Fountain AfterDark vol 3, no 48 December 6, 2007 published weekly by R.A. Fountain, General Store & Internet Cafe Farm and Home Bluegrass Friday, Grant Haze Trio Plays Jazz Saturday, Our Best to You Free-at-3:00 on Sunday - Fountain Christmas Parade December 15 [Farmville, NC] Local bluegrass favorites Farm and Home kick off the upcoming 3-day weekend of live music at Fountain General Store. Greenville's Grant Haze brings his jazz trio to town Saturday night for a show of original jazz and rhythm and blues classics. Farm and Home features the Ohio-born Gaddis brothers: Bob, who lives in Grifton, plays banjo and fiddle, and Jim, who lives in Greenville, plays mandolin and guitar. Dan Vause plays guitar in the band, and John Booker plays acoustic bass. Farm and Home's December 7 concert begins at 7:30; general admission is $5. Grant Haze has recently relocated to eastern NC after several active years on the Atlanta and Triangle music scenes. He and saxophonist Bob Siegel began performing together in Raleigh recently. Haze is also an artist, who specializes in portraiture; Siegel is a professor of creative writing at ECU, where he teaches scriptwriting. Haze and Siegel work with a couple of different drummers. The Grant Haze Trio's December 8 concert begins at 7:30 p.m.; general admission is $5. Our Best to You is a local trio of talented and energetic musicians who all share in common their work with area churches, and their love for oldies music. For Sunday's show, they'll be performing pop and country oldies, 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 Pearson, 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. R.A. Fountain, General Store and Internet Cafe, is located in downtown Fountain, at the intersection of US 258 and NC 222. Its family atmosphere is smoke- and alcohol-free. For further information, visit www.rafountain.com or phone 252-749-3228. -30- Last Christmas Parade of Year in Fountain Dec. 15 at 3:00 - Artists, Craftsmakers Needed - Area Parades Schedule [Fountain, NC] The Town of Fountain will host its first Christmas parade since 1989 on Saturday, December 15, at 3 p.m. Over 40 units are scheduled to appear in the parade, with a route that takes it through the middle of town's 1-block business district. Parade organizer Benji Holloman reports that two high school band--Farmville Central and Southwest Edgecombe--and two Shriner units will participate. Fountain General Store's float will feature bluegrass fiddler Alex Ball and banjo picker Jason Shore, who will also perform for free soon after the parade. Artists and craftsmakers are welcome to set up shop for the day at the old Smith-Yelverton building at the corner of US 258 and NC 222: inside, in front, beside and behind it underneath its picnic shelter. Only locally made arts and crafts will be allowed. Interested craftsmakers should reserve space by contacting Alex Albright, proprietor of Fountain General Store, at 749-3228 or via e.mail at "alex@rafountain.com". Fountain's will be the last Christmas parade in the area until 2008. Area Christmas Parade Schedule Dec 8 Kinston 10 a.m. Bethel 11 a.m. Edenton 11 a.m. Morehead City 11 a.m. Farmville 10:30 a.m. Winterville 2 p.m. Lagrange 4 p.m. Grifton 4 p.m. Dec 9 Tarboro 2 p.m. Dec 15 Ayden 11 a.m. Fountain 3 p.m. -30- December Live Music Schedule Fri 7 7:30 $5 Farm and Home Bluegrass Band The Gaddis Brothers, Banjo Bob and and Jim on mandolin, with John Booker on bass: outstanding local pickers. Sat 8 7:30 $5 Grant Haze Trio Haze and company perform r&b and jazz, with ECU writing prof Bob Siegel on saxophone http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=10593416 Sun 9 3:00 FREE Our Best to You Country and gospel classics from a trio of locals making their Fountain debut Fri 14 7:30 $5 Mike Baker and the Drop Top Cadillacs Baker covers classic and contemporary hits that showcase his considerable vocal talents--and charm. He's also got an awesome all star band of some of the Wilson area's finest country musicians. Sat 15 3:30 FREE Alex Ball's bringing banjo picking buddy Jason Shore to town for a free show that'll start as soon as we can get them picking after our town's Christmas parade, which begins at 3 p.m. Sun 