November 2006 Fountain Express / AFTERDARK, with latest at top of page: Fountain Express vol. 2, no. 47 € November 30, 2006 published weekly by R.A. Fountain, General Store & Internet Cafe Old-Time, Bluegrass, Comedy, and Mountain Dulcimer Music Upcoming at Fountain General Store € Two Author Appearances € December Music Announced [Fountain, NC] Big Medicine, one of the best old-time bands in the South, plays a return engagement at Fountain General Store on Friday, with ECU's comedy improv troupe SWASH as opening act. The Boys from Carolina, the Triangle-based quintet that boasts over 140 years of bluegrass picking experience, perform on Saturday night, and the Flat Mountain Dulcimers return for a free concert on Sunday afternoon. The critically acclaimed Big Medicine, formed in 1999, is Kenny Jackson, Jim Collier, Joe Newberry, and Bobb Head. Their "string music of the rural South" takes the form of old-time melodies and mountain harmonies, ancient ballads and archaic fiddle tunes, heart songs, hollers, hymns, and early bluegrass. Their recording and live performances have elicited rave reviews from No Depression magazine, the Old-Time Herald, Sing Out!, and the News and Observer. Fiddler Kenny Jackson is a native of southern Indiana who has lived in Fayetteville since 1998. His earliest musical influences came from family gatherings at his grandparents' Kentucky home. An expert story teller, he also plays banjo and guitar. Jim Collier, who plays mandolin and guitar and sings, grew up in Raleigh, where he still lives. He also plays banjo and fiddle. He and Joe Newberry played together in the Tarheel Hotshots, one of the most popular regional old-time bands of the 1990s. Newberry is a prize-winning banjo picker who also plays guitar and sings. A native of the Ozarks of Missouri, he has lived in Durham now for over 20 years. He teaches banjo and traditional singing at camps around the United States. Bassist Bobb Head played with old-time bands in Tuscon, Arizona, and Houston, Texas before relocating to the Triangle area. He also performs with the Stillhouse Bottom Band; Dueling Shoes, a percussive dance ensemble; and the Deep Phat Friars, an "irreverant southern-fried contra band." Head also plays banjo and guitar and shares vocal harmonies in the band. Big Medicine has released two CDs, "Fever in the South" and "Too Old to Be Controlled," which was named "Best Album" of 2004 by Just Plain Folks. SWASH, founded in 2003 by Corey Brown, has grown to an 11-member troupe of very funny folks, all students at ECU. Led by comedic veterans Katlyn Wiley, T.J. Walker, and Matthew "Whitie" White, Swash performs regularly on campus and at Greenville venues, but rarely outside of the college community. "We really loved our show in Fountain last year," Wylie said. "It's a wonderful audience, and so different for us. It's really challenging to try to do PG-rated improv." Wylie, a junior, majors in public relations. White considers "comedy" his major, and notes he's been class clown since 6th grade. Others in SWASH are freshman Jenni Hathaway, a dance performance major; Ryan Holden, a senior theatre major; Chuck Givens, a sophomore majoring in theatre education; Stephanie Underwood, a junior majoring in theatre education; Mandy Bauer, a junior theatre major; Matthew Dawes, a sophomore undecided upon a major; Joe Minnich, a junior chemistry major; and theatre majors T.J. Walker and Dick Palmer. SWASH will perform at 7:00. Big Medicine will begin about 8:00. General admission for this December 1 show is $7. It will be preceded by an autographing party for Mark Kemp, an ECU alum and former senior editor at Rolling Stone. His creative nonfiction memoir, "Dixie Lullaby: A Story of Music, Race, and New Beginnings in a New South," has recently been released in paperback by the University of Georgia Press. Saturday night's concert by the Boys from Carolina promises traditional and original bluegrass and bluegrass gospel as well as several original bluegrass tunes. The Boys, with their tight harmonies and expert picking, have built a solid reputation in the area over the last year with their return visits to Fountain. Members include Linday Brown, bass guitar; Larry Nunnery, guitar; Chuck Schutte, dobro; Wright Young, mandolin; and Bob Wilkerson, banjo. Most of them performed together in the Friends of Bluegrass before forming the Boys from Carolina. Brown and Schutte are from Raleigh and both also play guitar. Brown, formerly in Varina Station, sings lead and baritone; Schutte sings lead, tenor and baritone. Nunnery, from Benson, also plays guitar and sings lead and baritone . Young, from