October 2006 Fountain Express / AFTERDARK, with most recent at top of page: Fountain Express vol. 2, no. 43 Halloween 2006 published weekly by R.A. Fountain, General Store & Internet Cafe Highway 58 Plays Straight-Ahead Bluegrass Friday € Honky Tonk Country Saturday Night with Charlie Flowers' International Harvesters € Free Thursday and 20% off New Books, CDs for Tony Whetstone Concert [Fountain, NC] Highway 58's bluegrass show and concert on Friday night highlights the coming weekend of live music at Fountain General Store. Also upcoming: a country music show on Saturday night presented by Charlie Flowers and International Harvesters, and a free blues, folk, and Americana concert by Greenville's Tony Whetstone on Thursday. "Highway 58's as good a bluegrass band as you'll hear," said Alex Albright, Fountain General Store proprietor. "It's really an all-star band that doesn't get together that often, and they put on a great show." Led by Kinston's Clyde Mattocks, the band takes its name from NC Highway 58, on which several of the bandsmen live. Also performing in the band are John Booker of Greenville on bass; Danny Morris of Vanceboro on guitar; Tim Myatt of Snow Hill on banjo; and Don Batten of New Bern on mandolin. Mattocks, a co-founder of SuperGrit Cowboy Band, has been called "the best pedal steel player in North Carolina." He has released two CDs--"Hugging the Hound" and "Over My Shoulder" on SuperGrit's Hoodswamp label--with all-star bands assembled for each track. Mattocks is also a popular studio musician on recording sessions throughout the region. For Friday night's show, he will be playing dobro and, if the occasion arises, banjo and bass. "Clyde's the most versatile musician around," said Albright, "but his main passion is bluegrass, and that passion is what really drives this band." Highway 58's November 3 concert begins at 7:30; general admission is $5. Wilson's Charlie Flowers returns to Fountain with his band International Harvesters for a honky tonk country music show on Saturday night. The charismatic Flowers is one of the most popular singers in the region, and this version of his Harvesters boasts some of the best country music musicians around. Joining Flowers for this show will be lead guitarist Ronnie King, on loan from the Country Roads Band; Ryan Kirby on bass; Darren Lee on drums; and Johnny Barham on steel guitar. Except for Barham, who lives in Wendell, they all are from Wilson County. Kirby is a second-generation bassist whose dad, Craig Kirby, plays bass for the gospel group the Royal Descendants. Charlie Flowers and International Harvesters' November 4 concert begins at 7:30; general admission is $5. Tony Whetstone's return engagement is his first show in Fountain since he took second place at "Slidestock," the National Slide Guitar competition held recently in Wilmington. In addition to slide guitar, he picks guitar and banjo. Whetstone, a native of Alaska who lives in Greenville, plays Piedmont and Delta blues, folk, oldtime, and gospel music. His repertoire also includes several original compositions. Tony Whetstone's November 2 concert begins at 7:30; admission is free. For Whetstone's Thursday night show only, Fountain General is offering all new books and CDs at 20% off original list price. € € € Gary Thompson Blue Ribbon Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Relishes in Stock Greenville's Gary Thompson has built a solid reputation over the past three years as one of the region's best at canning locally produced fruits and vegetables. This year, he added 11 blue ribbons from the Pitt County Fair and 2 blues from the state fair to his rapidly growing collection of honors. Fountain General Store currently has in stock the state and county fair blue ribbon-winning plum jelly and chutney, and his state-winning Texas-style barbecue sauce, as well as 11 of his county fair blue ribbon winners: blueberry jelly, scuppernong jelly, corn relish, strawberry topping, blackberry jelly, bread and butter pickles, chili sauce, and jalapeno pepper jelly. Expected by next week is a small re-supply of his state and county fair blue ribbon-winning peach jam and his county blue ribbon-winning sweet dill pickles and tomato preserve. Both will be depleted soon. Gone for this year are his county blue ribbon-winning peach conserve