16 3:00 FREE Mike Hamer, Sue Luddeke and Friends 4th Annual Christmas Concert One of our favorite--and most popular--shows. Bring a covered dish for after the show. Thu 20 7:00 FREE Sam Harris and Family's 2nd Annual Fountain Community Christmas Concert, with special guests Aileen Higgins and Lightnin' Wells Harris is musical director at Parker's Free WIll Baptist Church, and he's got a very talented family; they moved to town last year, and this show was a big hit in our community. Look for carols played on glasses and a saw, among other musical and comedic treats. Aileen, pianist for Fountain Presbyterian, teams up with local hero Lightnin' for some sing-alongs as well as a few special Christmas treats. Fri 21 7:30 $7.50 Steve Creech Sextet's Jazzy Christmas Concert, with Jerry Jolley Greenville guitarist always assembles a fine cast of jazz players and brings along at least a couple of guest singers, too. http://home.earthlink.net/~cscreech/ Fri 28 7:30 $7.50 Marshall Stephenson and the Bluegrass Train's New Year's Celebration Our second annual (very) early New Year's celebration with Marshall and his all-star band. - - - What You're Reading Each week, RAF sends out a news release to 26 area newspapers and radio stations. The primary contents of each issue of Fountain AfterDark is that news release. The FAD distributed via e.mail never contains attachments. To add friends to our e.mail subscription list, send their e.mail address to fountainexpress@rafountain.com. To remove yourself from this list, reply to this e.mail with "unsubscribe" as either text or subject of your e.mail. The Aug 31 and Sept 7-9 issues of FAD were both published as volume 3, number 34. This issue's number reflects our having caught that error, which explains why last week's issue was volume 3, number 46 and this week's is number 48. Our e.mail list is not sold or traded or otherwise shared with anyone. Please let us know of any suspected abuses of the Fountain AfterDark/Fountain Express distribution list. -30- Fountain AfterDark vol 3, no 49 December 12, 2007 in memory of Daren Lee published weekly by R.A. Fountain, General Store & Internet Cafe Mike Baker and Drop Top Cadillacs Friday night, Parade and Free Bluegrass Saturday Afternoon, Mike Hamer's 4th Annual Christmas Concert Sunday - Toys for Tots Collected through Sunday - Drummer Daren Lee's Funeral Friday Morning [Fountain, NC] Mike Hamer and Sue Luddeke and Friends' 4th annual Christmas concert headlines the upcoming weekend of live music at Fountain General Store. Mike Baker and the Drop Top Cadillacs play classic and honky-tonk country music on Friday night. Alex Ball and Jason Shore will play a set of bluegrass and oldtime standards both during and after Saturday afternoon's Fountain Christmas Parade. Hamer and Luddeke have been mainstays on the Greenville live music scene since the 1970s. He plays hammered dulcimer and harmonica; she plays guitar. Their duets have been finely honed by 25 years of singing together in several bands and various live music functions throughout the region. Hamer has released several CDs of his original compositions, including his most recent, with the Rhinos and Angelic Chorus, of which Luddeke is also a member. They were two-fifths of the popular 1980s dance band the Lemon Sisters and Rutabaga Brothers. This free holiday show will feature classic Christmas songs and some sing-alongs, too. Patrons are invited to bring a covered dish to share afterwards. The concert begins at 3 p.m. Mike Baker, of Wilson, fronts a band of regional country music all stars, headed by Johnny Barham on pedal steel guitar and Ronnie King on lead guitar. He has performed to large and enthusiastic crowds several times in Fountain. "Mike matches his material with his voice as well as anyone we've heard," said Alex Albright, Fountain General proprietor. "He and his band put on a fine show." Baker and the Drop Tops perform classic and honky-tonk country music. Their December 14 concert begins at 7:30. General admission is $5. Alex Ball and Jason Shore will be featured performers on Fountain General's float in the town's first Christmas parade since 1989. They will also present a free concert after the