Durham, also plays guitar and fiddle; he sings lead, baritone, and tenor. Wilkerson played with numerous bluegrass bands while living in Maryland, where he performed on recordings by several artists, including Dixie Grass. He lives in Smithfield. Schutte and Wright compose the band's original bluegrass tunes, four of which are on their debut CD, "Train Ride Home," which includes a back-cover photo of the band posed in front of Fountain General Store. The Boys' December 2 concert begins at 7:30; general admission is $5. Saturday's show will be preceded by an autographing party for Roger Sharpe, whose creative nonfiction memoir "Ceremony of Innocence" was published by Mercer University Press last year. Sharpe, who graduated from ECU and taught there, will be in town at 4 p.m. The Flat Mountain Dulcimers has proved also to be a popular Fountain attraction. "They always draw a good crowd," said Fountain General Store proprietor Alex Albright, "and they have a perfect kind of Sunday afternoon show." The band, named whimsically for the "flat mountains of eastern North Carolina," includes Nancy Galambush and Dave and Margit Roberson. Their debut CD, "Live at R.A. Fountain," was mastered by Mike Rose at his Goldsboro studio, Audio Farm. The Flat Mountain Dulcimers December 3 concert is free and will begin at 3 p.m. 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, phone 252-749-3228 or visit www.rafountain.com -30- PHOTOS: HIGH RES photo of Big Medicine http://www.bigmedmusic.com/images/newband_prn.jpg € € € Photo of Boys from Carolina HIGH RES photo http://rafountain.com/pictures/BoysFromCarolina/BoysCarolina6.jpg € € € ECU Distinguished Alum Mark Kemp to Sign Books at Fountain General Store [Greenville, NC] Mark Kemp, an Ashboro native and former editor at Rolling Stone, will appear at Fountain General Store to sign copies of his new memoir, "Dixie Lullaby," on Friday evening, December 1. Kemp, a Distinguished Alumnus of ECU, where he majored in English with a concentration in writing, is currently a freelance writer based out of Charlotte. His creative nonfiction memoir follows him as he travels throughout the South, recalling on one hand childhood vacations with his family while, on the other hand, he tries to make sense of how race and music have for so long been intertwined, especially in the South. Along the way, he interviews many of the best known proponents of Southern rock. "If rock and roll saved my life," he writes, "Southern rock made it worth living." He claims as a seminal point in the development of Southern rock and roll the assassination of Martin Luther King, one result of which was the freezing out of white session musicians from working with blacks. Kemp also asserts that the importance of the Allman Brothers went far beyond their music, because of their inclusion of an African-American drummer. "Dixie Lullaby," subtitled "A Story of Music, Race, and New Beginnings in a New South," was originally published by Simon and Schuster. It was released in paperback this fall by the University of Georgia Press. After graduating from ECU, Kemp became editor of Discovery magazine and then Option, the Seattle-based independent music magazine. He was senior editor at Rolling Stone in the mid-1990s and then became vice-president for music programming at MTV and VH1. Kemp received a Grammy nomination in 1997 for his liner notes to the CD Farewells & Fantasies, a retrospective of music by '60s protest singer Phil Ochs. Kemp will sign copies of his book from 6-7 p.m., prior to Friday night's performances by SWASH Improv and the old-time band Big Medicine. His reading at ECU on Wednesday night attracted about 60 people, who were treated to an engaging history lesson about late 20th century American popular. € € € ECU Alum and Former State Senator Roger Sharpe to Autograph Copies of Memoir, Analyze Recent Elections in Fountain on Saturday [Fountain, NC] Roger Sharpe will appear at Fountain General Store on Saturday at 4 p.m. to sign copies of his memoir, "Ceremony of Innocence," and to discuss the recent elections from the unusual perspective of a defeated Democratic candidate for U.S. House of Representatives. Sharpe, who lives in Harmony, was defeated by incumbent Virginia Fox in November as a representative of a meandering district that stretches through several counties north and west of Winston-Salem. "We wound up being a 44% minority," he said, after early polls showed him capturing little more than 20% of the votes, "and the issues we talked about in the rural foothills were the same ones that were on the table for elections all over the country." His memoir, published