Tuesday, October 30, 2018

 
SHELBY FOREST GENERAL STORE
PORCH PICKIN'
WITH THE COUNTY LINE JAM
MILLINGTON, TN
October 28, 2018
 
 
     The Shelby Forest General Store is a classic! Established in 1934, the store is a great stopping place for drivers, bikers, hunters, fishermen/women, and even bluegrass and old-time music fans. A couple of times each year (spring and fall) there is a "porch pickin'" from 12:30 to 3:30p CT, featuring a group known as The County Line Jam. The jammers are ardent fans of old-time string band music from the late-1800's to the early 20th Century. The instruments are unplugged and lovely: dulcimer (mountain and hammered), guitar, mandolin, clawhammer banjo, fiddle, upright bass, Dobro(r), and other early instruments brought over by settlers in the eastern mountains of America who were mostly from England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Germany and France.
     The County Line jammers we saw on this particular gorgeous fall Sunday afternoon were:  Lee Cagle, Leanna First-Arai, Marshall and Judy Brown, Mary Baddour, Terrie Brown, Nancy Brannon, Karl/Donna/Valerie Gray, and Louis Hayden. We arrived late, so we may have missed some musicians who were there earlier. We had no idea that there was no handicap/disabled access to the porch, so we set up the chair on the grounds around the store and aimed the camera high.
     The County Line Jam meets more frequently than twice a year. They meet at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 106 Walnut Street, Collierville, TN. Hours are monthly second Sundays 2:00-4:00p CT. Next St. Andrew's jams are November 11, 2018 and December 9, 2018.
     We shall show you some pictures from that event where casual onlookers stopped and even sat down to listen for a while. Thanks to Lee Cagle for her assistance with the photography. Lee is "all things dulcimer" around these parts. Contact her for instruments, instruction, or other dulcimer-related events: lee@leecagledulcimers.com or on the web at www.leecagledulcimers.com
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Monday, October 29, 2018

KASU 91.9 FM BLUEGRASS MONDAY
2019 CONCERT SERIES
COLLINS THEATRE
Paragould, AR
4th Monday, 7:00p CT
 
 Marquee of The Collins Theatre from January 2017
 
January 28          MONROE CROSSING  DONE!
 
February 25       THE KEVIN PRATER BAND
 
March 25           WILLIAMSON BRANCH
 
April 22              DAVID DAVIS & THE WARRIOR RIVER BOYS
 
May 20               REMINGTON RYDE (Special date for this show!)
 
June 24              THE FARM HANDS
 
July 22               THE KODY NORRIS SHOW
 
August 26          THE VICKIE VAUGHN BAND
 
September 23    THE LITTLE ROY AND LIZZIE SHOW
 
October 28         KIM ROBINS AND 40 YEARS LATE
 
November 25     NO TIME FLATT
 
(No December show due to the holiday season)
 
 
Collins Theatre: 120 West Emerson St., Paragould, AR
 
Terry's Café: 201 South Pruett St., Paragould, AR
 
Suggested donation for each show: $5 per person, 100% is to pay the bands
 
For more information: E-mail mscarbro@astate.edu or call 870.972.2367
 
Also see: www.kasu.org for weekly programming
 
Sponsors of Bluegrass Monday: Bibb Chiropractic Center, The Posey Peddler, Holiday Inn Express of Paragould, and Northeast Arkansas Bluegrass Association

LEROY TROY AND
THE TENNESSEE MAFIA JUG BAND
BLUEGRASS MONDAY
COLLINS THEATRE
PARAGOULD, AR
October 22, 2018
 
 
     LEROY TROY AND THE TENNESSEE MAFIA JUG BAND recently hit the stage at the Collins Theatre, 120 W. Emerson Street in Paragould, AR. Fans had prior notice and packed the house clean up into the balcony of the beautiful old theatre. They know these guys! The jug band, featuring Leroy Troy, Thrills and delights wherever they go: theatres, concerts, RFD TV, and more.
     You already know them, we're sure, but here is the cast of characters for the October 22 performance: Leroy Troy (banjo, ukulele, jugs, vocals), Shadd Cobb (fiddle), funny man Ernie Sikes (jugs, vocals), Mike Armistead (guitar, vocals), Mike Webb (Dobro(r), and Andy Todd (bass). If you can put 'funny' and 'talented' in the same sentence, that's the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band.
     We will tell you their choice of songs and tunes for the evening:
     Set 1: Wabash Cannonball, Down in Union County, Count Me Out, Kansas City Star, Lula Wall, Oh Me Oh My, Wrinkled Crinkled Wadded Dollar Bill, Air-Conditioned Cadillac Coupe DeVille, Wildwood Flower, Wood and Strings, They Cut Down the Old Pine Tree, End of the World, Night Train to Memphis, Bald Knob AR, and Ghost Chicken in the Sky.
     Set 2: Haul Off and Love Me, Waitin' on the Robert E. Lee, Grandfather's Clock, Chug-a-lug, Bed of Roses, Bicycle Wreck, Open Up Your Mouth and Let the Moonshine In, Five Pounds of Possum in My Headlights Tonight, Columbus Stockade Blues, You Don't Have to be Present to Win, When It's Soup-Pickin' Down in False Teeth Valley, Precious Jewel, Orange Blossom Special, Meeting in the Air.
    Two  Encores: Marie Laveau and Troy's lovely solo medley of familiar patriotic songs, followed by a standing ovation! It was an amazing evening!
 