parade. Ball, from Raleigh, is a sophomore at ECU. He performs in two bluegrass bands and also with his grandfather's trio, Wilberville. "Alex is a very talented multi-instrumentalist," said Albright. Ball plays fiddle, mandolin, and guitar. He will be joined in Saturday's performances by Jason Shore, a Stokes County banjo picker who has recently re-located to Aurora. Ball and Shore will perform in the parade, which begins at 3:00, and inside Fountain General at about 3:45. Fountain General Store is closed on Saturday night. It will re-open on Thursday evening, December 20, for its second annual community Christmas with Sam Harris and Family with Lightnin' Wells and Aileen Higgins. Fountain General Store is located in downtown Fountain, at the intersection of US 258 and NC 222. Its family atmosphere is smoke- and alcohol-free. For further information, visit www.rafountain.com or phone 252-749-3228. -30- Last Christmas Parade of Year in Fountain Dec. 15 at 3:00 - Artists, Craftsmakers Needed [Fountain, NC] The Town of Fountain will host its first Christmas parade since 1989 on Saturday, December 15, at 3 p.m. Over 40 units are scheduled to appear in the parade, with a route that takes it through the middle of town's 1-block business district. Parade organizer Benji Holloman reports that two high school bands--Farmville Central and Southwest Edgecombe--and two Shriner units will participate. Fountain General Store's float will feature bluegrass fiddler Alex Ball and banjo picker Jason Shore, who will also perform for free soon after the parade. Artists and craftsmakers are welcome to set up shop for the day at the old Smith-Yelverton building at the corner of US 258 and NC 222: inside, in front, beside and behind it underneath its picnic shelter. Only locally made arts and crafts will be allowed. Interested craftsmakers should reserve space by contacting Alex Albright, proprietor of Fountain General Store, at 749-3228 or via e.mail at "alex@rafountain.com". Fountain's will be the last Christmas parade in the area until 2008. In case of rain, the Fountain parade will run on Saturday, December 22, at 3 p.m. Area Christmas Parade Schedule It's down to Ayden & us: Dec 15 Ayden 11 a.m. Fountain 3 p.m. - - - Drummer Daren Lee, 38, Succumbs to Cancer [Black Creek] Daren Lee, drummer for Charlie Flowers and the International Harvesters, died on December 11 after a hard fight with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Pam, and two sons, Zackery Keech and Caden Keech, as well as his parents, Johnny and Carolyn Lee. Daren Lee grew up in the Wilson County community of Black Creek. He began playing with Flowers at the time of his band's inception, four years ago. "Daren brought a lot of knowledge to the band," Flowers said. "I liked his musical ideas. He introduced me to a bunch of songs and artists I'd not have known. He had a lot of heart, and he really loved his music, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and all that Texas road house blues." At the Harvesters' last RAF performance, on October 19, Lee also sang "Up on Cripple Creek" and "Travelin' Band," but he brought along a substitute drummer so he could rest himself up for performing at Black Creek Day the following day. "He was really pleased to play that show back in his hometown," Flowers said. "It meant a lot to him." "We're all going to miss him," said Alex Albright, RAF proprietor. "He and Pam and the kids always brightened up this place, whenever they came in. You could tell he was a little weak when he was singing that last show, but he still had that smile and those big playful eyes like he always did." Family will receive friends from 7-9 p.m. Thursday night at Joyner's Funeral Home, 4100 Raleigh Road Parkway in Wilson, and at other times at their home, at 103 Crawford Lane in Black Creek. The graveside service at 11 a.m. on Friday in Black Creek Cemetery will be officiated by the Rev. Wayne Eakes and the Rev. John Hill. In lieu of flowers, donations to assist the Lee family may be directed to the Little Rock Free Will Baptist Church, PO Box 340, Lucama NC 27851. - - - What You're Reading Each week, RAF sends out a news release to 26 area newspapers and radio stations. The primary