late last year, is now in its 4th printing from Mercer University Press, in Atlanta. In it, he argues for the importance of a humanities-based education as a way to combat religious extremism, which, he feels, threatens the future of the U.S. In memoirist-style, he uses his personal educational development as a casebook example of how such an education is an important tool in the fight against prejudice and racism. Sharpe was raised on a small tobacco farm in Harmony. He attended N.C. State University in the 1960s, where he was greatly influenced by the teachings of W.W. FInlator, pastor at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, who first challenged his long-held views on race. After completing his undergraduate education at ECU, he studied Christian ethics at Union Theological Seminary School in New York. One of his instructors, Michael Dukakis, said of Sharpe that he is "a rare human being--courageous, idealistic, and absolutely committed to the proposition that good people, working together, can make a real difference in the lives of their fellow men and women." Sharpe has taught in the criminal justice department at ECU and at several other colleges in North Carolina. In addition to serving in the NC Senate, he has worked in Washington, DC as a lobbyist for public education. Sharpe's appearance at Fountain General Store on December 2 is his first return to the area since the recent elections, which he is anxious to discuss with anyone interested. "Nationally, I was greatly encouraged," he said. € € € December Music at Fountain General Store Fri 1 7:00 $7.50 Big Medicine, with opening act Swash Improv Excellent old-time music with comedy from ECU's 11-person troupe Sat 2 7:30 $5 Boys from Carolina Triangle bluegrass quintet noted for its super-tight harmonies Sun 3 3:00 FREE Flat Mountain Dulcimers This trio of eastern Carolina dulcimer players draws enthusiastic crowds when they play Fountain Thu 7 7:30 FREE Donald Underwood Thompson Kinston-based bluesman mixes vaudeville and folk into his entertaining act. Fri 8 8:00 $8 Russ Varnell and the Too Country Band Excellent honky-tonking country from Wilson. Varnell became good buddies with his hero, Buck Owens, and his Owens covers are on the money. Sat 9 7:30 $7 High Ground Bluegrass One of the best bluegrass bands in the South, based out of the Shenandoah Valley. They were showcased at the recent IBMA meeting in Nashville. Author appearance today: Bland Simpson Thu 14 7:30 FREE Bluegrass jam Hosted tonight by fiddling Alex Ball and his guitar-picking grandfather, Wil Ball. Fri 15 7:30 $5 Stephenson Bros. and Linda Fronted by bluegrass star Marshall Stephenson, this family bluegrass band is always a hit in Fountain Sat 16 7:30 $5 Masked Marvel, with opening acts King Monkey, and See You Tuesday An ECU English Department night of entertainment: Masked Marvel and King Monkey are fronted by fellows who earned their M.A. degrees in creative writing at ECU (Steve Losey and Chris English, respectively), where they studied with store proprietor Alex Albright and Luke Whisnant, who, with Erica Plouffe Lazure--yet another M.A. in creative writing graduate--comprise See you Tuesday. Losey's bringing his band in from Washington, DC; English's King Monkey is re-uniting for this special gig. Author appearance today: Luke Whisnant Sun 17 3:00 FREE Mike Hamer and Friends Christmas Show This is Mike's third annual Christmas show in Fountain, and his friends Sue Luddeke and Bill Redding add an abundance of talent and good cheer to this celebration Thu 21 7:00 FREE Community Christmas with Sam Harris and Family Harris. a new Fountain resident, is music director at Parker's Free Will Baptist Church, and he's hosting a night of Christmas music to be performed by him, his family, and others in the Fountain community. Fri 22 7:30 FREE Pratie Heads Celtic Solstice This Triangle-favorite has finally re-assembled and we're thrilled to have them playing Fountain. ENJOY NEW YEAR'S CELEBRATIONS EARLY, and without the smoking and drinking--you can even bring your kids! 29 7:30 $7 Bluegrass New Year's Party Family-style, with Marshall Stephenson and the Bluegrass Train Band also celebrating the release of their recent CD. 30 7:30 $7 Jazzy New Year's Celebration, with Steve Creech All-Star Band -30- Fountain Express vol. 2, no. 46 € November 21, 2006 published weekly by R.A. Fountain, General Store & Internet Cafe Happy Thanksgiving! Steve Creech Sextet headlines Thanksgiving Weekend Music € Young Bluegrassers Replace Drop Top Caddys for Saturday € Shelby Stephenson Autographs Poetry Books, Other Author Events, December Music