Fountain Express

[Fountain, NC] Claude Bourbon, the French guitar virtuoso, headlines the upcoming weekend of live music at Fountain General Store. Bourbon, one of the most popular bluesmen in Europe, is touring the U.S. and Canada from April through June to promote his sixth CD, The Frog with the Blues, which was recorded live in Belgium.

Bourbon, who now lives in England, began playing guitar at the age of 15. His early influences were the British rock bands. For several years, he studied classical guitar in Switzerland, and in the early 1980s worked with a Belgium-based touring band that covered Dylan, Hendrix, Clapton, and "played a lot of blues-based music."

"At the moment," he added, "I'm quite into a ragtime/gospel kind of mood." The Rev. Gary Davis remains one of his favorite bluesmen, and he also cites Django Reinhardt as an influence.

Willie Painter, the Durham-based music critic also known for his own fine guitar playing, says of Bourbon's latest CD that "the blues is a big part of Bourbon's repertoire, but that's not all he does: Ravel's 'Bolero' gets a ten minute-plus workout, and during the tune 'How To Stretch It' he not only quotes the Muddy Waters standard 'Baby Please Don't Go,' Bach's 'Bouree' finds its way into the mix as well."

Painter concludes: "This is solo acoustic guitar that is dazzling." [Painter's complete review appears below.]

Claude Bourbon's May 12 concert begins at 7:30. General admission is $5. The show will be preceded by a free hot dog supper. "We'd love to see folks come out and meet Claude and his family before the show," said Alex Albright, Fountain General Store proprietor. "He, his wife, and 5-year-old son have rented a camper for their tour, and they'll be staying in town that evening, too."

[Hot dogs will be served about 6:30; reservations are required and should be made by e.mail reply to this newsletter.]

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This weekend's music begins on Thursday with a show by two Kinston performers, big band jazzman Stan Pearson and folk musician and historian Donald Underwood Thompson.

Pearson has played saxophone and clarinet in big bands and swing-jazz groups for over 50 years. A Kinston native, he studied music at UNC-Chapel Hill. While serving in the Navy during World War II, he entertained troops in the Pacific, playing with musicians from the Stan Kenton and Kay Kaiser bands.

For his Fountain show, Pearson will be performing big band standards and swing, as well as several numbers he has written, on saxophone and clarinet.

Donald Underwood Thompson performs blues, folk tunes, and country songs from the 1920s and '30s. Accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, he has played for colleges, high schools, festivals, television audiences, libraries, arts councils, and coffeehouses throughout the southeast. He has appeared on bills with four-time Grammy winner David Holt and the popular folk group Molasses Creek.

Thompson is also the author of Charlie and the Fightin' Mule: Plus More Down-Home Stories, a short story collection set in eastern North Carolina. He is currently at work on a historical novel of the Tuscarora War (1711-1713).

The Pearson/Thompson show begins at 7:30 on May 11. Admission is $3.

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Black Creek Bluegrass Gospel returns to Fountain for a free concert on Saturday night.

Featuring the husband-wife duo of Scott and Tracie Rhodes Johnson, Black Creek is one of the most popular bluegrass gospel groups in the region. Scott Johnson plays mandolin and guitar; Tracie plays acoustic bass. Craig Allen joins the group on guitar, banjo, and dobro. All three share singing duties, and Craig's brother Danny Allen is their sound engineer.

Named for the Johnston County creek that runs through their backyards, Black Creek uses their music as a testimonial for their Christian faith, and their shows usually mix in a little bit of old fashioned revivalism with their outstanding music.

Black Creek Bluegrass Gospel's May 13 concert begins at 7:30.

R.A. Fountain, General Store and Internet Cafe, is located in historic downtown Fountain, at the intersection of US 258 and NC 222. Its family atmosphere is smoke- and alcohol-free.

Reserved seats are available for all shows. Prices are always posted on our up-coming events page. For further information, phone 252-749-3228.

Claude Bourbon's Latest: Dazzling Acoustic Guitar
by Willie Painter

Merci - Thank You
Frog Records, 2006

Merci - Thank You, recorded live in Brussels in 2005, is a showcase of fingerpicking, noodling and to a lesser degree, vocalizing from France's Claude Bourbon. The blues is a big part of Bourbon's repertoire, but that's not all he does: Ravel's "Bolero" gets a ten minute-plus workout, and during the tune "How To Stretch It" he not only quotes the Muddy Waters standard "Baby Please Don't Go," Bach's "Bouree" finds its way into the mix as well.