contents of each issue of Fountain AfterDark is that news release. The FAD distributed via e.mail never contains attachments. To add friends to our e.mail subscription list, send their e.mail address to fountainexpress@rafountain.com. To remove yourself from this list, reply to this e.mail with "unsubscribe" as either text or subject of your e.mail. The Aug 31 and Sept 7-9 issues of FAD were both published as volume 3, number 34. This issue's number reflects our having caught that error, which explains why last week's issue was volume 3, number 46 and this week's is number 48. Our e.mail list is not sold or traded or otherwise shared with anyone. Please let us know of any suspected abuses of the Fountain AfterDark/Fountain Express distribution list. -30- Fountain AfterDark vol 3, no 50 December 20, 2007 Merry Christmas! published weekly by R.A. Fountain, General Store & Internet Cafe Free Community Christmas Show Tonight with Sam Harris and Family, Aileen Higgins, Lightnin' Wells - Big Jazz Christmas Show Friday Night with Steve Creech Sextet and Friends - Saturday Sale - January Schedule Headlined by the Martins [Fountain, NC] The Steve Creech Sextet, featuring vocalist Jerry Jolley, presents a concert of jazzy Christmas classics at Fountain General Store on Friday night. Sam Harris and family headline Thursday night's Fountain community Christmas concert that will also feature Lightnin' Wells and Aileen Higgins. Creech has prepared his band for a full slate of Christmas classics. Featured vocalist Jerry Jolley will also be performing carols in more traditional arrangements. "But with a jazz feeling," said Creech. "Steve always brings an excellent show," said Alex Albright, Fountain General Store proprietor. "He's got a two-man horn section with him tonight that's brilliant." Les Sutorious on trumpet and Fred Moye on saxophone are joined by Keith Dobbins on bass and Randy Davis on drums. Several guest performers will be featured in the second set: Tony Dinkens, vocalist and guitarist, and Jaye Biggs, vocalist, from Rocky Mount; and Lily James, the 10-year-old singer from Farmville. "And you can count on Steve to find a few other performers in the audience, too," added Albright. The Steve Creech Sextet's Christmas concert on December 21 begins at 7:30 p.m. General admission is $7.50; reserved seats are $10. Thursday night's free community Christmas concert is hosted by Sam Harris, who is music director at Parker's Chapel Free Will Baptist Church in Greenville. He and his family settled in Fountain last year. With his wife Anne and their children Preston, Danielle, and Nathan, they will play traditional Christmas songs on tone-chimes and glasses. Sam Harris also will play carols on a musical saw, and with Lightnin' Wells accompanying him, on hammered dulcimer and banjo. Fountain Presbyterian Church organist Aileen Higgins will join Wells for a set of Christmas classics and sing-alongs. Higgins grew up in the Fountain area and returned to live here several years ago after spending many years in Florida. Wells, a Goldsboro native, moved to the Fountain last year after living for 20 years in Farmville. He is a full-time musician who has performed blues, folk and historic pop music throughout the U.S. and Europe. Last week, he sat in on several Christmas and bluegrass classics with Les Sandy and the Stephensons at R.A. Fountain's post-parade concert. "We're really fortunate to have such great talent in our little town," said Albright, "and to have them come out for this gift back to our community." The Sam Harris Family Christmas in Fountain concert begins at 7 p.m. on December 20. R.A. Fountain, General Store and Internet Cafe, is located in downtown Fountain at the intersection of US 258 and NC 222. Its family atmosphere is smoke- and alcohol-free. For further information, visit www.rafountain.com or phone 252-749-3228. -30- RAF Closes 3 p.m. Saturday for Christmas Holiday - All Books, CDs 20% Off - Next Show December 29 with Marshall Stephenson's [very] Early New Year's Special RAF will be open from 11-3 this Saturday for Christmas shopping. All books and CDs will be 20% off; all magazines will be 2-for-1. Our next show will be on Friday, December 