Schedule Announced [Fountain, NC] The Steve Creech Sextet, featuring Jimmy Aycock, Emery Davis and Dee Braxton Pelligrino, plays jazz in Fountain Friday night. The Chapel Hill-based bluegrass band the Lounge Abouts replaces the previously announced Drop Top Cadillacs on Saturday, in a free show that will be opened by Shelby and Linda Stephenson. This incarnation of Creech's all-star jazz bands showcases Aycock, the Fremont pianist and career educator, Davis, the Greenville singer, and the fiddling singer Pelligrino, who lives in Ayden. "When they played here in August, several of our patrons said it was the best live music they'd ever heard," said Alex Albright, Fountain General Store proprietor. "I'd recommend reservations." Also in the Creech sextet are Randy Davis on drums and Keith Dobbins on bass. Their show will feature jazzy takes on pop, folk, gospel, and Broadway standards, some Christmas tunes, and jazz classics. The Steve Creech Sextet show on November 24 begins at 8 p.m. General admission is $5. The Lounge Abouts are three college freshmen, fronted by ECU's Alex Ball, who plays guitar and sings. His two bandmates, mandolinist Lee Molvie and bassist Mark Voller, are roommates at UNC-CH. Ball, who also plays mandolin and fiddle, has accompanied the Texas-based country music performer Cowboy Johnson. He promises an evening of "hard-driving bluegrass with a lot of fiddle and mandolin tunes." Molvie won second place in mandolin picking at this year's Jefferson County fiddlers convention. Opening act Shelby and Linda Stephenson are half of the popular bluegrass band the Stephenson Brothers and Linda. As a duo, they have also released a CD of Hank Williams covers. "It looks like we've got Shelby and Linda a pedal steel guitar player, too," said Albright. "Alex will be able to fiddle some with Shelby's Hank Williams set, and Shelby's bluegrass guitar will enable Alex to fiddle some in his own bluegrass sets. It looks like we're going to have a fine night of music, a very interesting time." Shelby Stephenson, a Pembroke University English professor, has published 10 collections of poetry. He was already to be in Fountain to meet people and sign copies of his books at an event scheduled for 4 p.m. "We always look forward coming to Fountain," he said. Fountain General Store and Mike Baker regret any inconvenience caused by the cancellation of the Drop Tops' show. "Of course we'll refund all the reserved seat sales," said Alex Albright, store proprietor. "Patrons may call us and we'll send them a check, or stop by for a cash refund. And we'll get Mike and his band back on the schedule as soon as we can. 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, phone 252-749-3228 or visit www.rafountain.com. -30- PHOTO High resolution photo of Jimmy Aycock, Emery Davis, and Steve Creech (left to right) performing at Fountain General Store http://rafountain.com/pictures/Creech/CreechSext2.jpg € € € Shelby Stephenson to Autograph Books at Fountain General on Saturday € Other Author Events Upcoming [Fountain, NC] Poet and musician Shelby Stephenson will be at Fountain General Store on Saturday afternoon to meet people and to autograph copies of his poetry collections. Stephenson, a Johnston County native, has published 10 books of poetry, including "Possum," his book-length ode to its namesake. He is familiar to folks in Fountain as one of the Stephenson Brothers and Linda, the popular bluegrass band which returns to Fountain General Store on December 15. WIth his wife, Linda Stephenson, he has also recorded a CD of Hank Williams songs. Stephenson grew up on a Johnston County farm near Benson. He graduated from UNC-CH in 1960 and earned his PhD from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 1974. He is professor of English at Pembroke University, where he has edited the Pembroke Review since 1979. His poetry has remained close to his rural roots, and the subjects he returns to most often are farming and the hardscrabble lives endured and enjoyed by eastern Carolina farmers. Stephenson received the NC Award for Literature in 2001 and was honored by the NC Writers Conference for his lifetime achievements in literature in 2002. He will be available to sign copies of his books from 4- 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 25. "He and Linda will no doubt sing a few songs," said Alex Albright, Fountain General proprietor, "and I imagine he'll read a few poems, too." Shelby and Linda Stephenson will also open for Saturday night's headliners, the Lounge Abouts. Other author signings set for Fountain General Store before Christmas will feature Mark Kemp on