons. He has composed, arranged and performed music for 17 of Ken Burns’ PBS films and series, starting with Burns’ The Civil War, in addition to films for The National Park Service and A&E, among many projects. Horton’s drive to share the songs he discovers in long-untouched archives and resurrects on period instruments plays out on stages around the country, as well. On Monday and Tuesday, April 14 and 15, the troubadour will tell and sing the “Songs and Stories of the Civil War” – both sides – at ETSU’s Bud Frank Theatre in the lower level of Gilbreath Hall, starting
at 7:30 each evening, sponsored by Mary B. Martin School of the Arts. “The bottom line is I love it. I love the story,” he says. “I love to tell their stories and present their tunes. I’m not original with any of this stuff. But you know, the things I find fascinating or interesting or some people who are fascinating to me … I like to share it with others.” A native of Birmingham, Horton’s lifelong passion for music and history began early. His father played trumpet and his grandfather, banjo, and his exposure to music spanned big band and jazz to gospel, sacred harp and “hillbilly” music. Also in those formative years, Horton listened to the stories of his family’s World War II veterans, and his love of history became deeply rooted. Asked to produce a score for a feature film set in 1863 in Southern Indiana, Horton, in his research, uncovered a trove of thousands of tunes from that period. Combining his passion for music and Civil War history, he began recording what has now become 14 volumes of authentic Civil War tunes in his home studio – playing all of the period era instruments and singing all the parts himself. This series is sold around the world and has led to a career in film scoring and the live presentation of these songs and stories that the ETSU audience will see and hear. The Civil War tunes and tales – some familiar and some resurrected from deep
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repositories – will start with the patriotic early emotions of the people of the period and progress chronologically to the pathos of the conflict’s latter years, with humor intertwined. “It will make them think and maybe see things a little differently and at least appreciate the things that were handed down to us,” he says. “ It’s going to become apparent that these folks are some of my heroes. I’m thankful for them and I feel empathy for them. I tell you what, this stuff is going to take people away from today.” Horton’s expertise in history and music surrounding the War Between the States also brought him together with now-ETSU theatre professor Bobby Funk, who was teaching at University of Alabama-Birmingham and honing his one-man play Co. Aytch: Memoirs of a Confederate Soldier. “I found out about his tapes and CDs, Homespun Songs of the CSA,” Funk says. “I wanted to know if I could use it and discovered that he was also in Birmingham, and he said, ‘Come to my house.’ And I went to his house and he gave me more music than I would ever need with full permission to use it. He is just a good-hearted guy, a great lover of history and a great musician.” In his studio and on the stage, Horton is his what he calls “the band,” playing “most strings, most brass, some keyboard, percussion, Irish pipes, whistles.” “It will be nice to have an artist who will give us insight into a historical period that has a lot of interest in the community,” says Mary B. Martin School of the Arts Director Anita DeAngelis. “We have so many active historical and re enactment groups in the
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area. Bobby is sure to appeal to them. He has studied the music of the 19th century, both North and South and is known for his accuracy in his study of the music and his collection of the lyrics. He also performs in costumes and on period instruments. This should be a real treat and education for all of us.” While at ETSU, Horton will also share his expertise with radio/TV/film, history and bluegrass students, as well as a group at the Johnson City Memorial Park Community Center. Horton is widely recognized as one of the country’s leading authorities on music from the Civil War period, and that notoriety led documentary legend Burns to Horton, and Burns’ PBS series The Civil War began “a wonderful association,” Horton says. The admiration is mutual. “I don’t believe I’ve met anyone,” Burns has said, “quite like Bobby in the ability to understand the soul of American music.” For more on Horton, visit his website, bobbyhorton.com. Tickets are $15 general admission, $10 senior 60-plus and $5 for students of all ages. Purchase tickets online at www.etsu.edu/ martin. For information about the ETSU Mary B. Martin School of the Arts or the Horton events, call 423-439-TKTS (8587) or visit www.etsu.edu/martin. “Like” ETSU Mary B. Martin School of the Arts on Facebook and follow it on Twitter and Instagram @ ArtsAtETSU.