and county red ribbon-winning pickled green beans. County red ribbon winners still in stock are chow chow, pickled okra, and blackberry jam. Thompson attributes his success to the use in most of his products of fresh, local produce, handpicked and choppped. He adds no preservatives or coloring. Except for some of the pickle products, once a canning is sold out for a season, no more is available until the following year. "I worry a little every year whether the wild plums will still be there when I go back," he said. Fountain General Store is the exclusive retail outlet for Gary Thompson's Blue Ribbon Products, which are also available from Thompson at the Pitt County Farmers Market on most Saturday mornings. € € € Sunday Shows Return Next Weekend € First Author Event of Season Set 9 Ragged Company 7:30 FREE RECENTLY ADDED! Bluegrass, oldtime, Americana, and some acoustic rock from a Triangle-based trio. 10 Nancy & Tammy Dail & Country Roads 8:00 $8 This is a show that would cost big bucks in Branson or Myrtle Beach. A super-tight band led by Wilson's Bowie Martin and the dynamic mother/daughter duo from Raleigh make for great country music. They've added some fine original numbers written by Tammy's husband to their repertoire, too. Reservations recommended. 11 Meet the author: Tom Lewis, author of "Sunday's Child," will be in-store at 4 p.m. to meet folks and sign copies of his novel, the first in Lewis's Pea Island Gold Trilogy. 11 White Pine Hollow 7:30 $5 The Tew Brothers have some of the best bluegrass harmonies in the state, and dobro player David Hamlett is a fan favorite in Fountain. 12 Take 2 & Ramblin' Rose 3 p.m. FREE Bluegrass gospel from a fine family band out of the Roanoke Rapids area. € € € 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. 42 October 24, 2006 published weekly by R.A. Fountain, General Store & Internet Cafe Back-to-Back Bluegrass Shows This Weekend € Free Acoustic Rock Thursday [Fountain, NC] Back-to-back bluegrass concerts at Fountain General Store this weekend will feature Hickory Hill Heritage Bluegrass on Friday night and Carolina Junction on Saturday night. Hickory Hill Heritage is fronted by Donna Spivey, who plays guitar and sings lead and harmony vocals. She currently is performing on her third Martin guitar, this one a D-40 given to her recently as a birthday present. Spivey grew up in a musical family in Chadbourn, where she still lives. Though she did not know him, her great-grandfather, Devon Ludlum, played banjo; her father inherited his love of music and played guitar and mandolin. "Daddy played a Gibson Hummingbird, and he told me if I'd learn to play rhythm he'd buy me a Martin"--a 1964 D-18, which she also still owns. Also in the band, which was formed in 2004, are Etheridge Hewitt, of Southport, who plays mandolin; Bob Stanley, of Boiling Springs, who plays bass and guitar and sings lead and harmony; Clyde Prevatte, of Rowland, who plays dobro; and J.K. Godbold, of Roseboro, who plays banjo. Hickory Hill play a mix of classic bluegrass and bluegrass gospel. Their 2005 CD "Together" was produced by Mike Rose at his Audio Farm Recording Studio in Goldsboro. Hickory Hill Heritage Bluegrass performs October 27 at 7:30; general admission is $5. The Triangle-based bluegrass band Carolina Junction returns to Fountain on Saturday night for a concert of classic and original bluegrass that highlights their excellent harmonies. Junction's recently released CD "Leavin' the Station" has been getting good airplay on bluegrass radio shows throughout the region. Russell Johnson of the Grasscats has proclaimed Junction's lead singer Scott McBride "the best bluegrass singer in the state." Joining McBride in the band are Tim Hall on bass and lead vocals; Danny Knighten on mandolin and tenor vocals; Tim James on banjo and baritone vocals; and Mark Roshelli on guitar and bass vocals. Carolina Junction's October 28 concert begins at 7:30; general admission is $5. Opening the weekend of music is a free concert by Durham-based singer-songwriter Stuart Pierce, in Fountain on his "Too Far to Fly" tour. Stuart's performances are a blend of classic rock and acoustic folk. One reviewer said of his debut CD, "'Too Far To Fly' deserves to succeed for all the right reasons. The obvious one is that he's got a great sound: intelligent, strong