29, when we host our second annual [very] early New Year's show with Marshall Stephenson and the Bluegrass Train. Marshall's putting together an extra special all-star lineup for this evening, which, last year, many folks claimed was the best we'd hosted. The Martins Headline January's Live Music Schedule R.A. Fountain will present one show on most weekends in January, February, and March. Featured artists include the Martins, who stop by en route to this years SPBGMA awards in Nashville. Dick Staber, former mandolinist with the Del McCrory band, returns on January 5 on his third annual migration south tour with wife Judith Chasnoff. Travers Chandler brings his hot bluegrass quartet to town on January 25. Except for their Wilson-based bandleader, these fellows live in Kentucky and Tennessee. They assemble for shows throughout the U.S., performing classic Baltimore barroom-style bluegrass, and we're fortunate to have them back in town. Lightnin' swore their last show here was the best bluegrass we'd hosted yet. Sat Jan 5: Staber & Chasnoff http://www.staberandchasnoff.com/ Sat Jan 12: Highway 58 Bluegrass Clyde Mattocks' awesome bluegrass band returns, finally! Sat Jan 19: Steve Creech Sextet Jazzman Jimmy Aycock is back from his illness; Steve's got another all-star lineup. Fri Jan 25: Travers Chandler and Avery County http://www.averycountybluegrass.com/ Sat Jan 26: Eric Thomas & Helen Wolfson Old-time, folk, and original music from this Triangle-based duet who was a big hit here their last time through. Sun Jan 27: the Martins: Reserve your seats early! http://themartins.homestead.com/ - - - What You're Reading Each week, RAF sends out a news release to 26 area newspapers and radio stations. The primary contents of each issue of Fountain AfterDark is that news release. The FAD distributed via e.mail never contains attachments. To add friends to our e.mail subscription list, send their e.mail address to fountainexpress@rafountain.com. To remove yourself from this list, reply to this e.mail with "unsubscribe" as either text or subject of your e.mail. The Aug 31 and Sept 7-9 issues of FAD were both published as volume 3, number 34. This issue's number reflects our having caught that error, which explains why last week's issue was volume 3, number 46 and this week's is number 48. Our e.mail list is not sold or traded or otherwise shared with anyone. Please let us know of any suspected abuses of the Fountain AfterDark/Fountain Express distribution list. -30- Fountain AfterDark vol 3, no 51 December 27, 2007 Happy New Year! published weekly by R.A. Fountain, General Store & Internet Cafe Marshall Stephenson and All-Star Bluegrass Band Ring in New Year Early with Old-time Brunswick Stew Friday Night - January Music Schedule [Fountain, NC] Marshall Stephenson and the Bluegrass Train ring in the new year early with a special all-star concert at Fountain General Store that will feature two of the best young pickers in the region. This Friday night show will also be a homecoming for John Mark Batchelor, the young banjo picker from Back Swamp who recently won an International Bluegrass Music Association award in the "best instrumental band" category. Stephenson, the Raleigh-based bluegrass impresario and recording artist, says that Batchelor 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 Stephenson 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 Batchelor has performed in Fountain several times with Stephenson. 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 Stephenson, who gave Batchelor 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." Davis from Fayetteville, has been tutored by Les Sandy. She recently released her first CD, named to honor her mentor, "Picking with Les." (Here's the Nov 07 review of it in Bluegrass Unlimited: ) She patterns her playing and singing after Alison Krause and Rhonda Vincent. This will mark her first appearance in Fountain. "She's a whiz," said Stephenson. "Folks in Fountain are really going to love her fiddling, and her singing, too." Also in this evening's all-star band of pickers are Joe Pesoalano, whose mandolin picking impressed the Fountain crowd last time through with Stephenson, and Ken Glover on bass. Glover, like Stephenson, has performed over the past five decades with a who's who of bluegrass legends. Fountain General Store's second very early New Year's celebration with Marshall Stephenson and the Bluegrass Train begins at 7:30. General admission is $7.50; reserved seats are $10. 