Go to the R.A. Fountain home page to upcoming events page Go to the R.A. Fountain home page to upcoming events page From Rocky Point, NY, Georgianne and Rick Jackofsky and daughters Erica and Annalee formed their band as a reaction to a "no-tv" rule they were trying to live with in 1997. Collectively, they play banjo, guitar, fiddle, dulcimer, mandolin, banjo-ukelele, harmonica, jawharp, and doumbek. Erica and Annalee are quite the percussive dancers, and Erica has been called a "true fiddle powerhouse" by Sing Out magazine.
Newsday said this: "It's hard to describe their music. Old time, Appalachian, string band, not bluegrass exactly, more Carter family. . . a musicologist could tell you a lot about it and the history of rural American it reflects."
Whatever they play, we guarantee a fun night out for your family!
Friday, July 18, 2008 -- 7:30 p.m. -- $8 general admission, $10 reserved
Steve Creech Sextet, featuring Jerry Jolley
Tonight's summer special brings Jerry Jolley back to for a night of classic jazz, show, and gospel songs, with a band that includes Les Sutorius on trumpet, George Broussard on trombone, Keith Dobbins on bass, and Earle Abernethey on drums.
Saturday, June 28, 2008 -- 8 p.m. -- $5
Lawson Creek Bluegrass Band
This late replacement for the Mac and Tammy McRoy Bluegrass Band still got us the bigger half of that fine duo. Guitarist and lead singer James Walker fronts this quintet that includes Big Mac on banjo and tenor vocals; Phillip Leggett on fiddle and baritone vocals; Mike Oliver on bass; and Ralph Lilley on mandolin.
Great show--some of the absolute best harmonies we've heard in Fountain, and some mighty fine picking all around, too. Look for 'em to be back in December.
Friday, June 27, 2008 -- 8 p.m. -- $5
Reno Station
Clayton-based quartet brings their honky-tonk country show to town for the first time.
Based out of Clayton, the Station, which bills itself as "one of the last true honky tonk bands," is also one of the tightest bands we've seen in our 4 years of hosting music. We had a fair crowd, all of whom agreed they ought to come back, and that they ought to find a good following in Fountain.
They covered songs by artists like Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings, but with some impressive original twists. They also threw in a couple of originals.
Reno Station is fronted by lead guitarist Kelly Allen. Also in the band: Adam Barbour, rhythm guitar and vocals; Brian Allen, bass and vocals; and Greg Troehler, drums and vocals.
Sunday, June 15, 2008 -- FREE-at-3:00
Saturday, June 14, 2008 -- 7:30 p.m. -- $8 general admission, $10 reserved
Tutino and pianist Jimmy Aycock were tonight's featured performers. Also performing were George Broussard on trombone; Fred Moye on tenor sax; Earle Abernethey on drums; and Keith Dobbins on bass.
Greenville's "Andrews Sisters" guested, along with the very talented Sarah Lang.
Friday, June 13, 2008 -- 8 p.m. -- $8
The Carolina Yellowhammers are a new bluegrass band comprised of four of the region's best veteran pickers. The band takes its name as an homage both to the Georgia Yellow Hammers, an old-time string band that made several successful recordings in the 1920s for the Victor and Okeh labels, and the passenger train that used to run from Tarboro through Fountain on down to Hookerton. Both were named to honor the distinctive sound of the northern flicker. The Carolina Yellowhammers debuted their act for the May Museum in Farmville earlier this year.
Harrison, who lives in Williamston, has performed in Fountain with Les Sandy's band, with his old pal Alan Thompson, and others. Wells, the Goldsboro native who re-settled to Fountain last year, is an internationally renowned bluesman whose concerts always include a variety of old-time tunes. He's recently returned to Fountain from a 5-gig tour of Germany. Hollis plays regularly with Greenville Grass and the Hollis Family Band. Booker is bassist for Clyde Mattocks' Highway 58.
Sunday, June 1, 2008 -- Free-at-3:00!
Saturday, May 31, 2008 -- 8 p.m. -- $5 general admission, $7.50 reserved
Bourbon's fingerpicking is the fastest and finest we've ever seen. It often seems like he's over-ddubbing or there's a secret guitarist hidden behind him somewhere, it's so fast and complex, yet so really smooth. This is a concert worthy of any classical hall--and perfect for our old wooden walls.
Friday, May 30, 2008 -- 8 p.m. -- $5 general admission, $7.50 reserved
Jimmy Aycock
Fremont's stellar pianist closed out our Free-at-3:00 series for spring '08 with a beautiful and eclectic show that ran the gamut of music that Jimmy says "made us Americans who we are today"--beautiful medleys of patriotic, show, gospel, classical, jazz, folk and country music. Despite the heat and it being Dad's day, Jimmy entertained about 30 of his good friends and new fans. We'll have him back in the fall--as well as with Steve Creech's ensembles whenever possible.
Steve Creech Sextet with vocalist Pat Tutino
Creech, the Greenville-based guitarist and bandleader, has been bringing a stellar jazz show to RAF about once a month for over a year. He's always got a group of exceptionally talented musicians with him, and every show features a different guest singer--as well as a few very special guests.