and inventive." Pierce's October 26 concert begins 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. Reserved seats are available for all shows for an additional cost. For further information, phone 252-749-3228 or visit www.rafountain.com € € € Stuart Pierce http://www.stuartpierce.com/ € € € Hickory Hill Heritage Bluegrass http://www.hickoryhillbluegrass.com/ € € € Gary Thompson Takes 3 Ribbons from State Fair Greenville's Gary Thompson won blue ribbons for his peach jam and Texas-style barbecue sauce at this year's state fair in Raleigh. His red plum jelly earned a red ribbon. "I've been telling people I had the best barbecue sauce," he said, and this year's state fair judges agreed. Thompson's jams, jellies, pickles, relishes, and sauces are available at Fountain General Store and also from Thompson on most Saturday's at the Pitt County Farmers Market. At this year's Pitt County Fair, he won blue ribbons for rhubarb jam, bread & butter pickles, plum jelly, scuppernong jelly, peach jam, and pepper jelly. He won red ribbons for blueberry jelly, rose petal jelly, strawberry preserves, pepper relish, and cocktail sauce. November Music at Fountain General Store 2 Tony Whetstone 7:30 FREE Whetstone, from Alaska via Greenville for the past 20 years, returns to Fountain for the first time since he won 2nd place at Slidestock, the national slide guitar competition held in Wilmington last month. 3 Highway 58 7:30 $5 One of the best bluegrass bands in the south, Highway 58--named for the NC highway most of the bandsmen live on-- is SuperGrit Cowboy Band co-founder Clyde Mattocks' true passion. 4 International Harvesters 7:30 $5 Charlie Flowers of Wilson returns with an all-star band for a night of honky-tonk country music 9 Ragged Company 7:30 FREE JUST ADDED! Bluegrass, oldtime, Americana, and some acoustic rock from a Triangle-based trio. 10 Nancy & Tammy Dail & Country Roads 8:00 $8 This is a show that would cost big bucks in Branson or Myrtle Beach. A super-tight band led by Wilson's Bowie Martin and the dynamic mother/daughter duo from Raleigh make for great country music. They've added some fine original numbers written by Tammy's husband to their repertoire, too. Reservations recommended. 11 White Pine Hollow 7:30 $5 The Tew Brothers have some of the best bluegrass harmonies in the state, and dobro player David Hamlett is a fan favorite in Fountain. 12 Take 2 & Ramblin' Rose 3 p.m. FREE Bluegrass gospel from a fine family band out of the Roanoke Rapids area. 16 Bluegrass jam w/ Jack Wrzesinski 7:30 FREE All levels of pickers and fans are always welcome to join host Wrzesinski, the Greenville-based mandolin and guitar picker. 17 Malpass Family 7:30 $7 The most popular bluegrass, bluegrass gospel, and country music band in the region, this Goldsboro-based family band is SRO wherever they play. 18 @ Risk 7:30 FREE Benefit for ECU's History Honors Society, Phi Alpha Theta. These history profs rock n roll with a passion. 24 Steve Creech Sextet 8:00 $5 With sensational pianist Jimmy Aycock from Fremont and smooth crooning Emery Davis from Greenville, this band put on a show here in September that several of our patrons swore was the best live music they'd ever heard. Reservations recommended. 25 DropTop Cadillacs 7:30 $5 When Mike Baker's new band debuted here in August, it was SRO. This is another fine country music band out of Wilson County. Reservations recommended. € € € 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. 41 October 19, 2006 published weekly by R.A. Fountain, General Store & Internet Cafe Boys from Carolina Plays Bluegrass Friday Night € Jon Durham Homecoming Show Saturday € Abe Quigley Returns from Chicago for Free Sunday Night Concert € Bluegrass Jam Tonight! [Fountain, NC] The Boys from Carolina celebrates the recent release of its first CD, "Train Ride Home," with a return visit to Fountain General Store on Friday night for a concert of bluegrass and bluegrass country music. The upcoming 4-day weekend of live music in Fountain also includes free shows on Thursday and Sunday nights, and an eastern Carolina homecoming concert on Saturday for Kenly native Jon Durham. The Boys from Carolina boasts over 140 years of picking experience. They include Wright Young, from Durham, who plays mandolin and sings lead, baritone, and tenor; Chuck