Fountain Express

Six Shows in 5 Days this week in Fountain
The Boys from Carolina, with over 140 years of bluegrass picking experience, headline this coming weekend's musical entertainment at Fountain General Store.

This quintet of pickers includes Wright Young, from Durham, who plays mandolin and sings lead, baritone, and tenor; Chuck Shutte, from Raleigh, who plays dobro and sings lead, tenor and baritone; Lindy Brown, also from Raleigh, who plays bass; Larry Nunnery, from Benson, who plays guitar and sings lead and baritone; and Bob Wilkerson, from Smithfield, who has been playing banjo for over 35 years. Schutte and Brown have been performing for over 30 years each, Young for 25 years, and Nunnery for 20 years.

Most of the players met while with Friends in Bluegrass; other bands they've individually performed with include Sweet Dixie, Varina Station, Hanna Creek String Band, Lonesome Pine Bluegrass Band, the Eno Ramblers, and Piedmont Bluegrass.

The Boys from Carolina's Dec. 2 concert begins at 7:30. Admission is $5.

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The long weekend of music kicks off again on Wednesday night with a free open mic. Signups begin at 7:00; music starts at 7:30. All styles of family entertainment are welcome.

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On Thursday night, Wilson's Chet Nichols returns to Fountain for a concert of original alt-country, folk, and folk-rock songs. Nichols has recovered from a finger injury that kept him from performing for several months. "I was tucking in my shirt tail," he said, "and one of my tendons just snapped. My finger flopped right over."

"We've missed having him here on a regular rotation," said Alex Albright, Fountain General Store proprietor. "And we're really glad to have him back in business."

Nichols has released two independently produced CDs. "He's sort of like a Southern Springsteen," added Albright, "writing songs out of his tobacco belt experience as opposed to Springsteen's rust belt material."

Nichols' Dec. 1 concert begins at 7:30; admission is $5.

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Another Wilson act, Charlie Flowers and International Harvesters, brings a country music revue to Fountain on Saturday night. Although primarily a 3-piece band, Flowers is known for attracting a variety of musicians and singers to his shows, and they often sit in with regulars Darren Lee on drums and Larry Hilliard on bass.

Flowers, who plays guitar, does most of the band's singing, and he also writes some of its material, which also includes classic and contemporary country hits.

International Harvesters' Dec. 3 show and concert begins at 7:30. Admission is $5.

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Two very different Sunday shows conclude the 5-day run of music in Fountain.

Joyfull Praise, a bluegrass gospel duo from Selma, makes its Fountain debut in a free concert beginning at 3:00. Jeanette Holland and Paula Perritte perform most often in churches. "We've been fortunate to get some really fine gospel groups through here on Sunday afternoons," said Albright. "It's a nice change for a lot of the groups to play in a secular setting, and we usually get a good mix of folks from different churches in the area for our Sunday afternoon shows."

Joyfull Praise uses recorded tracks.

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Lily Holbrook arrives in Fountain from Los Angeles, where she settled after beginning her musical career on the streets of Boston, busking at subway stations and around Harvard Square. Her two CDs have earned critical acclaim across the U.S., and she has been compared to Tori Amos, Jewel, and Ani DiFranco.

Holbrook is part of the increasingly long line of singer-songwriters from across the U.S. who have found Fountain General Store a hospitable venue. Previous travelers have come from Nashville, TN; New York City; Portland, OR; New Jersey, as well as the Triangle area. "We've got artists coming in 2006 from Canada, upstate New York, and England," said Albright. "A lot of them are starting their plans with Fountain and developing their tour around that date."

Crowds for these travelers have been disappointing so far, he said: "For the most part, they are unknown around here, but they've all been very talented and fine entertainers. Holbrook promises to be one of the best we've seen so far."

Holbrook's Dec. 4 concert begins at 7:30; admission is $3.

R.A. Fountain, General Store and Internet Café, is located in downtown Fountain, at the intersection of US 258 and NC 222. Its family atmosphere does not permit smoking; alcohol is not served.

For further information, phone 252-749-3228 or visit our home page.

Hi-resolution photo of Boys from Carolina.

Listen to Chet Nichols sing "California Shore."

What You're Reading:
This is the web version of our weekly news release emailed to about a dozen area newspapers. The primary contents of each issue of the Fountain Express comes from that news release.

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Bring Us Your Toys for Tots
Fountain General Store is the local spot to drop off your new toys, to be distributed to children in the area by the Toys for Tots program, sponsored this year by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Toys should be unwrapped. They will be picked up from here on December 9 for inclusion on a float in the Farmville Christmas Parade on Dec. 10, and they'll be distributed soon afterwards. Special emphasis is on toys for children up to 3 years old. No used toys, please.

Old-time Radio, All the Time
When you're in our store and we're not presenting live music, we're usually streaming non-commercial radio, stations such as WWOZ out of New Orleans (actually, it's in exile now, being broadcast from Baton Rouge) or WNCW, Isothermal Community College's excellent community radio station. But thanks to a tip from one of our loyal customers, we've added "Sugar in the Gourd" to the mix -- all old-time, all the time.

All three of these are great alternatives to commercial radio, and surprisingly easy to bring into your home or office. Once you're on the respective webpage, click on the "listen live" icon.
WWOZ New Orleans
WNCW Spindale, NC
Sugar in the Gourd