The Carolina Yellowhammers
A quartet of super-pickers--Lightnin' Wells on guitar, Frank Harrison on mandolin, Lane Hollis on banjo and fiddle, and John Booker on bass--present a very special night of classic bluegrass done up old-style right.
Helen Wolfson and Eric Thomas
Another return engagement from Wilson native Eric Thomas on guitar and Helen Wolfson on hammered dulcimer: classical and Celtic, country, gospel, and rock & roll. An excellent eclectic show.
Claude Bourbon
Claude Bourbon is a master guitarist who is making Fountain a stop on his U.S. tour for the third consecutive year. Born in France, musically educated in Switzerland, and residing in England, Bourbon plays what he calls "medieval blues," an original fusion of jazz and blues, classical, and flamenco. His version of "Bolero," recorded at Fountain General by Cliff Nelson, is a popular hit on YouTube.
Lightnin' Wells
Thursday, May 29, 2008 -- 7:30 p.m. -- $7.50
Richard Hood & the Licking County Hot Lix
Excellent traditional bluegrass from a crew of Ohio-based college kids. They're all part of the bluegrass studies program at Denison University in Granville. Frontman and banjo picker Richard Hood, one of their professors and co-director of the Bluegrass Studies program, was half of the popular old time and bluegrass band the Bristol Brothers. He's also a prolific songwriter, whose works have been recorded by Jim Eanes, the Bass Mountain Boys, and Chesnutt Ridge.
Student members of the band include Hayes Griffin, 20, who plays guitar and sings; Jacob Hawkins, 19, on mandolin; Kyle Adamcik, who sings and plays fiddle; Jimmy Sheppard on bass; and vocalist Brynne Lewallen.
The Hot Lix have recently released their debut CD, "Bluegrass Instrumentals." This, their third Southern tour, has them performing in Virginia, at the Carter Family Fold; Tennessee; and Asheville before hitting Fountain.
Saturday, May 24, 2008 -- 7:30 p.m. -- $7.50 general admission, $10 reserved
Coyote Ridge
This Chatham County-based bluegrass quintet celebrated the release of their debut CD tonight in fine fashion--great vocal harmonies, expert picking, and an appreciative crowd.
Led by the husband and wife duo of Doug and Stacy Stuart, Coyote Ridge also featured Greg Henkle on mandolin, Len Camp on banjo, and Eddie Ingram on bass.
Len signed our banjo, Doug became just the third guitarist to sign our new/old guitar picked up recently from Robbins' going-out-of-business sale in Wilson, they left us a nice autographed band photo (and key chain) and everybody agreed that this was a band to bring back to town--look for them again this fall.
Sunday, May 18, 2008 -- FREE-at-3:00
Take 2 & Ramblin' Rose CANCELLED!
Jo Reese got bitten by a cat, "down to the bone," reports Glenwood Rose. She's doing okay but not up to a show. We hope to get these folks back to town in the fall.
Saturday, May 17, 2008 -- 7:30 p.m. -- $5 general admission
Unshackled
Another outstanding concert of original and classic bluegrass gospel by this Choco-based quartet.
Friday, May 16, 2008 -- 7:30 p.m. -- $7.50
Curtis Lee
Curtis proved that he's one of the best fiddlers still working in the southeast. Despite threatening weather, we had a good crowd for this excellent show. Local hero Lightnin' Wells reported that Curtis' version of "Mockingbird" was the best he'd ever heard. And when he got wound up on "Orange Blossom Special," it sounded like that train was blasting through this old store.
Not just bluegrass, though: Curtis threw in lots of western swing and country classics, and Ruth proved an excellent singer her ownself. A highly entertaining show that we hope to have back in town.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Melody Brown
Brien Barbour
A special Mothers' Day treat--two fine shows from two great vocalists, both Fountain favorites. They sang gospel, country, pop, some originals, and a few duets. Myrtle got to sing a tune with Melody, too.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Steve Creech Septet with vocalist Eva Cortens
Eva, the talented jazz and blues vocalist, will be featured in tonight's all star show that will also include drummer Jon Wacker and trombonist George Broussard, from ECU's School of Music; Jimmy Aycock on piano; Keith Dobbins on bass; Les Sutorious on trumpet; and Dennis McGaughey on tenor and alto sax and clarinet. This may be the most outstanding horn section Steve's brought to Fountain.
Special guest performers will include vocalist Lily James, Sarah Lang as both vocalist and violinist, and Dirk Lumbard, tap-dancing and singing. Lumbard, a Broadway veteran and renowned dance instructor, has recently re-located to the area.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Roby Huffman & the Bluegrass Cutups
Roby, who lives in Smithfield, has taken several generations of his Cutups to bluegrass festivals and concerts throughout the United States and Europe since beginning his professional career in the early 1960s. Currently performing with him are Travis Johnson on lead guitar and vocals; Daniel Casey on banjo; Mike Rose on mandolin; and Ray Bridgers on bass.