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Total Eclipse of the Moon Tuesday, April 15th
The wee morning of April 15th will have some excitement in the sky worth getting up for…a total eclipse of the Moon. The action begins at 2 am on that Tuesday morning when the first “bite” is taken out of the Full Moon, signaling our celestial neighbor is passing through the shadow Earth casts into space. At 3:08 am the entire Moon will be covered up inside our shadow, and remain so as it moves for the next 89 minutes. Then the silvery light will begin to be revealed again until the partial eclipse phase ends at 5:32 am. During the totality phase, the bright Moon is rendered dark, and its exact hue is always unpredictable—from smoky dark to copper red. This color is caused by the refraction of light in Earth’s atmo-
sphere. This coloration is given a scale of tints called the Danjon Scale, which you can judge for yourself. An eclipse of the Moon is the opposite of an eclipse of the Sun, when the Moon passes in front of our star. Both celestial events happen twice a year somewhere in the world. And finally, our North America gets to see the lights go out on the Moon—for the first time since 2008. A lunar eclipse is a great photo opportunity, even with a good “point-and-shoot” that has a long telephoto zoom. Use a tripod, crank up the ISO sensitivity of the camera to 1,000 or more, and even use self timer to eliminate camera shake on exposures longer than 1/30th of a second. With the free digital images, take lots and spot
check them. But don’t delete any in the field; wait to see any astrophotos on a computer because even mistakes can be creative. The eclipse of the Moon, or Sun, is always an exciting event in our modern world. So imagine the near hysteria of civilizations hundreds and thousands of years ago, who didn’t understand the celestial motions creating the wonder. Many ancient cultures figured out that the Moon is repeating its eclipse times and locations every 18 years, 11 days and 8 hours. This period is called a Saros. So after each lunar eclipse, in 6,585.32 days, the alignment of the Earth between the Sun and Moon will be exactly the same. Incredibly, the ancient Babylonians in about 200 BC figured this out and maybe the Egyptians a thousand years ear-
www.theloaferonline.com lier. The April 15th lunar eclipse is “member 56 of 75 of Saros 122,” which began on Aug. 14, 122 AD and ends Oct. 29, 2338, when a totally new Saros cycle begins. So much mythology and god worshiping has been associated with the near mystical change of the Moon for a brief time. Human sacrifices, initiations and secret meetings all are part of the folklore and legends of lunar eclipses. Here are a few: • Ancient China cultures believed a three-legged frog was eating the Moon, and the Aztecs thought it was being devoured by a jaguar. Other cultures have all kinds of other animals eating the Moon, than sometimes vomiting it back up. • A lunar eclipse proceeded the fall of Constantinople May 29, 1453. The blow to Christendom as the Ottoman Empire sacked the famous sea port lasted until World War I. • A 2004 lunar eclipse also fell on the night that the Boston Red Sox won their first Baseball World Series since 1918, breaking a losing streak that started with the trade of Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. That eclipse was even seen
April 8, 2014 • The Loafer, Page 17 by fans as totality was from 10:23 to 11:45 pm. • Christopher Columbus saved his live and that of his crew when he scared the aggressive natives of Jamaica by making the Moon “disappear” on March 1, 1504. The famous explorer knew a lot of astronomy, and was aware of the predictions of lunar and solar eclipses. During this April 15th middle-ofthe-night lunar eclipse there will be the bright, bluish star Spica below the Moon, and to the far right will be the red planet Mars. The color of Mars and the potentially reddish total eclipsed Moon would be a nice contrast around the 4 am hour. The color during totality from 3:08—4:23 am will be determined by the Earth’s atmosphere, not anything to do with the Moon itself. Ash from volcanoes, manmade pollution and forest fires put particulates in the air, and when the sunlight filters through it, there can be tints of colors. There is even a brightness scale proposed by Andre-Louis Danjon in 1921. Bearing his name, the Danjon Scale is denoted by an L: L=0 Very dark eclipse with the
Moon almost invisible L=1 Dark eclipse that is gray or brownish in color L=2 Deep red or rust-colored eclipse. Very dark central shadow with brighter edges L=3 Brick-red eclipse, sometimes with a yellowish rim L=4 Very bright copper red or orange eclipse, and there can be a bright, bluish rim. Set the alarm clock, loose a little sleep, and go out under the Moon and watch its light be dimmed as it slips in and out of Earth’s shadow. You can watch the celestial action from the comfort a lawn chair with a pair of binoculars and some snacks. Can determine your own “L” brightness and color on the Danjon Scale, and even take some great photos of the lunar eclipse. Then compare your results the next day with those posted on such websites as Space Weather, Space, Astronomy, Sky and Telescope, and Universe Today. We’ll have another total eclipse on Oct. 8, but totality begins when the Moon is setting in the morning sky. So this is a special lunar eclipse that will worth losing sleep over.
