Colonel Bruce Hampton, Revisited
Looking back a few months, the Colonel remains compelling.
Nice to see our Friday the 13th show with Colonel Bruce Hampton included in Casey Phillips' lineup of "must-see music".
March brings wave of must-see music to town
Thursday, March 12, 2015
If the schizophrenic waffling of the mercury in your thermometer between sub-freezing and balmy hasn’t made it abundantly clear, spring is less than 10 days away. (And to those of you experiencing your first Southern spring, don’t be alarmed; this is how the weather always behaves at this time of year.)On the cusp of St. Patrick’s Day, I normally would spout off about how grand it is to play Irish music — which it is — but there are just so many other things going on this weekend that are worth pointing out instead.Normally, I think of May as the month when the music calendar fills to overflowing. For whatever reason, that flood has arrived a couple of months early, and that’s despite Track 29 taking a breather after hosting a slew of awesome shows.Here’s what should be on your radar:› The Vienna Boys Choir — or Wiener Sängerknaben, if you’re feeling particularly Teutonic — will sing at the Tivoli Theatre on Friday. They might wear ridiculous sailor uniforms, but this vocal ensemble of 10- to 14-year-olds is one of the world’s oldest and most renowned. Seriously, no group survives 500 years just by coasting on looking like an army of Little Dutch Boys.› Also on Friday, the fifth annual Road to Nightfall kicks off the first of five nights of preliminary rounds at Rhythm & Brews. This year, the battle of the bands has really ramped up — read my story in this issue for more info — but this has long been one of the most popular local music events of the year.› Also on Friday, Barking Legs Theater will host Col. Bruce Hampton, Ret. Neither a colonel nor retired, Hampton is a Southern music legend, who has produced psychedelic fusion at the head of bands ranging from the Aquarium Rescue Unit and Hampton Grease Band to New Ice Age and Fiji Mariners. On the strength of those names alone, this is a must-see.› Finally, on Saturday, the Great Southern Old Time Fiddlers Convention returns for its sixth occupation of Lindsay Street Hall. More than 100 fiddlers, banjo players and other artists are expected to perform — again, more information is in my article — but the fun can’t be contained by brick walls alone. The competition inside is fantastic, but if past years are any indication, impromptu jam sessions also will spill onto the lawn outside.We’re somewhere between March’s lion and lamb days, so there’s every chance that winter might get in a late hit. Even if it does, at least you’ll have some entertainment with which to weather the chill.Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @Phillips CTFP.