Several former Curtups have gone on to distinguished careers in bluegrass with their own bands, including Wayne Benson, Hershel Sizemore, Les Woodie, Jim Eanes, and Al Batten.
Roby's got that high, lonesome tenor that a lot of folks say really defines the bluegrass vocal style and sound. He's the godfather of eastern Carolina bluegrass, and it's always a great honor to have him back in town.
Roby's vinyl lps are highly prized collector's items. He has also released 3 CDs. But there's nothing like catching him live--and there's no place better to do that than RAF.
Saturday, April 5, 2008 -- 7:30 p.m. -- $7.50 general admission, $10 reserved
Lost County 35
This 6-piece band band is based out of the Triangle and eastern North Carolina. They've been picking together for over two years. Saturday marks their first appearance in Fountain--they will also play the Preddy Fest for the first time in June.
Mandolin player Tim Lee and guitarist Anthony Campbell both live in Cary. Lee, a graphic artist with the News and Observer, has written several original tunes for the band. Campbell, who lived in Florida and Ohio before his move to North Carolina, also sings tenor and lead.
Guitarist Brent Wiggins and bassist Felicia Bender both live in Wilson. Wiggins also sings lead. Bender's family includes the popular area bluegrass duo Robert and Peggy Ray, and her brother, Allen, an outstanding mandolin picker.
Banjo picker John Dudley, originally from Scooba, in eastern Mississippi, grew up playing and listening to bluegrass. His mother was a church organist and his cousin a bluegrass guitarist.
Dobro player Tony Mullen, who lives in Spring Hope, plays in the traditional style of Uncle Josh Graves.
Saturday, March 29, 2008 -- 7:30 p.m. -- $7.50 general admission, $10 reserved
the Cricket Band
Saturday, March 22, 2008 -- 7:30 p.m. -- $5 general admission, $7.50 reserved
Wood & Steel
Friday, March 21, 2008 -- 7:30 p.m. -- $5 general admission, $7.50 reserved
Jennifer Shelton Licko
Friday, March 28 CLOSED for NC Folklore Society Meeting
Saturday, March 15, 2008 -- 7:30 p.m. -- $5 general admission, $7.50 reserved
Bill Redding & Friends' St. Patrick's Concert
Saturday, March 8, 2008 -- 7:30 p.m. -- $8 general admission, $10 reserved
Steve Creech Sextet featuring vocalist Carolyn Greene Myers
Fountain favorite Steve Creech returns to Fountain General Store for a big Saturday night jazz concert that will feature vocalist Carolyn Greene Myers.
Creech, the Greenville guitarist and band leader, regularly assembles a band of regional talent for his shows in Fountain that have featured an outstanding variety of featured vocalists. Tonight's star, Carolyn Greene Myers, has recently relocated to Greenville after a 22 year career in music and education in Virginia. She was supervisor of music education for the Chesapeake public schools and was also a frequent guest soloist with the Virginia Symphony, the Virginia Chorale, and the Virginia Beach Symphony.
Myers earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in music education and performance from ECU; she is currently an adjunct instructor at ECU's School of Music.
Joining Creech in the band for this evening's show is Les Sutorious on trumpet, Dennis McGaughy on tenor and alto sax and clarinet; Keith Dobbins on bass; and Randy Davis on drums.
Lily James will be a featured guest vocalist. She is a 10-year-old Greenville singer who has already played the role of Gretel in "The Sound of Music" with the North Carolina Theater in Memorial Auditorium in Raleigh. Lily recently completed a week-long Las Vegas engagement. She also studies violin with Sarah Lang.
Saturday, January 12, 2008 -- 7:30 p.m. -- $7.50 general admission
Highway 58
Highway 58 brings its "straight-ahead bluegrass" show to town tonight in a concert that features Snow Hill's Tim Myatt on banjo and band leader Clyde Mattocks on dobro.
They play hard-driving classics done with style, precision, and speed that'll near 'bout wear you out just listening.
Clyde, one of the original Super Grit Cowboys, organized Highway 58 as an outlet for his true musical passion, classic bluegrass. The only way to play it, he says, is "straight ahead."
In Tim Myatt, he has one of the premier banjo pickers in North Carolina. It's always a special treat to have Mr. Myatt back in our house. He's kind of like the godfather of banjo pickers around here, and we're pleased to report that he's now endorsing his own line of Myatt banjos, made right in Greene County.
Other pickers in the band include Danny Morris on guitar, Don Batten on mandolin, and John Booker on bass. All the fellows share in singing.
Clyde, of Kinston, named his band for the NC highway that 2 of its members live on; a third lives just off it. 58's one of the best bluegrass bands we ever host, and also one of the toughest to book. Catch 'em when you can!
Click here to listen to "GWhizz," from Clyde's solo CD "Huggin' the Hound."
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Staber & Chasnoff
Dick Staber, the mandolin-picking master, performs original and classic blulegrass and old-time music with his wife, Judith Chasnoff.
For much of the 1960s and 1970s, Dick Staber was considered one of the best mandolin pickers in America. He abandoned the touring life to run a music hall in New York during the 1980s, and then resumed his public playing in the 1990s, after meeting Judith Chasnoff.