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Skies This Week Celestial events in the skies for the week of April 8th - 14th, 2014, as compiled for The Loafer by Mark D. Marquette. to look away and outside our Galaxy into the depths of our Universe and untold millions of other galaxies. The handle of the Big Dipper will “arc” you to the bright, orange star, Arcturus in Bootes. Continue that curve and you’ll run by Spica, with Mars above.
Fri. April 11
Leo the Lion rises high in the east, its stars very easy to find: the head and mane are a backward question mark dotted by bright, yellow star Regulus; and hindquarters is a right triangle of three equally bright stars.
Next week’s total eclipse of the Moon is in the morning hours of Monday night/ Tuesday morning April 15th. That happens at New Moon phase, so our celestial neighbor is a crescent in the pre-dawn hours this week. In the evening at 9 pm darkness, the planet Jupiter is directly over head looking like a bright, butterscotch star. And rising in the east like a red garnet is the planet Mars, making a close approach to Earth with “Opposition 2014” putting us 55 million miles apart.
Tues. April 8
Darkness keeps getting later and later, and that’s a joy for gardeners, sports buffs and park lovers. But it’s just longer to wait for the stars to come out! When it’s good and dark just before 9 pm, the familiar winter constellations like Orion are directly south and ready to disappear in the west.
Sat. April 12
Mars and Jupiter both really command attention, and both have such rich colors that they stand out against the other stars. Look overhead at the gold-yellow of Jupiter and compare to the red star below it, Betelgeuse in the shoulder of Orion. And when Mars is high above the eastern horizon at 10 pm, its rich, blood red is a beautiful contrast to the blue-white star below, Spica in Virgo.
Sun. April 13
Wed. April 9
Stargaze at Bays Mt. Park in Kingsport with amateur astronomers as your guide at “StarWatch.” Beginning before dark at 8 pm, the stargazing lasts until 10 pm and is free to the public. On this 1961 date in space history, Yuri Gagarin was rocketed into Earth orbit, the first human in space. The predawn sky has brilliant Venus above the eastern horizon starting at 5:30 am and Mars is setting in the west at 6:30 am. To the right of the second planet is the sixth, Saturn, a soft-yellow in the claws of Scorpius the Scorpion.
