MAY 2007 Fountain AFTERDARK, most recent issue first: Fountain AfterDark vol. 3, no. 22 € May 30, 2007 published weekly by R.A. Fountain, General Store & Internet Cafe Mac and Tammy McRoy Bluegrass Band and Elvis Tribute Artist Headline Four-Day Music Weekend in Fountain € Bluegrass Gospel Sunday Free-at-3:00 with Homemade Ice Cream Specials: 2 for $2 € Adam Stone Thursday Night for Free! [Fountain, NC] The return of the Mac and Tammy McRoy Bluegrass Band on Saturday night highlights the upcoming 4-day weekend of live music at Fountain General Store. Also on tap: A tribute to Elvis Presley, presented by Roy Propes on Friday night and free shows on Thursday with Adam Stone and Sunday with Whitewater Junction. The Mac and Tammy McRoy Bluegrass Band is one of the most popular in eastern North Carolina. The husband-wife duo front do most of the singing, and Mac McRoy writes most of the band's excellent original songs. He plays rhythm guitar and wife Tammy plays upright bass. Also in the band are the father/son duo of Brian Batten on dobro and Don Batten on mandolin and Chuck Williams on banjo. Mac McRoy is from Blounts Creek, where he was raised on a farm on the banks of the Pamlico River. Tammy Quinn McRoy is from Aurora, where the couple now lives. Don Batten is a native of Johnston County. Son Brian was raised in New Bern and since last August has been the dobro player with Lou Reid and Carolina. "Lou Reid's off this weekend," said store proprietor Alex Albright, "so we're looking to welcome Brian back from the road." Brien has previously played with the Malpass Family and Clyde Mattocks' bluegrass band Highway 58. Chuck Williams, a Swan Quarter native, now lives in Belhaven. A former member of the Grass Cats, he picks in the 3-finger Scruggs style. The Mac and Tammy McRoy band have released two CDs, "New Standards" and "Live at R.A. Fountain." Both will be available at their June 2 show, which begins at 7:30. General admission is $5. Roy Propes is billed as northeast Pennsylvania's number one Elvis tribute artist. Originally from South Carolina, he has been performing his "Tribute to the King" up and down the east coast for 14 years. Propes is managed by Bob Schoen, a former Fountain policeman who retired to Pennsylvania. Showtime for Roy Propes' Elvis tribute on June 1 is 7:30. General admission is $5. Wilson's Adam Stone has "one of the prettiest voices we've heard here," said Albright. Stone accompanies himself on guitar. He performs original, country, gospel, and folk classics. Adam Stone's May 31 free concert begins at 7:30. Whitewater Junction makes its Fountain debut in a Free-at-3:00 concert on Sunday afternoon. The band is based in northcentral North Carolina, and it is popular throughout a region that stretches into Virginia. Sam Groves, the band's founder, has been playing bluegrass guitar for over 50 years. With the Martin County Circuit Riders, he performed on "Hee-Haw." His grandson, Matt, plays mandolin, Susan Harris plays bass, and Robin Gill plays guitar. All share in vocals. R.A. Fountain, General Store and Internet Cafe, is located in downtown Fountain at the interesection of US 258 and NC 222. Its family atmosphere is slcohol- and smoke-free. For further information, visit www.rafountain.com or call 252-749-3228. -30- Malpass Brothers, Red Clay Ramblers Headline June Live Music in Fountain € Steve Creech, Nancy & Tammy Dail Return € 2 Dates Added with Farm & Home 1 Fri Roy Propes $8/$10 reserved 8 pm Elvis tribute artist from Pennsylvania 2 Sat Mac & Tammy McRoy Bluegrass Band $5 8 pm Excellent Down East bluegrass & bluegrass gospel, classic & original 3 Sun Whitewater Junction. Free at 3:00 Bluegrass gospel 7 Thu Franco Funicello Free 7:30 Japanese/American rock & roll band: more MySpace cadets check out Fountain 8 Fri Malpass Brothers $7.50/$10 7:30 Everyone's favorite returns for a night of classic country and bluegrass. Reservations recommended. 9 Sat Steve Creech Sextet $5 8 pm Excellent jazz featuring Jimmy Aycock on piano, Les Sutorius on trumpet, vocalist Pat Tutino, and guitarist/bandleader Creech. 10 Sun Unshackled Free at 3:00 Southern gospel 14 Thu Farm & Home. 7:30 Shorty Mooring, the Gaddis Brothers & crew are back: two shows in three weeks! 