This is solo acoustic guitar that is dazzling. "Acoustic calisthenics" might be a better word for some of the fretwork done here, which at times sounds like the pyrotechnics of Monte Montgomery. Bourbon may also remind the listener of Leo Kottke and Jorma Kaukonen. Rarefied air, indeed. With guitar like this one might wonder why vocals would be needed, but Bourbon has a pleasant baritone that gets his message across.

Listen to Merci-Thank You and immerse yourself in beautiful music. A must for guitar players.

About the reviewer: Guitarist Willie Painter, who has lived in Durham for a decade, wrote a regular music column for the Urban Hiker for five years.

A native of Dallas, Texas, he currently fronts the Willie Painter Band, which will be playing at Charlie's on Ninth Street in Durham, this Saturday night, May 13.

Fountain General Store Previews International Mail Art Show this Saturday
The international mail art show "Crossroads: World" won't officially open until June 3, but Fountain General Store will preview the show during this Saturday's Spring Fling.

The show features entries mailed to Fountain from 14 international artists representing 12 countries; 13 states; and the Greene County town of Walstonburg.

"We got a flyswatter and three flies from Chicago," said Fountain General Store proprietor Alex Albright, "a nicely decorated Frisbee from Minnesota, and a surprising number of very fine paintings and collages."

The show was promoted on webpages throughout the world that specialize in announcing calls for entries to mail art exhibits, and Albright said he was pleased by the response, especially for his shop's first venture into the correspondence mail art world, which first gained notice and popularity through the work of Ray Johnson in New York City in the 1950s.

Johnson's artistic aesthetics were honed at Black Mountain College, where he studied in the 1940s with Josef Albers. Among the BMC crowd with which he associated in NYC in the '50s were John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Robert Rauschenberg, and Cy Twombly. Mail art principles are simple and basic, said Albright: "The art is a gift, really, to the community that hosts the show. Whatever's mailed is exhibited, and documentation of the show is returned to all artists."

"Crossroads: World" attracted 116 entries, including several from Greenville-based Mel Stanforth, Ocracoke-based Bob Ray, and Carbondale, Ill.-based Richard Canard (a.k.a. Richard Craven), who lives in what he calls "the state of Illusiion." In 1976 Craven curated a one-man show of Johnson's letters at the NC Museum of Art.

"Crossroads: World" will officially open for a summer run on June 3 with a reception for the artists and a concert by Wilson's Chet Nichols.

Most entries can also be viewed at rafountain.com/crossroads.

Stephenson Bros. & Linda added to Fountain's Spring Fling Line-up
Fountain's second annual Spring Fling has added the Stephenson Brothers & Linda to its lineup of free musical performances set for Saturday, May 13. Also performing will be the Vines Sisters, one of the best gospel bands in the region; the r&b one-man-band Osbert Osborn; and Front Porch, a country and gospel group from Farmville.

Artists' booths will include handcrafted jewelry, pottery and outdoor wooden furniture; oil paintings, gourd art, and stained glass.

Barbecue plates will be sold by the town for $5, beginning at 11:30 a.m.

A carnival will offer rides and amusements from Thursday evening through Saturday; free children's activities include a giant inflated bouncer, ring toss, and rubber duck race.

A few vending spaces are still available for $25 or $50 (if electrical hookup is needed) in the stage area and along US 258. Contact Sharon Pryor at 252-749-4942 or Town Clerk Leitha Hines at 749-2881 to reserve vending space.

Buildings for Sale
David Moye, owner/operator of Owens' Grocery Store in downtown Fountain, is actively looking for a buyer. His grocery, which closed last week, formerly occupied the storefront beside Fountain General Store. Also for sale is the building next to it, which currently houses a silk flower shop. It has an access door to the grocery.

A prospective buyer might purchase both buildings and the grocery business, or either of the buildings. Asking price for both is $70,000. All fixtures are offered in the sale price, too, including the massive, original R.A. Fountain safe, and a dozen refrigeration/freezing units.

What You're Reading:
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