Shutte, from Raleigh, who plays dobro and sings lead, tenor and baritone; Lindy Brown, also from Raleigh, who plays bass; Larry Nunnery, from Benson, who plays guitar and sings lead and baritone; and Bob Wilkerson, from Smithfield, who has been playing banjo for over 35 years. Schutte and Brown have been performing for over 30 years each, Young for 25 years, and Nunnery for 20 years. Most of the players met while with Friends in Bluegrass; other bands they've individually performed with include Sweet Dixie, Varina Station, Hanna Creek String Band, Lonesome Pine Bluegrass Band, the Eno Ramblers, and Piedmont Bluegrass. The Boys from Carolina's October 20 concert begins at 7:30. Admission is $5. Jack Wrzesinski returns on Thursday to host Fountain General's monthly bluegrass jam. Wrzesinski, a Greenville-based mandolin and guitar picker, enjoys leading or playing rhythm. The free jam, which begins at 7:30 on October 19, welcomes all levels of pickers. Jon Durham's homecoming concert on Saturday night is also a CD-release party celebrating his third recording in two years, "Sunset Haze." Durham incorporates an eclectic variety of styles into his music reflecting the influence of artists like Todd Snider, Steve Earle, John Prine and Robert Earl Keen. A native of Kenly, Durham has lived in Aiken, SC for several years, where he has built a solid reputation as one of the region's most talented singer-songwriters. Many of his narrative songs are based on his traveling experiences. Jon Durham's October 21 concert begins at 8:00; admission is $5. Chicago-based singer-songwriter Abe Quigley returns to Fountain General for a free concert on Sunday evening. Quigley, who performs over 200 shows a year, is traveling through the southeast to promote his latest CD, "acousticrockjazzfunk." His October 22 show begins at 8:00. 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. € € € Boys from Carolina http://ibluegrass.com/bg_bands2.cfm?b__i=1541 for high resolution photo, go to http://rafountain.com/pictures/BoysFromCarolina/BoysCarolina6.jpg] € € € Jon Durham http://www.jondurham.net/jon_durham001.htmow € € € Abe Quigley http://www.abequigley.com/ € € € November Music Schedule Announced 2 Tony Whetston FREE Tony's first return to Fountain since he won 2nd place at Slidestock, the national slide guitar competition held in Wilmington last month. 3 Highway 58 Absolutely one of the best bluegrass bands you'll ever hear perform. This band is SuperGrit co-founder Clyde Mattocks' true passion. 4 International Harvesters Charlie Flowers returns with an all-star band for a night of honky-tonk country music 9 TBA What to try our stage? 10 Nancy & Tammy Dail & Country Roads This is a show you'd pay big bucks to see in Branson or Myrtle Beach. A super-tight band led by Bowie Martin and the dynamic mother/daughter duo make for great country music. 11 White Pine Hollow The Tew Brothers have some of the best bluegrass harmonies in the state, and dobro player David Hamlett is a fan favorite in Fountain. 12 Take 2 & Ramblin' Rose FREE Bluegrass gospel from a fine family band out of the Roanoke Rapids area 16 Bluegrass jam w/ Jack Wrzesinski FREE All levels of pickers and fans are always welcome. 17 Malpass Family If you haven't caught this extraordinary family in concert, call ahead early, because it'll be S.R.O. Reservations recommended. 18 @ Risk FREE! Benefit for ECU's History Honors Society, Phi Alpha Theta These history profs rock n roll with a passion. Look for an announcement about their opening act. 24 Steve Creech Sextet With sensational pianist Jimmy Aycock and smooth crooning Emery Davis, this band put on a show here in September that several of our patrons swore was the best live music they'd ever heard. Reservations recommended. 