15 Fri Nancy & Tammy Dail & Country Roads $8/$10.50 8 pm Classic country with style, a Branson kind of show 16 Sat Black Creek, with Bluegrass Redemption Free 7:30 Performances in memory of the late Johnnie Batchelor 17 Sun Dee Braxton String Quartet Free at 3:00 Classical and classical-infused pop in original arrangements 21 Thu Bluegrass jam Free 7:30 All levels of pickers and listeners are welcome 22 Fri Highway 58 $5 8 pm High energy classic bluegrass from Clyde Mattocks & crew 23 Sat Red Clay Ramblers $10/$12.50 8 pm A veritable musical institution, the Ramblers have been playing original old-time and Americana for over 30 years. In July, several of them will be performing in a new production of "King Mackeral & the Blues Are Running." This show is a tune-up. Reservations recommended! 24 Sun Mike Baker & the Drop-Top Cadillacs Free at 3:00 Classic country from one of Wilson's finest crooners 28 Thu Farm & Home. Shorty Mooring, the Gaddis brothers & crew are back! 7:30 29 Fri Marshall Stephenson & the Bluegrass Train Band Bluegrass impresario Stephenson always has a fine collection of pickers with him. 30 Sat Catesby Jones with Dee Braxton Pelligrino Original Americana from Wilmington, with fine fiddling from a local favorite What You¹re Reading Each week, we send 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 contains no attachments. To add friends to our e.mail subscription list, send their e.mail address to ²fountainexpress@rafountain.com.³ To remove yourself from this list, reply to this e.mail with ²unsubscribe³ 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- Fountain AfterDark vol. 3, no. 21 € May 24, 2007 published weekly by R.A. Fountain, General Store & Internet Cafe Near Myths Return Friday, Eric Thomas and Helen Wolfson Perform Saturday € Thursday Act Cancels € Adam Stone Re-Set for May 31 € June Schedule Features Red Clay Ramblers, Malpass Brothers [Fountain, NC] Barton College writer-in-residence Jim Clark brings his band the Near Myths back to Fountain General Store on Friday night, and Wilson native Eric Thomas performs a homecoming concert on Saturday with Helen Wolfson. Thursday's show by, Jake Melnyk, a Huntersville native and UNC-W student, has been cancelled. The Near Myths -- http://thenearmyths.com/bio.html -- perform original folk rock and covers of the genre's classics. This will be their first Fountain performance since their bandmate and friend Andy Oglesby who died last July of cancer Tonight's show will include Clark, Katy Adams of Greensboro, and Terry "Teep" Phillips of Knoxville, Tenn. Band members Ben and Bernadette Green, who live on Vancouver Island, will not be performing. Clark, a poet and English professor at Barton College, plays guitar, banjo, pennywhistle, and harmonica. Adams plays guitar, and Phillips plays guitar and an assortment of percussion instruments. All share vocals. Clark and their bandmate, the late Andy Olgesby, have written most of the band's original songs. Several with eastern Carolina subjects are featured on their CD "Wilson." Its cover displays the band standing beneath a Vollis Simpson whirligig. The Near Myth's second CD, "Words to Burn," is set for release later this summer. The Near Myths' May 25 concert begins at 7:30; general admission is only $3. Eric Thomas and Helen Wolfson, based in the Triangle, perform original, contemporary, and classic Americana on guitar and hammered dulcimer. Thomas, who has undergraduate and graduate degrees in physics from ECU, has worked in pharamaceuticals for nearly 30 years. He is a native of Macclesfield, and performed in the garage band the LTDs while he was in high school. Wolfson, a native of Worcester, Mass., works at SAS Institute as a software tester. She is also a certified music practitioner, trained to play at bedside for chronically and terminally ill patients. She plays for Hospice patients at several hospitals in the Triangle area. She also sells origami quilts, ornaments, and boxes, and plays the freenote chimes. Eric Thomas and Helen Wolfson's May 26 concert begins at 8 p.m.; general admission is $5. Fountain General Store will be closed on Sunday, May 27. Free-at-3:00 concerts will resume on Sunday, June 3, with the bluegrass gospel band Whitewater Junction. Adam Stone, the Wilson vocalist whose May 6 show was cancelled, has been re-scheduled to perform for free on Thursday, May 31, at 7:30. 