Currently based in in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, the duo has produced four CDs since the mid-1990s. Their latest, "Looking for the Road," was released this past autumn. Bluegrass Unlimited praised their 2002 CD, "One More Journey," as a "musical work of art, abounding with tradition and creativity."
Dick was mandolinist for Del McCoury and the Dixie Palls from 1969-75. In 1977-78, he played with Don Stover, and from 1978-80 with Bob Paisley and Southern Grass. During these years, he played on three of McCoury's albums and two of Paisley's and made three albums of his own, including "Pickin' Around the Cookstove," released by Rounder in 1974.
A Brooklyn native, Judith studied voice at the High School of Music and Art in the 1960s but abandoned music to pursue Buddhist studies. In July 1993, she met Dick Staber, who prophetically told her she would "learn to walk in the ways of the master, Bill Monroe."
This is Staber and Chasnoff's third performance at Fountain General Store, which they visit annually en route to their winter retreat to Florida.
Click here to listen to "Banjo Pickin' Man," from Staber & Chasnof's latest CD.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Marshall Stephenson & the Bluegrass Train Band
This is our second-annual very early bluegrass New Year's celebration with Marshall and his all-star lineup that tonight will feature two of the best young pickers in the region--and an old-fashioned Brunswick stew prepared by Fountain's own stewmaster, Henry "Pot" Bailey.
Tonight's show was a homecoming for John Mark Batchelor, the young banjo picker from Back Swamp--near Richlands--who recently won an International Bluegrass Music Association award in the "best instrumental band" category.
Marshall, the Raleigh-based bluegrass impresario and recording star, says that John Mark and 18-year-old Ashley Davis, on fiddle, are two of the best he's ever played with.
And that's saying a lot, as Marshall has been playing and promoting bluegrass in eastern NC since the 1960s, when he was at the forefront of pioneering the bluegrass festival scene that today is the mainstay for most of the genre's best lineups, venues, crowds, and pay.
John Mark has performed in Fountain several times with Marshall. He currently plays with Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper. Cleveland also won his 5th IBMA for best fiddler of the year. "I don't think John Mark believed me when I told him he could be playing music full-time," said Marshall, who gave John Mark his first jobs. "He's literally not but a couple of years off the farm, and he's already one of the really good ones. I'm real tickled that he's coming back home to play with me again."
Ashley Davis, from Fayetteville, has been tutored for several years by Les Sandy. She recently released her first CD, named to honor her mentor, "Picking with Les." She patterns her playing and singing after Alison Krause and Rhonda Vincent. This was her first appearance in Fountain. "She's a whiz," said Marshall. And we all agreed.
Sunday, December 16, 2007 -- 3 p.m. -- $5
Mike Hamer & Sue Luddeke & Friends
Mike and Sue's 4th annual Christmas show in Fountain, one of our most anticipated events of the year, will feature classics and some sing-alongs. Bring along a cover dish to share with the band for afterwards.
Saturday, December 15, 2007 -- 3:45 p.m. -- FREE!
Shelby & Linda Stephenson
Bluegrass legend Les Sandy joined a couple of our favorites, Shelby and Linda Stephenson, performing on the RAF float in Fountain's first Christmas parade since 1989, and then in a free set of bluegrass and Christmas classics. WHat a show they gave us, too, with local hero Lightnin' Wells sitting in for half a dozen unforgettable oldies.
Friday, December 14, 2007 -- 7:30 p.m. -- $5
Mike Baker & the Drop Top Cadillacs
Mike will be bringing to town another all-star band of the region's best country music pickers, including Johnny Barham on pedal steel guitar, Ronnie King on lead guitar, Glenn Speight on bass, and Robert Keel on drums. Baker matches his voice to his classic country material as well as anyone, and the result is always a crowd-pleasing show.
Sunday, December 9, 2007 -- 3:00 p.m. -- FREE!
Our Best to You
This trio of talented veteran musicians makes their Fountain debut this afternoon. Much of their current musical interests are related to their various church activities, but today's show will allow them to flex their musical muscles a bit as they perform a variety of oldies--pop, country gospel, and some Christmas classics.
Fiddler Sylvia Overman has been playing organ for Fremont United Methodist Church since she was 18. She also plays keyboards for "Grateful Alive," Fremont United's Praise Team, and she is a member of the III Century Singers in Goldsboro.
Chester Davis has been playing accordion for 50 years. He is choir director at Fremont United Methodist Church, and has performed with Dottie Rambo, the Hoppers, the Sensational Nightingales, Carlton Perason, and R.W. Shambach. He is also organist at Jefferson United Methodist Church.
Jeanne Scarboro, a Mt. Olive native, has sung with the Johnston County Country Music Showcase and with III Century Singers. She is a member of Yelverton Methodist Church in Faro, where she sings with the choir. Her father, Ivey Langston, had a band that played for soldiers when he was in service, and her grandmother was church organist for many years at Lebanon Methodist Church.
Saturday, December 8, 2007 -- 7:30 p.m. -- $5
Grant Haze Trio
Jazz and r&b from this sensational guitarist and singer who has recently re-located to Greenville. He's joined by ECU writing prof Bob Siegel on saxophone.