25 DropTop Cadillacs When Mike Baker's new band debuted here in August, it was SRO. This is another fine country music band out of Wilson County. Reservations recommended. € € € Happy New Year! George Higgs Comeback Concert Set for January 27 Tarboro bluesman George Higgs returns to Fountain for a concert on January 27 with his jazz singing daughters, who perform as Just Us. Higgs, who is on dialysis three times a week, recently sat in with local hero Lightnin' Wells. "He could've gone more," said his wife, Bettye, "but we didn't want to tire him out." Doctors have recommended that Higgs play guitar to work on his manual dexterity and to play his harmonica to work on his wind. He played only harmonica with Wells, but he works daily on his guitar and is looking forward to returning to Fountain. Higgs latest CD, "Rainy Day," was released by MusicMaker in August. Copies are available at Fountain General Store and from its secure e.store. January opens with a return concert by Fountain's own Lightnin' Wells (5th) and includes return dates by former Del McRory mandolin player Dick Staber, who performs oldtime and bluegrass with his wife, Judith Chasnoff (6th); and the Fountain premier of the Carolina Chocolate Drops (19th). € € € 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. 40 October 10, 2006 published weekly by R.A. Fountain, General Store & Internet Cafe Virginia-based Bluegrass Band Headlines 4-day Music Weekend € Mary Rocap Friday Night € Free Shows on Thursday and Sunday € Hamer's Okay € Gary Thompson Wins 11 Ribbons at Pitt County Fair The return of In the Tradition, a 6-piece bluegrass band out of Lynchburg, Virginia, headlines the upcoming weekend of live music performances at Fountain General Store. Formed in 1995, In the Tradition is one of the most popular bluegrass bands in the southeast. Their first visit to Fountain, in January, brought out a crowd of fans who had enjoyed them at bluegrass shows in Kinston. "This is one of the highest energy acts, some of the best pickers we've had in our two years of operation," said Alex Albright, Fountain General Store proprietor. In the Tradition is a family band in the truest sense of the term: led by Donnie Mason on mandolin, it also includes his son, Scott, on banjo; Scott's wife, Tammy, on bass, and Tammy's father, Ray Green, on guitar. Also in the band are Ron Padgett on fiddle and mandolin and Chris Hart on dobro. In the Tradition was recently featured at the "Nothin' Fancy Music Festival," in Buena Vista, Virginia, with Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, IIIrd Tyme Out, CherryHolmes, and the James King Band. Their October 14 concert begins at 7:30; admission is $5. Greenville-based Gene and Gina also make their second appearance in Fountain on Thursday night for a concert of folk and acoustic rock. They specialize in original interpretations of contemporary classics by the likes of Van Morrison, Wilson Pickett, the Allman Brothers, Boz Scaggs, and the Drifters. Guitarist Gene Gilliken studied music at NC Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount. Gina Gerard studied music at ECU and accompanies Gene on flute. She has been a member of the Tar River Community Band, and together, they are half of the local band The Missing Ingredient. Both are also employed at the Upper Crust Bakery in Greenville. Mary Rocap, who lives in the northern Orange County community of Cedar Grove, performs a concert of original songs on Friday night. She has been active in the Triangle music scene since the mid-1970s when she began singing with Lise Uyanik and the Mobile City Band, with whom she still performs. She also plays with a variety of Triangle musicians, including Bill Henderson and Bo Lozoff. Rocap, who accompanies herself on guitar, is originally from Media, Pennsylvania. She won an NC Arts Council grant for songwriting in 2001. One reviewer said when listening to Rocap sing, "you'll swear she's Gillian Welch's long-lost sister." Rocap was a founding member, in 1992, of GraceNote, a folk-gospel a capella group comprised of members of Blacknall Presbyterian Church in Durham, and from 1999-2005 she performed in the folk/percussion group Silver, named for the quartet's collective hair color. Rocap has released two CDs, "Sweet Mimosa" and "Indian Summer." Her October 13 concert begins at 7:30; admission is $5. Melody Brown performs a free concert of Christian folk music on Sunday afternoon. She has been building a solid base of fans in the region with several return engagements at Fountain General Store. Brown, who lives in Zebulon, was greatly influenced in her music by childhood visits to her grandmother's Kentucky mountain home. Her original ballads tell stories of growing up in a simpler time, when families still spent Sunday afternoons together. "She's got a stunningly beautiful voice, too," said Albright. Brown, who