A diverse music line-up is
on tap in January in Abingdon as the sixth annual January Jams concert series, produced by Abingdon Music Experience and
presented by Blue Ridge Beverage,
gets underway at the Barter Theatre. From alt-country to soul to bluegrass and
rock, Fridays and Saturdays in January promise something for music lovers of
all ages and all genres.
Opportunities to see the legendary
Booker T. Jones, as well as David Grisman and John Paul White
this close to home are few and far between, but this year, all three will be a
part of the January Jams series.
“This is our most diverse
January Jams lineup yet,” said Sara Saavedra, special events coordinator for
the Town of Abingdon. “From African-American alt-country singer Amythyst Kiah;
the soul musician and living legend Booker T. Jones; to the
Nashville-based Muddy Magnolias, currently exploding on the scene with a sound
that Rolling Stone says ‘melds city grit and delta dirt,’ we have
something for everyone.”
The concert series, produced
by Abingdon Music Experience and presented by Blue Ridge Beverage, will see
concert goers enjoying January nights or weekends of music in the historic
Barter Theatre in downtown Abingdon. Since the series started six years
ago, the Barter has had a full house attending the events to see nationally
known music acts which in past years have included music legends like the Blind
Boys of Alabama and Del McCoury, as well as up and coming artists who went on
to gain a huge national following, like St. Paul and the Broken Bones and
Anderson East.
This year’s January Jams
promises more of the same. As in the past, the series features nationally
known performers, including Grammy Award winners and a Rock N Roll Hall of
Fame inductee.
"We paid a lot of
attention to diversity this year as we were booking the series,” Saavedra said.
“Diversity in music, gender and ethnicity are all a part of this year’s series.
Abingdon is a music destination for any music lover, and this lineup includes a
wide range of legendary musicians alongside up and coming acts out of
Nashville."
Attending January Jams at
Barter Theatre is special, because it’s an intimate, “listening room”
experience, Saavedra said. The concerts are seated, and the focus is 100
percent on the music. Additionally, she noted the Barter also offers beer
and wine for sale in the lobby, which can be enjoyed in concert seating.
"There is life after
New Years,” Saavedra said. “Abingdon is open for business every Friday and Saturday
in January. It's the perfect excuse to cure your cabin fever, come out to
Abingdon and enjoy dinner at one of our independent restaurants.
“Make it an overnight, and
enjoy a weekend of music," she suggested. “Abingdon’s restaurants and
hotels are open for business and you can enjoy very affordable rates because
it’s the off season. Walk to nearby restaurants, or ask about shuttle services
to local hotels.”
Nightly, weekend and series
passes for the January Jams series are available. Season passes are $210.
A bluegrass weekend package
is offered at the Hampton Inn for $398 which includes two weekend passes and a
two-night stay at the Hampton Inn.
All packages or
weekend/series passes may be purchased through the Barter Box Office.
January Jams 2018 is presented
by Blue Ridge Beverage and is sponsored by Eastman Credit Union, First
Community Bank, The Bank of Marion and Universal Fibers. Additional support is
provided by Food City, JJ’s Restaurant and Sports Bar and the Town of
Abingdon.
The concert line-up and
ticket pricing are as follows:
January 5: Amythyst Kiah & Her Chest
of Glass, $15; and January 6: Lillie Mae, $18; or Weekend: $30.
·
Amythyst
Kiah & Her Chest of Glass-A professed Southern
Gothic, alt-country blues singer/songwriter based in Johnson City, TN.
Provocative and coolly fierce, Amythyst Kiah’s ability to cross the boundaries
of blues and old-time through reinterpretation is groundbreaking and simply
unforgettable. Recent tours in Scotland and the U.K. have seen Amythyst
performing for audiences at the Americana Music Association UK Showcase, the
Southern Fried Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival, the Edinburgh Jazz Festival,
and SummerTyne Americana Festival. She is a crowd favorite at Bristol Rhythm
& Roots Reunion in the U.S., has performed at the John F. Kennedy Center
for Performing Arts, and the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival.