Mon. April 14
After midnight tonight it’s obviously Tuesday April 15 and a total eclipse of the Looking north and you’ll see the most Moon will begin shortly after 2 am. That’s recognized star pattern of all—the Big Dip- when you’ll see the first “bite” taken out of per. These seven stars are actually the hind- the lower, left side. The Moon is fully covquarters of a much bigger constellation, Ursa ered by the Earth’s shadow shortly after 4 Major the Big Bear. Looking this direction is am
Thurs. April 10
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ETSU’s Carter Railroad Museum to sponsor spring train, steamboat excursion
The George L. Carter Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) and East Tennessee State University’s George L. Carter Railroad Museum will sponsor a scenic spring train excursion and steamboat ride on Saturday, May 24. Tickets must be purchased by May 12. The price for the excursion is $90 for adults and $80 for children ages 3-12. Younger children may ride free. The fee includes bus transportation to and from Knoxville, a 90-minute steam train ride and a luncheon cruise on the Tennessee Riverboat. Passengers should arrive at ETSU’s parking lot 22A on Go Bucs Trail no later than 6:30 a.m. to travel by motor coach to Knoxville. Following a “back shop tour,” passengers will board the Three Rivers Rambler steam train for a 10 a.m. departure to follow a scenic route along the Tennessee River. Upon returning to the
station at 12:30 a.m., passengers will go to the Tennessee Riverboat Company for a luncheon cruise. Buses will begin loading at 3 p.m. for the return to Johnson City, arriving around 5:30-6 p.m. Ticket order forms and liability waivers are available at the Carter Railroad Museum on Saturdays from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. or online at the Mountain Empire Model Railroaders website at www.memrr.org by choosing “NRHS News” and then “Ticket Order Form.” A signed liability waiver form must accompany the ticket request. Payment may be made by check or money order payable to the George L. Carter Chapter, NRHS, and mailed to George L. Carter Chapter, NRHS, Attention: Rail Excursion, Box 70697, ETSU, Johnson City, TN 37614. For more information, contact Duane Swank at (423) 542-8989, (423) 342-6449 or duaneharriet@ charter.net.
Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt set for April 11 Youth of all ages are invited to participate in the Memorial Park Community Center’s first Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt on Friday, April 11. From 7-9 p.m., the grassy area at MPCC, 510 Bert St., will be turned into an Easter egg paradise. Light refreshments will be served
and the movie Hop will be showing on the big screen before the hunt. A separate hunt will be held for ages 5 and younger. This event is free. Participants are asked to bring their own flashlights. For more information, call (423)434-5749.
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“Noah”
The new Biblical inspired epic “Noah” has certainly stirred up a bit of controversy. While some religious leaders have expressed concerns about the film, others have given their support. The film has received support from the American Bible Society, The National Catholic Register, the Hollywood Prayer Network, and Focus on the Family. Having presented that information, I feel in order to make up your own mind, you should see the film is you so desire. “Noan” begins by introducing us to the famous prophet as a boy, who is witness to the unfortunate death of his father Lamech at the
hands of the ruthless King TubalCain. Noah is able to escape unseen from Tubal-Cain, and after his escape the film flashes forward to many years later, as we see Noah (Russell Crowe) living with his wife Naameh (Jennifer Connley), and their three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth. We briefly see Noah’s life in this setting, where he witnesses a miracle and adopts a child named IIa, who was left for dead in a group of people who had been killed. Eventually, Noah and his family must flee the evil Tubal-Cain, who is determined to capture the family. After Noah and his family escape from the king, he
soon meets with his grandfather Methuselah (Anthony Hopkins), who gives him a seed from the Garden of Eden, that soon will aid Noah in his upcoming mission from God. Speaking of his mission, Noah has dreams of the destruction of the earth by flooding, and realizes he has been chosen by God, referred to as the Creator in the film, to build an ark. The ark is to save Noah and his family, along with the animals of the earth from destruction. Noah knows God is destroying the earth due to its extreme wickedness, and after 80 years of construction of the ark, the ani-
mals begin their trek to Noah. As the rain begins, King Tubai-Cain and his forces storm the ark, but are thwarted in their efforts. Soon the Earth is completely flooded, with Noah, his family, and two beasts of every kind being the only survivors. During their time on the ark, Noah and family experience plenty of conflicts, and Noah deals with his feelings of hearing the screams of the dying humans outside the ark. Eventually the ark hits land , and mankind is given a fresh start as the clouds part and a rainbow appears as a promise from God that the world will never again be destroyed by a flood.