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- Malpass Brothers, Red Clay Ramblers Headline June Live Music in Fountain € Steve Creech, Nancy & Tammy Dail Return 1 Fri Roy Propes $8/$10 reserved 8 pm Elvis tribute artist from Pennsylvania 2 Sat Mac & Tammy McRoy Bluegrass Band $5 8 pm Excellent Down East bluegrass & bluegrass gospel, classic & original 3 Sun Whitewater Junction. Free at 3:00 Bluegrass gospel 7 Thu Franco Funicello Free 7:30 Japanese/American rock & roll band: more MySpace cadets check out Fountain 8 Fri Malpass Brothers $7.50/$10 7:30 Everyone's favorite returns for a night of classic country and bluegrass. Reservations recommended. 9 Sat Steve Creech Sextet $5 8 pm Excellent jazz featuring Jimmy Aycock on piano, Les Sutorius on trumpet, vocalist Pat Tutino, and guitarist/bandleader Creech. 10 Sun Unshackled Free at 3:00 Southern gospel 15 Fri Nancy & Tammy Dail & Country Roads $8/$10.50 8 pm Classic country with style, a Branson kind of show 16 Sat Black Creek, with Bluegrass Redemption Free 7:30 Performances in memory of the late Johnnie Batchelor 17 Sun Dee Braxton String Quartet Free at 3:00 Classical and classical-infused pop in original arrangements 21 Thu Bluegrass jam Free 7:30 All levels of pickers and listeners are welcome 22 Fri Highway 58 $5 8 pm High energy classic bluegrass from Clyde Mattocks & crew 23 Sat Red Clay Ramblers $10/$12.50 8 pm A veritable musical institution, the Ramblers have been playing original old-time and Americana for over 30 years. In July, several of them will be performing in a new production of "King Mackeral & the Blues Are Running." This show is a tune-up. Reservations recommended! 24 Sun Mike Baker & the Drop-Top Cadillacs Free at 3:00 Classic country from one of Wilson's finest crooners 29 Fri Marshall Stephenson & the Bluegrass Train Band Bluegrass impresario Stephenson always has a fine collection of pickers with him. 30 Sat Catesby Jones with Dee Braxton Pelligrino Original Americana from Wilmington, with fine fiddling What You¹re Reading Each week, we send 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 contains no attachments. To add friends to our e.mail subscription list, send their e.mail address to ²fountainexpress@rafountain.com.³ To remove yourself from this list, reply to this e.mail with ²unsubscribe³ 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- Fountain AfterDark vol. 3, no. 20 € May 16, 2007 published weekly by R.A. Fountain, General Store & Internet Cafe 4-Day Bluegrass Weekend Upcoming in Fountain Features Kickin Grass Band, Ted Jones & Tarheels€Bluegrass Jam Thursday € Free-at-3 Sunday with Take 2 & Ramblin' Rose, Homemade Ice Cream Special [Fountain, NC] The return of Ted Jones and the Tarheels on Saturday and the debut of the Kickin Grass Band on Friday highlight the upcoming 4-day bluegrass weekend at Fountain General Store. Jones -- http://www.lgma.info/tedjonesandthetarheelboys/ -- the Smithfield picker, and his band have released two CDs in the past two years and they have a third set for an early June release. Jones has earned a sizeable following at bluegrass venues and festivals in the region. "Ted plays the mandolin in the cross-picking -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosspicking -- style created by Jesse McReynolds," said Alex Albright, store proprietor. "And he's got a fine band of traditional bluegrassers with him." Performing in the Tarheel Boys are Ted Jones' father, Ronnie Jones, on rhythm guitar and tenor vocals; Jerry Dunbar on fiddle; Stan Temple on banjo; and Kenneth Glover on upright bass. Dunbar has worked with Bill Carlisle, Jim and Jesse McReynolds, and Benny Martin. Temple has worked with Wilma Lee Cooper, Jim and Jesse McReynolds, and Jimmy Martin; Glover has worked for Roby Huffman and the Bluegrass Cut-Ups and several regional gospel groups. Ted Jones and the Tarheel Boys' May 19 concert begins at 8:00; general admission is $5. The Kickin Grass Band -- http://www.kickingrass.com/ -- a Raleigh-based quintet, boasts tight vocal harmonies, driving instrumentation, and a high energy performance that mixes traditional and original bluegrass with some rock and roll classics performed bluegrass style. The band was formed in 2000 to provide accompaniment for the Chapel-Hill based Apple Chill Cloggers. The current lineup started performing locally, regionally and internationally in 2002. Lynda Wittig Dawson has been singing since the age of 5. She began playing guitar and writing songs while in college. Prior to the Kickin Grass she performed with a country roadhouse band, the Kydells; an original acoustic duo, Innocent Lisa; and the North Carolina Master Chorale. Wittig Dawson sings lead, plays rhythm guitar, and writes some of the band's original songs. A Harnett County native, Jamie Dawson received his first mandolin at age 8 from his father, who played bass for Bluegrass 78. Dawson also sings bass. Also from Harnett County, Matt Hooper started playing classical violin. He played fiddle with the country band Dakota Rain and has performed at the Cape Fear Regional Theater. Patrick Walsh started his musical career by studying piano. He was the lead vocalist and keyboard player in the country cover band Summer Wind before taking up the bass and bluegrass. He sings lead, baritone and tenor harmonies and plays bass. Banjo picker Ben Walters is from Birmingham, Alabama. He came to North Carolina to study at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he graduated with degrees in linguistics and music. The Kickin Grass Band had released two CDs. "Backroads" was recorded by Tom Landgon at West Station Records and produced by Steve Dilling of IIIrd Tyme Out. Jerry Brown at the Rubber Room in Chapel Hil produced their newest, "On the Short Rows," which was released earlier this year. The Kickin Grass Band's May 18 show and concert begins at 8 p.m. General admission is $5. The weekend's bluegrass entertainments begin on Thursday night with the return of Fountain General's free bluegrass jam, which is open to pickers and listeners of all ages and experiences. Picking begins at about 7:30. Sunday afternoon's Free-at-3:00 concert features the Roanoke Rapids-based Take 2 and the Ramblin' Rose Band, who specialize in original and classic bluegrass gospel music. The band's latest CD is "I Love You (in Red)." It is led by the singing sisters Jo Reese and Wilma Hamill. Jo Reese also plays autoharp. Glenwood Rose, bandleader, plays lead guitar; J.B. Collins, bass; and George Campbell on banjo. Also on Sunday, Jones Fruit Farm homemade ice cream will be on sale, $2 for 2 handpacked 5 oz cups of peach, strawberry, banana, chocolate, or vanilla. 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- What You¹re Reading Each week, we send 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 contains no attachments. To add friends to our e.mail subscription list, send their e.mail address to ²fountainexpress@rafountain.com.³ To remove yourself from this list, reply to this e.mail with ²unsubscribe³ 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- Fountain AfterDark vol. 3, no. 19 € May 9, 2007 published weekly by R.A. Fountain, General Store & Internet Cafe Lightnin' Wells on Friday, Avery County Bluegrass Saturday Highlight 4-Day Music Weekend in Fountain € Free Homemade Ice Cream Sunday for Mothers--Free Music, Too [Fountain, NC] Lightnin' Wells returns to Fountain General Store on Friday night to present a free-ranging concert of early American popular music, featuring piedmont and delta blues, country, old-time, hokum and vaudeville classics from the first decades of the 20th century. Wilson newcomer Travers Chandler and Avery County, his new band of superpickers, performs a Saturday night concert of "Baltimore barroom bluegrass." Jon Durham, a Bailey native, returns to eastern NC for a free Thursday night concert of original contemporary Americana, and Donald Underwood Thompson wraps up the long weekend of live music with a free-at-3:00 concert on Sunday afternoon. Mike "Lightnin'" Wells -- http://lightninwells.com/ -- is a native of West Virginia who grew up in Goldsboro, where he played in