·
Lillie
Mae- Nashville-based singer-songwriter and
multi-instrumentalist, Lillie Mae is a remarkably gifted musical storyteller, a
bright new star that’s been here all along.
Her much anticipated, Third Man Records debut "Forever and Then
Some" which is produced by multiple
GRAMMY® Award-winner Jack White III at Third Man Studio in Nashville, weaves
her own extraordinary experiences with the myriad strains of Americana to
create a breathtaking song cycle of romance and struggle, solitude and
adventure.
January 12: John Paul White, $25; and
January 13, John Moreland, $22; or Weekend: $42.
·
John
Paul White - An American singer-songwriter, and was a
member of the GRAMMY® Award-winning
duo The Civil Wars. John Paul White,
restarting his solo career with his 2016 release, "Beulah" which is
a remarkably and assuredly diverse collection spanning plaintive folk balladry,
swampy southern rock, lonesome campfire songs, and dark acoustic pop. Gothic
and ambitious, with a rustic, lived-in sound, it’s a meditation on love
curdling into its opposite, on recrimination defining relationships, on hope
finally filtering through doubt.
·
John Moreland - Oklahoma based Americana-Folk- Alternative Country
singer-songwriter who's powerful lyrics, skillful fingerpicking, and gravelly
vocal delivery has been touted by Rolling Stone Magazine as "an
emotionally riveting performance" after his performance on the Stephen
Colbert show. Three
of Moreland's songs, "Heaven," "Gospel," and "Your
Spell", have been featured on the TV show, Sons of Anarchy.
January 19: David Grisman & John
Sebastian, $57.50; and January 20, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen with Rob
Ickes & Trey Hensley, $25; or Weekend: $75.
·
David Grisman - California based, mandolinist- composer-
bandleader- producer, David Grisman has been a guiding force for nearly half a
century in the evolving world of acoustic music. His musical range is wide and
deep, embracing many styles, genres and traditions. An acoustic pioneer and
innovator, David forged a unique personal artistic path, skillfully combining
elements of the great American music/art forms of jazz and bluegrass with many
international flavors and sensibilities to create his own distinctive idiom of
"Dawg" music (the nickname given him by Jerry Garcia.) In doing so,
he ís inspired new generations of acoustic string musicians, while creating his
own niche in contemporary music. His discography is filled with notables
including Jerry Garcia, Stephane Grappelli, the Grateful Dead, John Hartford,
Del McCoury, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Earl Scruggs, James Taylor and Doc
Watson
·
John
Sebastian- American
singer-songwriter, guitarist, harmonicist, and autoharpist, John is best known
as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful for his impromptu appearance at the Woodstock
festival in 1969; and for his No. 1 hit
in 1976, "Welcome Back". John’s induction into the
Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 hasn’t slowed him down. Whether the stage is
at Carnegie Hall or a folk festival in some far-flung locale, John is still out
there spreading his gospel of American roots music. He is the subject of the
PBS special Do You Believe In Magic: The Music of John Sebastian, and an album
of duets with David Grisman was released in 2007. He has also lent his music in
support of social, environmental and animal rights causes. Recently he joined a
delegation of songwriters (including Lamont Dozier, Allen and Marilyn Bergman,
and Mike Stoller) in Washington, DC to campaign on behalf of the National Music
Publisher’s Association. Perhaps because it has been the product of heart and
soul and history, the oldest song in the Sebastian catalog is as fresh and
vital as the song he’s about to write tomorrow. That’s why you still hear his
music everywhere – in movies, on television, in cover versions and samples –
and why it’s always welcome. John is also a welcome media presence; his
commentary, insights and anecdotes and stories are regularly featured in print,
radio, TV and film documentary projects. John Sebastian is not only a master
musician, writer and performer, he remains one of the best ambassadors American
music has ever had.