The actors, led by Crowe, are all excellent in their roles, and I was impressed with the work of Emma Watson as IIa. As one who expect the special effects are superb, and only add to the timeless tale. “Noah” is a modern interpretation of the famous Bible story, and touches on the subjects of God, creation, sin, obedience, and salvation, among others. If “Noah” gets film fans to discuss and even go back and read the story in the Bible then the film has succeeded. (Rated PG-13) B
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VHCC Old Time String Band & Pike City Bluegrass Featured in The Crooked Road Youth Music Series at Heartwood The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail presents a Youth Music Series concert on Thursday, April 10th, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Heartwood: Southwest Virginia’s Artisan Gateway in Abingdon, Virginia. The concert will feature the Virginia Highlands Community College (VHCC) Old Time String Band from Washington County and Pike City Bluegrass from Carroll County. The VHCC Old Time String Band has arisen out of an exciting new class that has been offered at Virginia Highlands Community College for students, faculty and community members from all walks of life. The ensemble setting encourages musical growth in its members, and several students that knew how to play one musical instrument have chosen
to broaden their musical horizons by playing a new instrument or working with a different genre of music. The group performs music from the southern Appalachian region. From the heart of the Blue Ridge, Pike City Bluegrass performs a variety of music from bluegrass to new grass, to gospel. This dynamic group consists of four outstandingl musicians - Becca Miller, 16 (fiddle and vocals); Zeb Hicks, 17 (banjo and vocals); Tony Hicks,16 (guitar and vocals); and Karissa Hayden,17 (bass and vocals). Pike City Bluegrass has performed at venues and festivals throughout the region, and the group and its members have won numerous contests and competitions. Pike City Bluegrass recently released their debut CD, titled “Ready to Go”. The Crooked Road Music Series features youth music performers and showcases venues of
the Crooked Road region. These events, along with open jams on the 1st, 3rd, (and 5th) Thursday of every month, are hosted at Heartwood. A complete schedule for the music series is available on The Crooked Road website
at www.thecrookedroad.org and at www.heartwoodvirginia.org. The music series is sponsored by The Crooked Road, Heartwood, Virginia Commission for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Heartwood: Southwest Virginia’s Artisan Gateway is located off I-81 at Exit 14 in Abingdon, Virgin-
ia and features food, music, and craft of Southwest Virginia. Admission to the concert is free and donations will be accepted for The Crooked Road Traditional Music Education Program (TMEP). For more information on The Crooked Road Music Series call (276) 492-2409 or email: info@ thecrookedroad.org.
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Matt Tarka
Acoustic Coffeehouse Thursday, April 10th
April 8, 2014 • The Loafer, Page 23 Matt Tarka is a singer/songwriter whose introspective lyrics and sharp rhythms are designed for your back porch or a ride into town. He has been compared to rockers turned folk artists including Kevin Seconds, Vic Ruggiero, Jesse Malin, TV Smith and Gene Clark. Tarka recorded his debut EP in July 2011 titled Motorcycle Breakfast, produced by Dave Mallen at Innovation Station Music in Arlington, VA. Since the release of Motorcycle Breakfast, songs from the EP have been featured on three Compilation Discs, including Music Still Happens Here, Volumes 1 and 2: a Compilation of DC Music, as well as the 2013 edition of the Millennium Music Conference in Harrisburg, PA. In addition, Matt Tarka has been recognized by Relix magazine as an “Artist on the Rise,” and included his song “Indigo Bunting” in their October/ November 2013 CD Sampler of new music.
Same As It Ever Was to Perform at The Willow Tree Love The Talking Heads? Then the Willow Tree Coffeehouse and Music Room will be the place to be Friday, April 11th. This 7-piece outfit of Knoxville musicians came together out of their mutual love and respect for the music of the Talking Heads in the summer of 2004 and have not looked back since. Over the years the band has performed extensively, and now nearly have the entire Talking Heads catalog at their fingertips; They bring the excitement and energy of everything from ’77 to Naked, and all the B-sides in between. Same As It Ever Was strives to maintain the integrity of the Talking Heads’ groundbreaking music, while bringing their own panache to the game. Whatever you’re your level of familiarity with Talking Heads, you can expect to have an unforgettable time with Same As It Ever Was! Show starts at 9 pm and for the low low price of $7.