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. For further information, visit www.rafountain.com or phone 252-749-3228. -30- HIGH REZ photo of Marshall Stephenson performing at RAF: http://rafountain.com/pictures/Stephenson/MarshallStephenson_lg.jpg - - - Local Stew-Master to Cook Brunswick Stew Friday [Fountain, NC] Henry Bailey, Fountain's resident stew-Master, will cook his last old-fashioned Brunswick stew æof the year on Friday for sale before Marshall Stephenson and the Bluegrass Train's 7:30 concert. Bailey, dubbed "Pot" Bailey by Stephenson in reference to the cast iron pot in which his stews are cooked, learned this eastern NC art from a local master. He stirs the pot with an oar hand-hewn from red oak, the only kind of wood that really talks to you, according to Bailey. "I asked him how he knew when his stew was done," said Alex Albright, Fountain General Store proprietor, "and he said, 'It'll tell you.' I thought he was kidding me, but then he had me put my ear up to that oar once he said it was done. It was rumbling loud." Bailey's stews are served with a dipper gourd. Bowls ($3) and quarts ($6) will be available by 5 p.m. on Friday. Quarts may be reserved by calling 252-749-7974. The Martins Headline January's Live Music Schedule R.A. Fountain will present one show on most weekends in January, February, and March. Featured out-of-town acts in January include the Martins, the Missouri-based family quintet who stop by en route to this years SPBGMA awards in Nashville, and Staber and Chasnoff, from upstate New York. Dick Staber, former mandolinist with the Del McCrory band, returns on January 5 on his third annual migration south tour with wife, Judith Chasnoff, who plays guitar and joins him in singing. Also, Travers Chandler brings his hot bluegrass quartet to town on January 25. Except for their Wilson-based bandleader, these fellows live in Kentucky and Tennessee. They assemble for shows throughout the U.S., performing classic Baltimore bar room-style bluegrass, and we're fortunate to have them back in town simply because Travers wound up living nearby. Lightnin' Wells swore their last show here was the best bluegrass we'd hosted yet. Reserved seats for the Martins' Sunday afternoon show on January 27 are already selling. This will be our biggest bluegrass show to date. We managed to get them here because they are at a show in Richlands en route to their appearance in Nashville at the SPGMA awards. (We've confirmed the show, despite its not yet appearing on the band's webpage schedule.) Sat Jan 5: Staber & Chasnoff http://www.staberandchasnoff.com/ Sat Jan 12: Highway 58 Bluegrass Clyde Mattocks' awesome bluegrass band returns, finally! Sat Jan 19: Steve Creech Sextet $7.50 general admission; $10 reserved Jazzman Jimmy Aycock is back from his illness; Steve's got another all-star lineup, featuring vocalist Peggy Vaughn. Fri Jan 25: Travers Chandler and Avery County $7.50 general admission; $10 reserved http://www.averycountybluegrass.com/ Sat Jan 26: Eric Thomas & Helen Wolfson Old-time, folk, and original music from this Triangle-based duet who was a big hit here their last time through. Sun Jan 27: the Martins $7.50 general admission; $10 reserved Reserve your seats early! http://themartins.homestead.com/ - - - What You're Reading Each week, RAF sends out a news release to 26 area newspapers and radio stations. The primary contents of each issue of Fountain AfterDark is that news release. The FAD distributed via e.mailænever containsæattachments. To add friends to our e.mail subscription list, send their e.mail address to fountainexpress@rafountain.com. To remove yourself from this list, reply to this e.mail with "unsubscribe" as either text or subject of your e.mail. Our e.mail list is not sold or traded or otherwise shared with anyone. Please let us know of any suspected abuses of the Fountain AfterDark/Fountain Express distribution list. -30-