     KASU 91.9 FM on the campus of Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, hosts the "4th Monday" concerts at the Collins Theatre in downtown Paragould, AR. Marty Scarbrough serves as host and also as DJ for weekly programming on KASU 91.9. Contact: mscarbro@astate.edu
     The hat is passed through the crowd for donations to pay the bands. Each person is asked to donate a minimum of $5.00.

     Terry's Café at 201 S. Pruett St. is just a block away from the theatre. Terry's serves beginning at 4:30p on Bluegrass Monday nights. It's delicious catfish and other meats plus vegetables, tea or coffee, and several desserts. It's a great pre-show meal and a chance to gather prior to a concert.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Friday, October 26, 2018

 
OCTOBER BLUEGRASS FUN
COMPLETE WITH A MARIONETTE
AT THE DIXIE CAFE
Jackson, TN
October 4, 2018
 
 
 
      GET A LOAD OF THIS! The wonderful OLD COUNTRY STORE in Jackson, TN (I-40 Exit 80A), has many surprises throughout the store: an ice cream parlor, old-fashioned candies in barrels, memorabilia from earlier days in Jackson/Madison County, delicious food, and a sweetheart of a little café called THE DIXIE CAFE, which is tucked away inside the store. Locals, travelers from afar, and those who love bluegrass and old-time country music, know to show up on Thursday evenings for the food and entertainment in the café. Things get going at about 6:00p CT and run 'til about 8:30p, when the musicians begin to put their instruments in cases and wander off. The restaurant and café close promptly at 9:00p.
       In the meantime, there is merriment, music, and a great supper in store. Here are some photos of the goings-on in the café on October 4, 2018. Enjoy! Drop in for dinner and some great pickin' by some locals and even a star or two on occasion.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 




Thursday, October 25, 2018





THE DIXIE CAFE: FUN  
INSIDE THE OLD COUNTRY STORE
JACKSON, TN
October 11, 2018
 
 
     WHEN THURSDAY NIGHT rolls around, head on over to I-40 Exit 80A in Jackson, TN, for some sho' nuff good eatin' and good music at the DIXIE CAFE inside CLARK SHAW'S legendary OLD COUNTRY STORE. The store provides genuine Southern food and genuine Southern country and bluegrass music in this little hidden jewel of a café. Tables and chairs are a sort of a mix of styles. You can sit where you like. You can eat and enjoy some fine music all at the same time.
     The music starts at around 6:00 PM CT and winds down at around 8:30, because the Old Country Store and the Dixie Café close at 9:00 PM sharp. Between those hours, you're bound to have a barrel of fun and to meet new friends along the way. You want to get there early, as sometimes a big crowd shows up. You want a seat at a table where you can enjoy your meal and the music.
    We will share some photos we took recently when the house and the stage were full of folks. Get on by there any Thursday evening and enjoy great food and great pickin' and a-grinnin'!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

Monday, October 15, 2018

NO TIME FLATT
SCORES TOP HONORS  
AT TENNESSEE MUSIC AWARDS!
October 15, 2018
 
 
 
     NO TIME FLATT is the Bluegrass Band of the Year for 2018! The Tennessee Music Awards show is held annually at the University of Memphis Hamilton Performing Arts Center in Jackson, TN. This year on October 8th, No Time Flatt took home the 'star' for top honors.
     To no one's surprise, this band has been grabbing honors and festival/show dates since its inception in 2015. You probably have heard rumors that their fans are known as . . . well, they are called Flatt-heads! True story!
     The No Time Flatt band members are: Kevin Wright (guitar, vocals), Patrick Cupples (upright bass, vocals), Kevin Keen (mandolin), Steve Moore (banjo, vocals), and Becky Weaver (fiddle, vocals). Becky Weaver was out of town for the event; however, the award-winning fiddler, Ivy Phillips, filled in to help the group take top honors. The band truly has something special: Their songwriters are creative, their act is together and focused, and they are out to please their crowds. 
 
Contact information:
Phone:  731.616.1208
 
Upcoming appearances:
10/25 Corinth Pickers on the Square, Alcorn Co. Courthouse, Corinth, MS
10/27 Riveroaks Reformed Presbyterian Church Fall Festival, Germantown, TN
11/1 First Christian Church, Dyersburg, TN
11/2 Iuka Opry @ The American Legion, Iuka, MS
11/3 West TN Regional Arts Center Gala, Opera House, Humboldt, TN
11/6 Widows & Widowers Dinner, The Church at Sugar Creek, Humboldt, TN
 
Here are some photos taken at the Tennessee Music Awards show in Jackson on October 8, 2018.
      
L to R: Steve Moore, Kevin Keen
Ivy Phillips, Kevin Wright, Patrick Cupples
 
L to R: Kevin Keen, Steve Moore,
Kevin Wright, Patrick Cupples, Ivy Phillips
 
L to R: Dr. Jerry Tubbs (U of M Music Dept.) Kevin Wright,
 Patrick Cupples, Ivy Phillips, Steve Moore,
 Kevin Keen, Amber Dunn (VP Memphis Songwriters Association)
 
 Patrick Cupples at microphone
Kevin Wright at right in photo
Dr. Tubbs and Ms Dunn at back
 
 Kevin Wright, vocals and guitar
 
 Steve Moore, vocals and banjo
 
 Ivy Phillips, fiddle, standing in for Becky Weaver
 
 Kevin Keen, mandolin