considers her music a part of her Christian ministry, has released one CD, "A Voice 4 Him." Her October 15 concert begins 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. € € € Mary Rocap http://www.maryrocap.com/ Melody Brown http://www.avoice4him.com/ € € € Mike Hamer Doing "Okay" Mike Hamer, kept out of last Friday night's singer-songwriter lineup because of an infection, is doing "okay," he reported this evening. "I had a full day at work today," he said, "and I'm doing much better." Hamer will return to Fountain General Store for his third annual Christmas show on December 17. € € € Gary Thompson Takes 11 Blue and Red Ribbons Home from Pitt County Fair Greenville's Gary Thompson brought home six blue and five red ribbons from the Pitt County fair this year. Thompson's canned goods have been popular sellers at Fountain General Store since its opening. He has 15 entries in the state fair. Jars of his prize-winning products, from the same batches that have won him over 50 blue and red ribbons at the county and state fairs in the last 3 years, are available at Fountain General Store and from Thompson most Saturdays at the Pitt County Farmers Market. This year at the Pitt County Fair he won blue ribbons for rhubarb jam, bread & butter pickles, plum jelly, scuppernong jelly, peach jam and pepper jelly. He won red ribbons for blueberry jelly, rose petal jelly, strawberry preserves, pepper relish, and cocktail sauce. € € 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. 39 October 3, 2006 published weekly by R.A. Fountain, General Store & Internet Cafe Friday Night Singer-Songwriter Showcase with Tommy G, Mike Hamer, Chet Nichols € MasterShield Recording Artists Carolina Sonshine Return for Big Bluegrass Gospel Show Saturday Night [Fountain, NC] MasterShield Recording artists Carolina Sonshine return to Fountain General Store Saturday night for a concert of original and classic bluegrass and bluegrass gospel music. On Friday night, a 3-man singer-songwriter series of mini-concerts will showcase the original music of Chet Nichols, Mike Hamer, and Tommy G. Carolina Sonshine plays Fountain on the heels of their recent 4-night run of performances in Nashville, Tennessee during the annual International Bluegrass Music Association meeting, where they were featured in the prestigious artists showcase. The band plays original bluegrass and covers of classic bluegrass and bluegrass gospel, sometimes in strict imitation of the original, and sometimes with original takes on the classic material. "They were a big hit when they played here last year," said Alex Albright, Fountain General Store proprietor. "They mix a little comedy and some impersonations in with their excellent picking, and it's a very entertaining show." Carolina Sonshine formed in 1998. It assembles for performances from diverse home bases in North and South Carolina. Danny Stanley, from Loris, SC, played for 18 years with his family band, the Stanleys. He sings lead and plays guitar and writes many of the group's original songs. He also plays fiddle, dobro, harmonica, and mandolin. Dennis Cash, who plays mandolin and sings tenor, lives in Lumber Bridge, NC. He also plays guitar and autoharp and composes original songs for the band. Tom Langdon of Garner plays banjo, dobro, and Scruggs-style guitar and sings baritone. Bassist Wayne Ratley lives in Fayetteville. Carolina Sonshine released the CDs "Soaring Like an Eagle" and "Walking in God's Sunshine" before signing with MasterShield Records, for whom they recorded their latest, "Carolina Sonshine Remembers the Country Gentleman." Copies of all three CDs and a live-performance DVD will be available at their Fountain show. Carolina Sonshine's October 7 concert begins at 7:30. General admission is $7.50; reserved seats are $10. The singer-songwriter showcase concerts set for Friday night brings together three of North Carolina's best composers of original songs. Headlining the evening is Tommy Gillespie, who performs as Tommy G and for this show will be accompanied by Grant "Wizard" Spry on mandolin, banjo and guitar. Gillespie, from Reidsville, originally came to Greenville in the early 1970s to study at ECU. He wound up at the core of the burgeoning popular music movement that in the late 1970s and 1980s flourished in Greenville, centered around the