Friday, December 7, 2007 -- 7:30 p.m. -- $5
Farm & Home Bluegrass Band
One of our favorite local bluegrass quartets, Farm and Home features the Ohio-born Gaddis brothers picking alongside John Booker and Dan Vause. They perform classic bluegrass and bluegrass gospel.
Bob Gaddis plays banjo and fiddle, Jim plays mandolin and guitar, Dan plays guitar, and Booker is the man on bluegrass bass in these parts.
Sunday, October 7, 2007 -- 3 p.m. -- FREE!
Brien Barbour
Opening for Raleigh-based Brien Barbour is Captain Bill, making his formal Fountain debut on guitar & vocals.
Brien kicks off our autumn Free-at-3 series of Sunday afternoon concerts with a country music and gsopel show. He's got a great booming voice, an infectious laugh, and a seemingly limitless repertoire of songs--simply a wonderful entertainer--and he pretty much makes sure that whoever is in his audience has a good time.
Greenville's Captain Bill is a singer-guitarist who's been a regular customer at Fountain General but he's best known around the area as a dealer in used musical instruments. Bill's a big fan of Brien's, and we're hoping the two of them together, doing some old-fashioned gospel songs, can get Brien a crowd closer to what he deserves.
Saturday, October 6, 2007 -- 7:30 p.m. -- $5
Marlboro Boys
The Boys mix original with classic old-style bluegrass gospel into a highly entertaining show. We only wish we could get them scheduled in more often.
Though the Boys play some smokin' bluegrass licks, they got their name from their home church, Marlboro Original Free Will Baptist, in the Marlboro community outside of Farmville, where they all sing in the choir.
They've been one of our most popular bands since we opened. We haven't hosted a bigger bluegrass band, or a better one at what these fellows do.
Performers include Reed Kennedy on bass and bass vocals; Steve Sutton, banjo and lead vocals; Joseph Sutton, guitar; Tim Shelton, mandolin and vocals; Bobby Harper, guitar; Tim Tyner, Dobro; and Jason Tyson, tenor vocals.
The Boys have released two CDs, "First Time Around" and "God's Only Son," but copies are getting hard to find.
Friday, October 5, 2007 -- 7:30 p.m. -- $7.50 general admission, $10 reserved
Bruce Piephoff & Mary Rocap
Two of North Carolina's best singer-songwriters in one evening's concert!
Bruce Piephoff, the Greensboro-based singer-songwriter, has released 15 CDs over a long and successful solo performing career that has carried him across the US and Europe. His latest CD, "Songi D'Oro," is his 10th with Flyin' Cloud Records, the Eden, NC label that has been promoting bluegrass, folk, and old-time music since 1996.
Bruce and Mary have both done excellent shows here before. This promises to be a very special evening.
Mary Rocap's songwriting and vocal stylings prompted one reviewer to liken her to "Gillian Welch's long-lost sister."
Based in Raleigh, Rocap has released two CDs. The recording of her first, "Mimosa," was made possible by a songwriting grant from the NC Arts Council. "Indian Summer," released in 2005, was reviewed by Indie-music.com as "a lovely album of stellar writing."
Mary will open the show, with Bruce performing after a brief intermission.
Saturday, September 22, 2007 -- 8 p.m. -- $5
Brenda Linton
with Donald Underwood Thompson opening
This is a homecoming concert for Brenda, a Washington, NC native -- her first show in Fountain. "Whenever I head east," she says, "my worries just fall away with each passing mile. The people are the friendliest and the vegetables the tastiest in the country. I'm looking forward to an intimate show and getting to know the regulars at R.A. Fountain, whose reputation is growing across the state, even if people don't quite know where Fountain is on the map."
Brenda performed with Warm, the eastern NC-based folk trio that in the 1980s opened for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Rare Earth, among others. She and the band made their living for a couple of years performing at clubs, colleges, and rock festivals throughout the southeast.
After the Warm, she traveled extensively in Europe, before settling in London, where she experimented with several musical directions, including work as lead singer in a heavy metal band. During that period, Linton also began writing songs, one of which is the title track to her new CD, "The Secret"--you can listen to a half-dozen tracks from it on her webpage, where several other tunes are offered as free downloads.
Brenda performed recently at the Shakori Hills Roots Music Festival. She currently works as a solo artist out of Asheville. For Saturday's show, she will be accompanied by Paul Leech.
Paul Leech is a versatile musician and recording engineer, also based out of the Asheville area. He plays mandolin, tin whistle, acoustic guitar, upright & electric bass, and can sing a pretty harmony line. He is at home with a variety of genres, including folk, traditional/celtic, & zydeco. Paul teaches mandolin & guitar, and offers recording, mixing, and mastering services at his own Megiddo Studios in Asheville.
Donald T, of course, is a Fountain favorite; he was scheduled to perform here in November, a date he's had to cancel for a planned surgery. We'll look forward to getting him back here for a solid show of his own.