garage bands covering popular blues-rock songs of the late 1960s. At UNC-Chapel Hill, he furthered his interests in the roots of American popular music. "He's often typed as a bluesman," said Alex Albright, Fountain General Store proprietor, "but his shows are much more than that. His knowledge of early American popular music is encylopedic, and he's a consummate entertainer." Wells has been a fulltime professional musician for over a decade. He performs all over the US and has toured in Europe twice. He has worked with a veritible who's who of piedmont blues artists, including Algia Mae Hinton, Tarboro's George Higgs, John Dee Holeman, and the late Richard "Big Boy" Henry. Wells accompanies himself on acoustic guitar, resonator steel guitar, ukelele, and harmonica. He also whistles and yodels. He has released several CDs, although only one, "Ragtime Millionaire," remains in print. Several Wells single-song performances are currently up on YouTube, including some shot at Fountain General Store and a couple at a local cemetery. Wells moved from Farmville to the Fountain community last year. His May 11 concert begins at 8 p.m.; general admission is $5. Travers Chandler, from Richmond, Va., had already established himself as one of the southeast's best mandolin pickers and formed this band before he found himself and family moving to Wilson for his work. Chandler was previously with Heather Berry and Dominion Grass and has also worked with Gary Brewer and the Kentucky Ramblers, Audie Blaylock and Redline, Lynwood Lunsford and the Misty Valley Boys, and Karl Shiflet and the Big Country Show. In addition to his frantic-paced mandolin picking, Chandler also sings lead and tenor harmony. Banjo picker Robert Overstreet lives in Big Island, Va. His Don Reno-influenced picking has gotten him tours throughout the US and Canada with Mitch Harrell and the South River Express and also with Heather Berry. Hank Bowman, of Raleigh, plays lead guitar, sings, and writes some of the band's original material. He has worked with Jimmy Cameron and High Lonesome and has also fronted his own bluegrass bands. Avery County -- http://www.averycountybluegrass.com -- is named for the 1978 Charlie Moore album of that name. "His music has had a profound effect on all of us," Chandler said. "We were all raised on a diet of bluegrass, and we're all from the heart of bluegrass country, but we want to take that real high lonesome to a new audience." After one recent performance in Nashville, the band was dubbed "the Ramones of bluegrass," a title Chandler doesn't dispute. "We've all got a bit of a wild streak in us." Avery County's songs delve into the darker side of life that bluegrass was meant to explore, explained Chandler. "But mainstream bluegrass bands have shied away from this kind of material lately. You're going to hear songs about drinking, cheating, murder, and even redemption." The band performs powerful originals and a mix of dark and obscure bluegrass from the 1960s Baltimore/D.C. honky tonk bluegrass scene. On Thursday night, Jon Durham -- http://www.jondurham.net/jon_durham001.htm -- and the Forlorn Hope stops by Fountain as he swings northward for shows in Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio. He has lived in Aiken, SC for many years, where he has established himself as one of that region's best-known singer-songwriters, and he's done three excellent shows here. Durham's songwriting and music have been compared to that of Steve Earle. His songs are often narratives about the unusual, overlooked, and downtrodden. He has released 3 CDs of original songs: Sunset Haze, Nine Inches & Falling, and One in a Million. He's a cohort of David Childers, who highly recommends him. Jon, in turn, has promised that one of these days, he'll get Childers down from his mountain to Fountain, the peak of Pitt County. Jon Durham's May 10 concert begins at 7:30; admission is free. Donald Underwood Thompson's free Sunday afternoon concert is in honor of Mother's Day, and all mothers in attendance will receive a free ice cream or specialty drink. Thompson, who lives in Kinston, performs a variety of classic American popular songs, including historically accurate delta and piedmont blues, country, vaudeville, and pop classics. "Donald's an excellent entertainer and storyteller, too," said Albright. Showtime is 3 p.m. 