December 1, Bland Simpson on December 9, and Luke Whisnant on December 16. Kemp, an ECU graduate and former associate editor at Rolling Stone, is the author of "Dixie Lullaby: A Story of Music, Race and New Beginnings in a New South," recently released in paperback by the University of Georgia Press. Simpson, an Elizabeth City native, is the author of several books about the coastal region of North Carolina, including most recently "The Inner Islands: A Carolinian's Sound Country Chronicles," published by UNC Press. He has written two historical novels, also, and he performs with the Red Clay Ramblers. Whisnant teaches creative writing at ECU. His second collection of short stories, "Down in the Flood," has recently been published by Iris Press. The 2006 edition of the prestigious "New Stories in the South" includes a Whisnant short story for the third time. R.A. Fountain, General Store and Internet Cafe, is located in downtown Fountain, at the intersection of US 258 and NC 222. For further information, phone 252-749-3228 or visit www.rafountain.com. -30- € € € December Live Music at Fountain General Store 1 Big Medicine, with opening act Swash Improv Meet the author: Mark Kemp Brunswick stew! 2 Boys from Carolina 3 Flat Mountain Dulcimers 7 Donald Underwood Thompson 8 Russ Varnell and the Too Country Band 9 High Ground Bluegrass Meet the Author: Bland Simpson 14 Bluegrass jam 15 Stephenson Brosthers and Linda 16 Masked Marvel, with opening acts King Monkey, and Luke & Erica Meet the Author: Luke Whisnant 17 Mike Hamer and Friends Christmas Show 21 Community Christmas with Sam Harris and Family 22 Pratie Heads Celtic Solstice New Year's Specials: Celebrate a family-style New Year's with us on a couple of nights made for folks who can't stay up that late anymore and don't like all that smoking & drinking. . . Fri Dec 29 Marshall Stephenson & the Bluegrass Train Band Bluegrass New Year's & CD Release Party, with special guests TBA Sat Dec 30 Steve Creech All-Star Jazz New Year's € € € What You¹re Reading Each week, we send out a news release to 21 area newspapers and radio stations. The primary contents of each issue of the Fountain Express is that news release. The Express 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. -30- Fountain Express vol. 2, no. 45 € November 14, 2006 published weekly by R.A. Fountain, General Store & Internet Cafe Malpass Family Returns for Friday Show, SRO Expected € Rock'n'Roll Saturday with ECU History Profs FREE! € Bluegrass Jam on Thursday [Fountain, NC] The Malpass Family, eastern North Carolina's most popular bluegrass band, returns to Fountain General Store on Friday for a show and concert featuring the vocals of brothers Christopher and Taylor. Formed out of their home church, New Hope Methodist in Goldsboro, the Malpasses have been packing churches throughout the region for several years and their shows are regularly standing-room-only when they play Fountain. The brothers are joined in the band by their dad, Chris Malspass, on upright bass and Kinston's Clyde Mattocks on banjo and dobro. Their fame has also begun to spread, especially with the recent pairing of Chris with country music legend Don Helms, whose steel guitar defined the Hank Williams sound. "Don has really taken to Chris, and it looks like they're about to hit the next level," said Fountain General proprietor Alex Albright. "They've finally gotten a good agent, who's getting them into festivals and conventions, and they'll be recording a new CD at Tom T. and Dixie Hall's studios in March." The Malpass Family plays a mix of bluegrass, classic country, bluegrass gospel, and original songs performed in bluegrass style. "Chris as a singer is truly an artist, an original," said Albright, "and Taylor's turned into a fine mandolin picker, too." "Turn Back the Years," the CD of Hank Williams covers that Chris Malpass recorded with Helms, has gotten national airplay, and the two have traveled throughout the country performing together. Pre-Helms, the Malpass Family released three earlier CDs, "The Unbroken Shall Stand," "All He's Asking," and "Live at Bethlehem Baptist Church." "These early CDs are the collectible ones," said Albright. "You can look at the covers and watch the boys grow up as you hear their voices mature, and with Clyde producing for them, they've always managed to have top-notch studio musicians on hand. But once they're signed to a label, the independent discs will become hard to find." [Scroll down for links to hear samples from the boys' voices from 2001, their earliest recording, and from 2006, their latest.] The November 17 Malpass Family concert begins