Friday, September 21, 2007 -- 7:30 p.m. -- $5
Buddy Zincone & Greenville Grass
Local favorites Zincone and crew are back for another round of parlor picking bluegrass. They play traditional bluegrass and some surprising covers done up in bluegrass style: Chuck Berry's "Maybelline," Fats Domino's "I'm Walkin'," the Everly Brothers' "Dream, Dream."
The regulars are here tonight: the Boss plays some fine Scruggs-style banjo as well as Dobro, Travelin' Tom Scott's on mandolin, Lane Hollis on fiddle, Bill Poplin on guitar, and Wailin' Willie Nelms on bass. They all share lead and harmony vocals.
We're also looking forward to a special guest appearance this evening by Lane and Sharon Hollis's daughter, Sarah, on fiddle.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
the Cricket Band, with Shelby & Linda Stephenson
We celebrated Hank Williams' birthday a couple of days early, but in fine fashion nonetheless. Manny Krevat played bass, Shelby and Linda sang and played guitar and uke, and Mel Waters played such terrific guitar that for several numbers we all had to just sit back and enjoy his solo Hank interpretations.
With this show going up against ECU's home game against Southern Miss, we were especially gratified to see such a large house turn out for what we promise will be an annual tradition.
Mel was with the Cricket Band last time they played, back in April, but his precise and delicate touch got a little lost in the size of that band. This one, scaled down to a perfect-sized quartet, was really able to showcase Mel's great guitar wor--as well as Shelby's passionate lyrics and Linda's subtle percussive lines delivered on her baritone uke.
Before we get to host our third annual celebration of Hank Williams' birthday, we'll do our first to celebrate Don Gibson, for whom Mel was once lead guitarist. Look for this show on April 5, commemorating Gibson's April 3, 1928 birth in, of all places, Shelby, NC--which was not named for Shelby Stephenson.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Tommy G's set, with Wizard on mandolin, guitar and banjo, kept most of the house from trying to tune in the Carolina-ECU football game, which played on a little radio next door. He showed the few who'd not heard him perform before why Mike thinks he's the best songwriter in NC today.
Tommy's set list: Christmas in Tulare
Saturday, August 25, 2007 -- 8 p.m. -- $5
Flowers, of Elm City, plays guitar and harmonica and does most of the band's lead singing. They are often joined by guest guitarists and singers from the Wilson-area country music scene.
Friday, August 24, 2007 -- 8 p.m. -- $5
Wright Young plays mandolin; Chuck Shutte, dobro; Lindy Brown, bass and guitar; and Larry Nunnery, guitar. They all share vocals, and their 4-part harmonies are exquisite. They perform a capella, old-fashioned Southern gospel style on several numbers.
They'll mix in some fine originals with classic bluegrass and bluegrass gospel, and you'll have a fine time hearing them pick and sing.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Friday, July 13, 2007
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Tonight's bluegrass show was a field trip for some college kids from Ohio, but it was also a learning experience for folks in Fountain: we learned that Licking County is a real place, and that the Hot Lix, who call it home, are an aptly named band. The second of these was no small task for 4 Denison University college kids and their professor, Richard Hood, who were visiting town at the tail end of their third Southern tour and performing before a near-full house of Fountain regulars anxious for some classic old-time bluegrass picking.
Professor Hood is a familiar face in town, having played with old buddy Shelby Stephenson and wife Linda on an earlier trip to the area. He's an English professor at Denison, but he holds a half-time appointment in the music department, where he co-directs the university's bluegrass ensembles with Andy Carlson and Casey Cook.
"We teach them the basics, and the classics," said Hood, an excellent banjo picker and songwriter himself who performed in the 1990s as half of the bluegrass duo the Bristol Brothers.
When asked if he allowed Dobros in class, Hood quickly said "of course not," but just as quickly was corrected by one of his students, who pointed out that "so-and-so" had one, and they all had a good chuckle. It was partly that good humor, largely the great respect the band had for its classic material, but mainly their obvious talent that kept the Fountain crowd entertained with two full sets, a dozen songs each, delivered up with style, precision, respect, and passion.
Joining Hood in the band were Hayes Griffin, who played guitar and sang lead and baritone; Kyle Adamcic, who played fiddle, sang lead, tenor and high baritone; Jacob Hawkins. who played mandolin; and Jimmy Sheppard, bass. With eyes closed, it would've been hard to tell the prof from the students.
Obvious from their set-list and their performances, these are young musicians who understand that good bluegrass isn't all just about fast solos. When speed was called for, they had it ready, especially Hawkins on mandolin. But when they needed to be a band--which is most of the time in a performance--they were always a band, meshing nicely and trading off their licks like a crew of oldtimers who'd been playing together for years.
Their two sets were highlighted by several classic tunes. Griffin sang a rollicking "Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms," Adamcik showed off her considerable fiddling chops on "Cherokee Shuffle," and they did a splendid job on Hood's original tune "Carolna" to close out the first set that also included a guest appearance by Shelby and Linda Stephenson on "Waltz Across Texas" and "Little Cabin on the Hill."
Hawkins led off the second set with a blazingly fast "Monroe's Hornpipe" and they followed that up with Charlie Moore's haunting "Avery County."