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- View a PHOTO of Lightnin' Wells performing on his ukelele at Fountain General Store http://rafountain.com/pictures/Lightnin/lightnin_uke_sm.jpg View a photo of Kinston's Donald Underwood Thompson, who returns to Fountain General Store for a free Mother's Day concert on Sunday, May 13 at 3 p.m. http://rafountain.com/pictures/Donald_U_Thompson.jpg What You¹re Reading Each week, we send 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 contains no attachments. To add friends to our e.mail subscription list, send their e.mail address to ²fountainexpress@rafountain.com.³ To remove yourself from this list, reply to this e.mail with ²unsubscribe³ 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- Fountain AfterDark vol. 3, no. 18 € May 3, 2007 published weekly by R.A. Fountain, General Store & Internet Cafe Untravelled Road, Smith Brothers Headline Free Bluegrass Fest & Talent Search Saturday € British Guitar Virtuoso Claude Bourbon Friday € Free-at-3:00 Sunday with Adam Stone € Old-fashioned Brunswick Stew Saturday as Part of Town's Old-Time Festival € Untravelled Road Becomes Third Band to Release "Live in Fountain" CD [Fountain, NC] Fountain's first bluegrass festival on Saturday is headlined by Untravelled Road at 2 p.m., Shelby and Linda Stephenson at 5 p.m., and the Smith Brothers at 7 p.m. Claude Bourbon, the French guitarist who has lived in England for the past decade, returns on Friday night for a concert of classical-, jazz-, and flamenco-influenced blues. And Wilson's Adam Stone performs a free-at-3:00 concert on Sunday afternoon. Saturday's bluegrss festival and talent search is being held in conjunction with the Town of Fountain's Old-Time Festival. "We'd love to find some folks who'd do well playing their own shows here," said Alex Albright, Fountain General Store proprietor, "bluegrass, country, gospel, jazz--so long as its family-style entertainment." Also on Saturday, Henry Bailey's old-fashioned Brunswick stew will be on sale by the bowl ($3) or quart ($6), starting at about 1 p.m. Bailey, a life-long Fountain resident, learned to make his stews from a master. He cooks outdoors, in a large iron pot, stirring with an oar hand-carved from red oak. His stew is served with a dipper gourd. He was dubbed "Pot" by bluegrass impresario and local legend Marshall Stephenson for his mastery of this nearly lost eastern Carolina art and tradition. "When I wondered how he knew his stew was done," Albright said, "he said 'It tells me.' "The done stew makes a rumbling noise, but you have to put that oar up to your ear to hear it." Untravelled Road -- http://www.untravelledroad.com/ -- will perform two sets, beginning at 2 p.m. Their new CD, "Live at R.A. Fountain," was recorded at their last performance here, on August 6, 2006. Led by Rex Williams, who plays guitar and writes the band's original tunes, Untravelled Road also includes the husband-wife duo of Jeff Aebi on mandolin and Judy Hagwood on bass. "Their guitar and mandolin solos and exchanges are really something," said Albright. "It's a very high-energy show." The Rocky Mount-based bluegrass band the Smith Brothers performs two sets of classic bluegrass and bluegrass gospel beginning at 7 p.m. Troy, Shelton, and Grady Smith play guitar, dobro, and banjo respectively. They perform classic bluegrass because, founder Troy says, "That's the only kind of music there is." Troy often chides his brothers for having gotten off on the wrong foot, musically, by playing rock and roll in their younger years. But Shelton and Grady found the bluegrass way long enough ago to have been performing bluegrass barn-pickin' style for over 40 years. They are joined in their band by Jimmy Collins on guitar, Ricky Privett on mandolin, and Frank Davis on guitar. Kicking off the afternoon's talent showcase at 1:00 will be Cassie Dunn and Stephen Dupree, a couple of 16-year-old entertainers who attend SoutWest Edgecombe High School. Cassie Dunn, who lives in Macclesfield, has been singing