at 7:30; general admission is $7.50. Reserved seats, which Albright highly recommends, are $10.50. The Malpass Family show is sandwiched between free shows on Thursday and Saturday nights. Jack Wrzesinski hosts Fountain General's monthly bluegrass jam this Thursday night, beginning at 7:30, and on Saturday, @Risk, a band comprised of rock'n'rolling history professors from ECU, performs a concert to benefit their history department's honors society. Wrzesinski, who plays mandolin and guitar, has been hosting the jams for a year. "We get more pickers than audience a lot of nights," said Albright, "but we always have a good time with it. And we've already heard from at least a couple of new pickers that will be coming out for this one." @Risk was formed by Don Parkerson and Ken Wilburn, history colleagues at ECU who both were greatly influenced by the British music invasion of the 1960s. Parkerson, a Chicago native who's authored three books, said, "Before the Beatles and the Yardbirds, you had 'Yummy, Yummy, I've Got Love in My Tummy' and the Chipmunks--this was an invasion we all welcomed." Parkerson plays guitar and sings. His bandmate Wilburn, a Myrtle Beach native who earned his PhD at Oxford University, researches the histories of Africa and the Middle East with an emphasis on colonialism and imperialism, when he's not playing keyboard and harmonica. Also in @Risk are drummer Eddie Fernandez, who was born in Portugal and grew up in Montreal; Thomas Rose on bass; and Kevin Green on lead guitar. Opening for @Risk is Steve and Tim Bivans, who fronted the 1990s Greenville-based band the Bivans Brothers. Showtime is 7:30. Admission is free; donations to benefit the history department's honors society will be accepted. 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, phone 252-749-3228 or visit www.rafountain.com. -30- Listen to the Malpass Family perform the Louvin Brothers classic "Love Thy Neighbor (as Thyself)" - 2001 http://rafountain.com/audio/malpass_loveneighbor.mp3 Listen to the Malpass Family with Don Helms perform "I Saw the Light" - 2006 http://rafountain.com/audio/Malpass_Helms_Light.mp3 € € € Click on links below for HIGH RESOLUTION photos. If click-on links don't show, you can copy & paste the links into your URL box for access to these photos stored on our server. Malpass Family performing at Fountain General Store http://rafountain.com/pictures/Malpass/Malpass1_lg.jpg € € € Jack Wrzesinksi (center) leads the Fountain General Store monthly bluegrass jam this Thursday night http://rafountain.com/pictures/BluegrassJam/BluegrassJamD.jpg € € € @ Risk performing at Fountain General Store http://rafountain.com/pictures/AtRisk/AtRisk1_lg.jpg € € € What You¹re Reading Each week, we send out a news release to 21 area newspapers and radio stations. The primary contents of each issue of the Fountain Express is that news release. The Express 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. -30- Fountain Express vol. 2, no. 44 € November 8, 2006 published weekly by R.A. Fountain, General Store & Internet Cafe Nancy and Tammy Dail and Country Roads Friday Night Headlines 4-Day Live Music Weekend € White Pine Hollow Bluegrass Saturday € Meet Author Tom Lewis Saturday Afternoon € Free Thursday and Sunday Shows [Fountain, NC] Nancy and Tammy Dail, the dynamic mother-daughter duo out of Raleigh, return to Fountain General Store for a country music show with the Country Roads Band on Friday night. "This is the best country music show band between Branson and Myrtle Beach," said Alex Albright, Fountain General Proprietor. "They draw a big crowd of very loyal fans who always have a great time with them." The Country Roads Band, based out of Wilson, is led by local legend Bowie Martin on pedal steel guitar. Ronnie King plays guitar and sings; Ken Dawson plays drums; John Ackerman, keyboards; and Glenn Speight, bass. The band plays classic and contemporary country hits and has added several original tunes to its repertoire. They have recently released their second CD, "The Train Stops Here, which on three tunes also showcases the songwriting talents of Tammy's husband, Adam Waters." Nancy and Tammy Dail and the Country Roads Band's November 10 show and concert begins at 8 p.m. General admission is $8. This upcoming 4-day run of live music in Fountain kicks off on Thursday night with a free concert by the Smithfield-based trio Ragged Company, which plays bluegrass and bluegrass-inspired covers of contemporary hits. Tom Howerton plays mandolin and guitar, Ken Allen plays bass, and Rob Irvine plays guitar and harmonica. All three share vocals. They met as neighbors in