"This one," Hood soon announced, "was their mid-term exam." The crowd laughed, and he assured us that he was serious. From our collective viewpoint, their performance earned them all solid A's. They left our nearly full house wondering when they'd be back for their final exam. We're hoping for December.
After the show, Hood reported that these four, indeed, are the best of the lot of Denison's bluegrass students, which currently includes about 44, and their performances showed why he has such high opinions of them, Ohio natives all. For each of the students, too, it was their farthest foray into the South, and Hood was glad for them to have the experience. "It means a lot to them to get to travel, and to get this kind of reaction," he added. "They'll take a lot of stories back home with them from this trip."
"But don't always think," he cautioned them before they hit the road after the show, "that you'll make this much money!"
"Yeah," one of them shot back, "but we can still have fun."
Friday, July 6, 2007
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
Thursday, June 29, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
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Thursday, May 31, 2007
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Sunday, May 13, 2007
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Friday, May 4, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
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Friday, April 27, 2007
Wayne and Margaret Martin have been playing and promoting old-time string music in North Carolina for over 30 years. They hosted a state-wide old-time radio show for many years, and Wayne has produced numerous recordings of traditional music by artists such as Etta Baker, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, Lauchlin Shaw, and Joe and Odell Thompson.
Wayne plays banjo and fiddle, Margaret, banjo and guitar, and Johnson, fiddle, banjo, and guitar. Johnson is also a member of the D.C.-based Double Decker String Band.
As the New North Georgia Buggy Riders, they were featured--along with the Carolina Chocolate Drops--at next weekend's International Stringband Festival in north Georgia.
April 26, 2007
Friday, May 4, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
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Thursday, April 192007
Sunday, April 15, 2007
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Friday, April 6, 2007
Sunday, April 1, 2007
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Saturday, March 17, 2007
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Friday, March 2, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Wilson's Chet Nichols always puts on an intense show, and tonight's was classic Chet: hard-driving guitar licks combined with plaintive and insistent lyrics, delivered as he charges about the stage like he's about to turn himself loose on his audience.
And, of course, he does, for one number, when he goes unplugged and steps out right into its midst.
Chet's still writing some of the best material about this region we've heard in Fountain, and his audience appreciated his many allusions to local landscapes.
Friday, February 16, 2007
The resultant show was a delight, adding a new dimension as it did to Jennifer Licko's full and beautiful voice.
Tonight's was her last show in Fountain before she moves to Brazil, where she'll be studying music and dance for two years. But she's keeping her contacts and roots in eastern North Carolina, which means she's coming home for Christmas. She'll be here, performing a Celtic Christmas show with Jennifer Barnes and David Vinciguerra again, on December 15.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Martin County native Allan Thompson's return to his eastern North Carolina roots was a big hit for all. He gathered an excellent band of fellows to accompany him on a musical journey from the origins of bluegrass to its most contemporary proponents. With him were Frankie Harrison, the Williamston mandolin picker who's as fast and precise as any we've seen in Fountain; Frankie's growing-up-quick boy Justin, a 13-year-old fiddler and mandolin picker who got to sign his first career autograph, on our house fiddle face donated by Fiddlin' Dee Pelligrino; and Keith Gastor, who's usually picking banjo when in Fountain but tonight got to show off his considerable guitar-picking skills, too.
Allan's a consummate pro, and his show was a delight: past 10 p.m. and the audience was still wanting more. We're looking for him to come back again about this time next year.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Lindsay and her pal operate a coffee house in a small town outside Winnipeg, and she took home a jar of Gary Thompson's blue ribbon winning peach jam to share with her customers. Her place plays live music every Saturday night, and they serve food & drinks, too. When you're headed that way, let us know and we'll connect you.
Ted Jones & the Tarheel Boys
Mandolin-picking sensation Ted Jones, of Smithfield, returned to town for a dynamic night of original and classic bluegrass. Severe thunderstorms throughout the region and some long-needed rain kept a lot of folks home, but Ted and the Boys-in-Black put on a fine show nonetheless. Stan Temple's one of the best banjo pickers we've welcomed here, and he and Ted complement each other's virtuoso runs nicely. They kept their promise to play till it stopped raining, and we almost ran it out to 10:30 before we let them on their way.
the Bowmans
Our first twin act: Sarah & Claire Bowman are a couple of Davenport, Iowa ladies who've been doing quite well on the NY City folk music scene. Their show here, to a solid Sunday crowd, was warmly received. They sold several CDs and are already planning a return to Fountain, next fall. Their harmonies were sometimes quite stunning, filling this old building like none we've heard. It was easy, sometimes, to get carried away with the pure beauty of their sound and to almost forget the poetic lyrics composed by Claire for their all-originals show. They even pulled out one she'd written at the age of 8!
Mike Hamer & Tommy G
Two of our favorites were back for a double shot of outstanding original songs. Mike put on a another fine show, this time accompanied for most of his set by Nathan Maxwell on viola and guitar. Sue Luddeke sang harmony with him on several tunes. Mike went back to about 1964 with his originals, he said, in introducing one of those Sue joined him on, "A Beautiful Day."