Treehouse for local music and the Attic for regional and national attractions. Gillespie fronted several incarnations of bands‹Tommy G and Company, the Tommy G Experience, the Gillespie-Hamer Band‹that mostly performed his material, usually with arrangements by Spry. "They were always my favorite band in town," said Lightnin' Wells, who moved to Greenville in 1976 and soon began performing solo shows at the Treehouse. "There was this great music scene when I got to town," said Wells. "The Treehouse was the place to meet. You had live music 7 nights a week in a place where you could have decent food and catch up with all of your friends." Other regulars in the Tommy G bands included Amy Hazard on saxophone and flute, Louis Cherry on guitar, and Vinnie Brooks on drums. "Mike [Hamer] started writing songs," said Wells, "and that's when it became the Gillespie-Hamer Band." Gillespie, however, made a clean break from playing music and left the area, and Hamer, in 1982, formed the Lemon Sisters and Rutabaga Brothers, which remains one of the most popular, though rarely performing, dance bands in the region. Gillespie, who now lives in Carrboro, began performing again last year, with both an acoustic show and an electric band. His return to music performance and songwriting has been greeted enthusiastically at performances in the Triangle. This is his first performance in Fountain. Hamer said of his former performing partner: "Tommy G is the best singer-songwriter in the state." Hamer, who performs second on the evening bill, will be accompanied by Sue Luddeke and Joe Dudasik. He originally came to Greenville as a VISTA volunteer in the mid-1970s and has maintained an active performing and recording career since, as both a solo artist and in various bands. In recent years, Hamer has produced three CDs of his original songs: "Black Crow," "Love Dust," and "Rhinos Doing the Wild Thing." He also is an English professor at ECU, where he has taught song-writing seminars. Chet Nichols, who begins the show, has been called "an eastern Carolina Springsteen," whose narrative songs reflect the hardscrabble lives of the tobacco and cotton country instead of the rust belt world of Springsteen's songs. Nichols, a former ECU art student who lives in Wilson, has released two CDs, "Somewhere Out There" and "The Local Vocal Sessions." "Chet's a fine songwriter and an intense performer," said Albright. "He's the only songwriter I know of in the region who's actively writing anti-war material, about what's going on in the world right now. Many of his songs are like grim but compelling little short stories." The singer-songwriter showcase, featuring Tommy G, Mike Hamer, and Chet Nichols, begins at 8 p.m. on October 6. General admission is $5; reserved seats are $7 and are very much recommended for this show. 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. € € € Carolina Sonshine http://www.carolinasonshine.com/ Here Mike Hamer sing "Black Crow" http://rafountain.com/audio/hamer_blackcrow.mp3 Hear Chet Nichols sing "California Shore" http://rafountain.com/audio/nichols_californiashore.mp3 € € € Gary Thompson Bringing Home the Ribbons Again this Year Greenville's Gary Thompson will be bringing home 10 or so ribbons from the Pitt County fair this year. "It looked like at least 6 blue ribbons," he said today where he was set up selling his jams, jellies and pickles at a fair booth sponsored by the Pitt County Farmers Market, where Thompson is a regular Saturday morning vendor. "And there were at least 4 red ribbons in there." Official ribbon tallies can't be determined until the fair's close, on Sunday. Right now, the winning entries are featured in displays that make it difficult to read winners' names. Thompson's wares have been popular sellers at Fountain General Store since its opening two years ago. Pickled okra is back in stock in both pint and quart sizes, and among the many new products recently delivered to Fountain are fig preserves, red scuppernong jelly, white scuppernong jelly, cherry jam, green tomato relish, jalapeno jelly, and chow chow. His first delivery of barbecued cashews has already sold out. A complete tally of this year's ribbon-winning entries for Thompson will be reported in next week's Express. € € € 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-