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The Problem with Bedsheets OK, so this may sound a little strange, but I’m kinda sorta particular about the layout of my mattress. More specifically, I’m a little finicky when it comes to the bedsheets. I toss and turn a good deal before I ever settle down at night, so I need some sheets that really grip the sides of my bed. Ideally, you’d think that sheets all from the same brand would have the same properties across the board, but I’ve not found that to be. I have this one pair of sheets that I adore. They have this retro modern thing going on, which— shocking to no one—is right up my alley in terms of style. They’re also masculine, which is nice as it’s really hard to find sheets that have a little pop to them, and don’t look ridiculous in a single man’s bedroom. This pair is the one true pairing when it comes to bedsheets. They never slide all over the place, they grip the edges, they don’t bunch up in the middle. Try as hard as I might, by tossing, turning, throwing the covers off to one side, putting them back on, they always stay in place. With this in mind, logic would dictate that another set of sheets
from the same line/brand would fit right in the same needs that my favorite pair gives me, right? Sadly, that is not the case. About two years after I bought my one true pairing of bedsheets, I bought a second set by the same brand. This pair doesn’t have the same mattress grabbing qualities as the other. At times this second set sometimes looks like a parachute gently draped on top of my mattress. The first night is always perfect, the sheets feeling fresh and crisp as I settle into them for a night of slumber. Morning comes, and I rise to see a bed that looks like someone had used the sheets as a strait jacket to escape out of at a magic show. The second night, and it feels like the sheets are trying to either fight me, or play Twister. By the end of the week, the sheets have wrapped themselves so succinctly around me, that I could hop up on my roof and look poised to fight crime in the dead of night. Trying to put the sheets back to as they were on that first night seems to be impossible too. I can smooth, flatten, tug, pull, tuck, and re-make all I like, but there’s
still a section of them that seem determined to stay bunched up in the middle. But you get why this seems strange right? Why would the one pair fit perfectly, and just be the sheets of my dreams? When the other pair, same company, is the pair of my nightmares? Could it be that the one bad pair of sheets is actually—possessed?
I mean, that’s how 1980s horror movies start. Some ordinary object starts to go wrong and next thing you know Bruce Campbell is on your doorstep. Those bad sheets are on my bed right now, maybe I should burn sage and sprinkle them with salt? I’d best go do that, I’ll keep you posted on the results. See you next week.
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Runaway Train
In his fascinating new book, TRAIN: RIDING THE RAILS THAT CREATED THE MODERN WORLD, Tom Zoellner informs us that railroads “anywhere, but especially in America, have the power to invoke odd spells like this, a feeling that might be called Train Sublime: the tidal sway of the carriages, the chanting of the wheels striking the fishplates . . . . .the glancing presence of strangers on their own journeys wrapped in private ruminations. These secret pleasures of a railroad summon forth a vision of a sweet pastness, a lost national togetherness.” He goes on to remind us that the “train is a time traveler itself, the lost American vehicle of our ancestors, or perhaps our past selves.” Even if you have never been on a train, your identity has been shaped by the railway journey through time. Train Sublime is indeed the focus of Zoellner’s book as he takes us on a very sweet ride on rails around the world, and into places like Russia and the Andes, across the American plains, and on to the Tibetan plateau, China, and Chile. Along the way, Zoellner takes time to reflect on what railroads have meant to the histories of the many people who inhabit those parts of the globe that are accessible by clackety railroad tracks. While reading this book, I reflected on the many ways my life has been affected by trains. Although I can’t classify myself as an experienced rail traveler, I have vicariously ridden many rail cars, thanks to the many movies, TV, books, and recordings I have wiled the hours away with over the years. The closest I have come to hopping a freight is the summer I spent working at the Tweetsie Railroad amusement park, located between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. I spent many a lunch hour experiencing this very short excursion into the heart of what was then a very politically incorrect version of the Wild West. Travelers on this still-in-operation steampowered railroad were treated (if we