Chubby Girl
Carolyn
No Name Song
14 Years
Anywhere for Love
Midnight Tele
Tugboat Song
We Walk with the Angels
Gypsy Mandolin
Time's a Wastin'
The Crecian
Purple Pride
High Above the Blue Ridge
Charlie Flowers & the International Harvesters
Charlie Flowers and the International Harvesters perform classic honky-tonk country music with flair and feeling. Charlie, the Hootin' Cowboy, fronts a band of fine musicians led by Johnny Barham of Wendell on pedal steel guitar. Ryan Kirby plays bass and Darren Lee plays drums; both live in Wilson.
Boys from Carolina
Boasting over 140 years of bluegrass picking experience, the Boys are one of the best we've hosted. They're based in the Triangle, where all but banjo picker Bob WIlkerson were raised. Bob played with several fine bands in the Baltimore area before he got up with his fellows, most of whom worked previously together with Friends in Bluegrass, as well as, individually a host of other Carolina-based bluegrass bands.
Donald Underwood Thompson
Homegrown String Band
Carolina Still
Bluegrass jam
George Higgs
Russ Varnell & Too Country
Brien Barbour 3 p.m.
Razor 7:30 p.m.
Richard Hood & the Licking County Hot Lix
Jonathan Byrd
Ken Waldman
Mayhaws
Catesby Jones
and Dee Braxton Pelligrino
Marshall Stephenson & the Bluegrass Train Band
Farm & Home Band
Mike Baker & the Drop Top Cadillacs
Red Clay Ramblers
Highway 58
Bluegrass jam
Dee Braxton Pelligrino & Justin Sturz
Black Creek Bluegrass Gospel
Nancy & Tammy Dail & the Country Roads Band
Farm & Home Band
Unshackled
Steve Creech Sextet
the Malpass Brothers
Franco Funicello
Whitewater Junction
Mac & Tammy McRoy Bluegrass Band
the Roy Propes Show: A Tribute to Elvis
Adam Stone
Eric & Helen Thomas
the Near Myths
Take 2 & Ramblin' Rose
Ted Jones & the Tarheels
Kickin Grass
Bluegrass jam
Donald Underwood Thompson
Travers Chandler & Avery County
Lightnin' Wells
Jon Durham
Untravelled Road, 2 p.m.
Smith Brothers Bluegrass Band, 7 p.m.
Claude Bourbon
Brien Barbour
the Cricket Band
Martin & Johnson Stringband
Dan Frechette
Claude Bourbon
Don Helms, with the Malpass Brothers
Another one of those "you should've been there" shows.
Jimmy Aycock
Hickory Hill Bluegrass
Steve Creech Sextet
Bluegrass jamn
Called Out
Charalie Flowers & the International Harvestersn
Frankie Harrison, Lane Hollis & Keith Gastor
the Veazey Ridge Boys
Unknown Tongues
They make people dance, even in Fountain.
Flat Mountain Dulcimers
A Fountain favorite performing their Spring concert.
the Grass Cats
What a treat! We got the "Home to Carolina" show just as their latest CD was rocketing up the bluegrass charts. Our full house just had one question: when are these guys coming back? (Ans: Nov 17 2007).
Greenville Grass
SWASH Improv Parents Night
Russ Varnell & Too Country
9th Annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration with Bill Redding & Mike Hamer
with
Angela Easterling opening
the Lounge Abouts
Revonda Roberts & Harvest Wind
Cypress Landing Dixieland Jazz Band
One of our best shows ever got killed by the ACC tourney's Friday night games. We vow never again to go head-to-head vs ACC. This was a better-than-(most)-Bourbon Street bands kind of show, and if you get a chance to see them elsewhere, take it! After a "crowd" of 7, alas, we'll never get 'em back here.
Smith Brothers Bluegrass Band
Boys from Carolina
the Marlboro Boys
Nancy & Tammy Dail & Country Roads
Chet Nichols, with Mike Hamer, and See You Tuesday
An outstanding night of music got started right with See You Tuesday's superb set. They also shared a couple of numbers with Hamer before he took over for a beautiful and moving set of original music, much of it written with his friend Marty Silverthorne. Mike's usually surrounded by other good musicians, but appearing as he did tonight, solo, he was able to show off his considerable song-writing talents to a much greater extent. He worked both his voice and the audience to dramatic effect on several numbers. He also debuted a couple of new tunes, recently penned on his visit to Puerto Rico.
Jennifer Shelton Licko
Jennifer has been a favorite here on her several previous visits, but tonight was the first time she's brought along an ensemble, a fiddler and percussionist, to accompany her. Jennifer Barnes, a Greenville resident, played fiddle, and David Vinciguerra, of Goldsboro, added percussions.
Allan Thompson
Lindsay Jane
Calgary Magazine says singer-songwriter "Jane is a deft interpreter of powerful emotion." And she was: Beautiful voice, artful picking, good grace and humor. Our small but very appreciative crowd is now anxious for her return, which we hope to arrange.