Smithfield and have been playing at coffee houses and clubs in the Triangle since the late 1990s. This is their first show in Fountain. Irvine, who booked the gig, promises "tightly blended harmonies and good acoustic pickin'." Ragged Company's free November 9 concert begins at 7:30. White Pine Hollow, the Triangle-based bluegrass band that features the Tew Brothers returns to Fountain on Saturday night for a concert of high energy bluegrass classics and originals. "Their harmonies on their a capella gospel songs are really something," said Albright. "And they're all fine pickers, too. They've got the basic tunes for a Civil War bluegrass opera." Keith Tew plays upright bass; Kelly Tew plays mandolin and guitar; and Marty Tew plays guitar. Marshall Gray joins in on banjo. White Pine Hollow's November 11 concert begins at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $5. Take 2 and the Ramblin' Rose Bluegrass Gospel Band plays a free concert at 3 on Sunday afternoon. Based out of Roanoke Rapids, Take 2 and the Ramblin' Rose have released three CDs of original and covers of classic bluegrass gospel songs. Their latest, "I Love You in Red," features their original composition based on John 3:16 and their original arrangement of "My Bible Tells Me So." The CD is dedicated to Maggie Tant, Jo Reese and Wilma Hamill's mother, whose musical influence led them to form the band to further their Christian witnessing. The Tant sisters, Jo Reese and Wilma Hamill, are lead singers. Also in the band are Glenwood Rose of Littleton on guitar; J.B. Collins of Roanoke Rapids on bass; Eddie Walker of South Hill, Va., on dobro; and Jack Hopkins of Roanoke Rapids on mandolin. Jo Reese Hamill also plays autoharp. Take 2 and Ramblin' Rose's free concert begins at 3 p.m. Fountain General Store is located in downtown Fountain at the intersection of US 258 and NC 222. For futher information, phone 252-749-3228 or visit www.rafountain.com. -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. Reserved seats are available for all shows. For further information call 252-749-3228 or visit www.rafountain.com. Nancy & Tammy Dail & the Country Roads Band http://www.thecountryroadsband.com/index.asp € € € White Pine Hollow http://home.mindspring.com/~mgray € € € Ragged Company /http://clix.to/raggedcompanync € € € Author Tom Lewis to Appear at Fountain General Store [Fountain, NC] Rocky Mount native Tom Lewis, author of 7 novels, will be at Fountain General Store on Saturday, November 11 to sign copies of his latest, "Sunday's Child." "Sunday's Child" is the first installment of the Pea Island Trilogy, which will explore the lives and adventures of the African-American lifesaving crews who manned that coastal Carolina station. The story involves as a minor character the legendary Mrs. Emma Dupree, the local herbalist who was born in Falkland in 1897 but spent most of her life in Fountain. Dupree's role spans about 12 pages as one of the story's characters seeks her out for a special remedy. Lewis retired to New Bern after a successful career as a symphony director, most recently at Sioux City, Iowa. His 4 p.m. appearance is the first in a series of meet-the-author events being scheduled at the crossroads community store during November and December. "Sunday's Child" is published by VP Publishing of Rocky Mount, which also published Lewis's sixth novel, "Hitler's Judas." "We've seen how rich the musical talent is in the region, " said Alex Albright, Fountain General Store proprietor. "There's a lot of literary talent around here, too. And of course, autographed books make good gifts for the right person." Other authors set to appear in Fountain are Bland Simpson, Mark Kemp, and Luke Whisnant. "We're still finalizing the list and dates," said Albright, "but we should have an author or two every Saturday at 4 p.m between now and Christmas, and on a few Fridays before our shows. Nothing formal, just a chance for folks to meet the writers and pick up an autographed copy of their book, if they're interested." Although primarily known as a music venue, Fountain General Store carries a strong line of regional fiction and nonfiction, and bluegrass books and cookbooks. € € € Tom Lewis http://www.tomelewis.com/ € € € What You¹re Reading Each week, we send out a news release to 21 area newspapers and radio stations. The primary contents of each issue of the Fountain Express is that news release. The Express distributed via e.mail contains no attachments. This week's issue includes a second news release sent to publicize our author events schedule. 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. -30-