·
Frank
Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
- Solvian is a Washington D.C. based mandolinist, recording artist, composer, and leader of the progressive
bluegrass band Dirty Kitchen. Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen were named IBMA’s 2016
Instrumental Group of the Year for the second time, with a third nomination in
2017. Their critically acclaimed album Cold Spell earned a 2015 GRAMMY
nomination for Best Bluegrass Album of the Year, yet the accolades don’t end
there. Solivan, with banjoist Mike Munford, 2013 IBMA Banjo Player of the Year,
award-winning guitarist Chris Luquette and bassist Jeremy Middleton, simmer a
progressive bluegrass stew of infinite instrumental, vocal and songwriting
skills soon to be featured once again on a new album coming 2018. Their respect
and deep understanding of the tradition collides, live on stage, with jazz
virtuosity creating an unforgettable, compelling performance.
·
Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley-
Nashville based Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley were sure that
their musical partnership was the right move at the right time, it was still
welcome news when their debut Compass Records project, Before The Sun Goes
Down, earned a nomination for the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy just about the
time that Ickes took leave of the band he’d been in for over 20 years to make
the joint venture the centerpiece of his career. With the release of their new project, The
Country Blues on July 8th the pair build on the first one’s strengths to take
their unique musical conversation to an even higher level. There’s no doubt that it’s Ickes and Hensley
who are front and center on The Country Blues—and that’s just how it should
be. After all, when something’s meant to
be, the best thing to do is to get out of the way and let it go.
January 26: Muddy Magnolias, $20; and
January 27: Booker T Jones, $57.50; or Weekend: $70.
·
Muddy
Magnolias - Nashville
based rock band fronted by Brooklyn native, Jessy Wilson. After landing in
Nashville four years ago to further explore her career in songwriting, Wilson
formed Muddy Magnolias—a raw, soulful extension of blues roots rock. Her
essence on stage embodies her most beloved influences- Nina Simone, Aretha
Franklin and Tina Turner. The band found quick success touring with Gary Clark
Jr., Zac Brown Band, Grace Potter, Record Company and debuting at Lollapalooza,
Austin City Limits music festival and more. Their debut album “Broken People”
was release in October 2016 and was praised by New York Times, NPR and named
number one on Yahoo’s
“10 best new artists of 2016”
·
Booker
T. Jones - The
legendary Booker T. Jones arguably set the cast for modern soul music and is
largely responsible for its rise and enduring popularity. Booker T. has created
masterpiece after masterpiece of groove, earning him a place in the Rock &
Roll Hall of Fame and Musicians Hall of Fame, as well as a GRAMMY Lifetime
Achievement Award. Another bold step in
his spectacular musical voyage, the new album Sound the Alarm finds the Hammond
B3 organ master looking ahead yet again, laying down his distinctive bedrock
grooves amid a succession of sparkling collaborations with some of contemporary
R&B’s most gifted young voices. It
can be argued that it was Booker T. Jones who set the cast for modern soul
music and is largely responsible for its rise and enduring popularity. He
pushed the music’s boundaries with his hits on Stax, refined it to its essence
and then injected it into the nation’s bloodstream. Outside of the band, Jones
made the charts as a solo artist and produced albums for Rita Coolidge, Bill
Withers, Willie Nelson's Stardust and more and lent his trademark keyboards to
many artists ranging in genre from Ray Charles to Neil Young. Booker more
recently won back to back GRAMMY AWARDS in the category Best Pop Instrumental
Album for his 2011 release The Road From Memphis where he is backed by the hip
hop band The Roots and for the 2009 album Potato Hole which features guests
Neil Young and Drive By Truckers. He's also been in the spotlight leading an
all-star band for a number of events for President Obama, the latest being an
In Performance at the White House gala devoted to Memphis soul that aired on
PBS. Booker’s current album Sound The Alarm (Stax/Concord) is critically
acclaimed and features collaborations with some of the finest talents in modern
soul and R&B including Mayer Hawthorne, Anthony Hamilton, Vintage Trouble,
Estelle, Gary Clark, Jr., Luke James and more. Rolling Stone raves “Booker T.
Unleashes The Blues on Sound The Alarm”, and No Depression proclaims
“With…Sound The Alarm marking a brilliant return to Stax Records after 40
years, Jones is currently on tour. Catch him if you can, and change your plans
to make it if you think you can’t.”
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