since she was 3, her mother, Jackie Dunn said. She has already released a CD, "Cassie Marie," a 10-song recording that includes an original Charlie Flowers song. Dunn will perform a mini-set of country and gospel music with Dupree accompanying her on guitar. They will then perform several contemporary gospel tunes, with Dupree sharing some of the vocals. Dunn has released one CD, "Cassie Mae," which includes a Charlie Flowers cover. "Charlie said he wrote it for a young girl to sing," Dunn's mother, Jackie Dunn said. "So it was perfect for her." "Before and between our main shows, our stage is open," said Albright. "We're looking for family entertainment, and live music. That means no pre-recorded background tracks, please." Shelby and Linda Stephenson have been favorites here since Fountain General opened in October 2004. They play in a variety of incarnations, but one of their best is always the spare and driving vocals they deliver when performing with no other accompaniests. The Stephensons will sing some classic Hank Williams and other country songs as well as some of their favorite old-time gospel songs, and as always, Shelby will be taking requests. Other entertainers interested in performing should contact Albright prior to Saturday to arrange a performance time. Claude Bourbon -- http://www.myspace.com/claudebourbon & http://www.claudebourbon.com/ -- who lives in Portsmouth, England, studied classical guitar for many years in Switzerland. His performance at Fountain General Store last year was ³amazing and mesmerizing,² said Albright. ³He¹s billed as a blues musician, but his show is much more than blues. Hardly anyone can believe that the live tape we made of his show wasn't over-dubbed, that it could possibly have been made live. He¹s that good, that fast and articulate.² Bourbon has released six critically acclaimed CDs, including ³Merci,² recorded live in Brussels in 2005; ³The Fifth,² a studio CD released earlier in 2005; and ³Stop Breaking Down,² his most heaviy blues-inflected recording, in 2002. Claude Bourbon's May 4 concert begins at 8 p.m.; general admission is $5. Adam Stone's Free-at-3:00 concert on Sunday, May 6 will feature gospel, country, and original music. "Adam's got one of the purest, prettiest voices we've ever heard here," said Albright. "We're all really happy to have him back performing again." 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- Untravelled Road's New CD Makes 3 "Live at Fountain General Store" Releases With the release of its debut CD, "Live at R.A. Fountain," Untravelled Road becomes the third band to release recordings made during their performances here. It was recorded and produced by Matt Aebi and the band, and includes four original songs by guitarist Rex Williams, as well as covers of such classics as "Wayfaring Stranger," "Seminole Wind," and "Wagon Wheel." Both the Mac and Tammy McRoy Bluegrass Band and the Flat Mountain Dulcimers released their "Live" at Fountain General Store CDs last year. Copies of Untravelled Road's new CD will be available in Fountain beginning Saturday, when the band celebrates its release with a free performance beginning at 2 p.m. Old-Time Festival Runs Friday-Saturday Fountain's Old-Time Festival this year features rides, crafts and concession booths, a barbecue lunch, and live music. Games for children, a puppet show, and a stilt walker are among Saturday activities for children. Barbecue pork and chicken lunches will be available for $6 starting at noon on Saturday. Front Porch Jubilee and Singing by the Water will perform Friday evening, beginning at 7:30. Saturday's musical schedule: Front Portch Jubilee, 2 pm Souls of Joy, 3 pm Singing by the River, 4 pm Vince Moore, 5 pm Desire by the Fire, 6 pm All Old-Time Festival events take place in the areas adjoining the Fire and Rescue Building. What You¹re Reading Each week, we send 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 contains no attachments. To add friends to our e.mail subscription list, send their e.mail address to ²fountainexpress@rafountain.com.³ To remove yourself from this list, reply to this e.mail with ²unsubscribe³ 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-