dare say so) to an Indian attack that ended in a rather violent (all pretend, of course) dispatch of the “savage” Indians by “civilized” American settlers and lawmen on horseback. The thing I remember most is the pungent aroma of marijuana as the train rounded the bend toward the fort that had been overrun by Indians--aka Appalachian State University students who were rather high as they rushed from the captured fort onto the passenger car filled with screaming kids and their exasperated parents. After reading Zoellner’s book, I became inspired to think about the many train references that appear in popular culture. The list is vast and testifies to the enduring influence of the train. In fact, much of popular culture would be unimaginable without the existence of the locomotive. I began my list with music, and quickly realized that I wouldn’t have nearly enough space in this week’s column to include even a fraction of my favorite train songs. Starting with my favorite, “Mystery Train” (the song that helped launch Elvis’ career), I went on to “Last Train To Clarksville” (the song that launched the faux group The Monkees), “Me And Bobby McGee,” “Night Train,” “Take The ‘A’ Train,” “Midnight Train To Georgia,” “Runaway Train” (Rosanne Cash’s metaphor for the trainwreck called love), “Morning Train (9 to 5),” “Life’s Railway To Heaven,” “Cross Tie Walker” (one of my favorite CCR tunes), “Midnight Special,” and “Peace Train.” Of course, there are perennial pop favorites like “Orange Blossom Special,” “Long Black Train,” “Chattanooga Choo-Choo,” and “Folsom Prison Blues.” My list concludes with the ever-present (well, not so much anymore) children’s song, “I’ve Been Working On The Railroad.” When I think of railroads I think of movies, and one of my favorite subgenres is films that either take place on a train or feature trains in their plot development. And here the list is nearly
as vast as the aforementioned one about music. I only have room for my fifteen top nominees, so here goes: Three films by Alfred Hitchcock: “The Lady Vanishes” (1939), “Strangers On A Train” (1951), and “North By Northwest” (1959), with its muchdiscussed train-goes-into-a-tunnel-assexual-metaphor concluding shot. “Night Train” (2009), featuring Danny Glover and Leelee Sobieski on a rather bizarre and unforgettable train ride to oblivion; one of the most atmospheric and unsettling train movies ever made. “A”—the final episode of “The Walking Dead,” Season 4, concluding with a boxcar scene that firmly establishes the episode title as a metaphor for Auschwitz. “Terror Train” (1980), starring Jamie Lee Curtis (who made two other horror films that year—“Halloween” and “Prom Night”) as one of several drunken New Year’s Eve revelers who find themselves aboard a nightmare on rails; this should be seen as a double feature with “Horror Express,” a 1972 monster-on-train vehicle (no pun intended) starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.
“Murder On The Orient Express” (1974), featuring an all-star cast in my nominee for the best train movie ever made; Agatha Christie, on whose novel the film was based, loved it. “The Taking Of Pelham 1-2-3” (1974 original and 2009 remake), the best subway hijacking movies ever made (of course, these might be the only subway hijacking movies ever made). “The Great Train Robbery” (1978), based on a true story (what movie isn’t?) and starring Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland in a classic heist movie “Transporter 3” (2008); one of my favorite guilty pleasures is Jason Statham movies, and this one includes perhaps the most outlandish train scene ever filmed—Statham’s daring (and impossible) entrance into a moving train with his airborne car; yes, he drives his car onto the train, dispatches the villain du jour, and rescues the damsel in distress, all without deploying the car’s airbag. “Trading Places” (1983), the delightful Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis comedy featuring the most memorable gorilla-on-a-train sequence in movie history.
“Polar Express” (2004), the film that has become a new Christmas classic “Some Like It Hot” (1958), the movie that some have called the greatest American comedy, featuring a classic scene with Marilyn Monroe and a pair of female impersonators on board a train to Florida “A Hard Day’s Night” (1964), starring The Beatles in what might be the last time we saw rock stars being transported on a train while singing hit songs “Once Upon A Time In The West” (1969)--Westerns and trains are inseparable, and this Sergio Leone western is the best of the best. “Runaway Train” (1985)—ten years later, Keanu Reeves was substituted for Jon Voight and “Speed” became a remake of this movie about a train on a collision course with unbearable suspense. This list could of course go on and on, but you get the idea. Trains have shaped us in incalculable ways, and I recommend that you read Tom Zoellner’s book to remind you of the role that trains have played in shaping our identities. See you next week.
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