May 6: The David Mayfield Parade

May 6, 2011 First Friday
5:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Admission: Free with food donation

Sponsored by BB&T. Food provided by Moes Southwest Grill and beverages provided by Natty Greenes. The Southern Pines Fire Deparment will have a truck there for the kids.

Leaving the 1956 Flex tour bus David Mayfield and his family called home to start his nightly shift at the tool and die along side his father it’s easy to understand why he celebrates every performance he’s afforded. David Mayfield is the “other” voice and lead guitarist, as well as a contributing songwriter for folk rock favorites Cadillac Sky, whose last album “Letters In The Deep” was produced by Dan Auerbach (Black Keys) but his role as a member of the Texas by way of Nashville quintet is just one of the many musical paths this Grammy-nominated artist has journeyed. Growing up in Kent, Ohio, David was surrounded by Bluegrass music. At the age of twelve he was playing bass for the family band, traveling from festival to festival, along with his younger sister, noted songstress, Jessica Lea Mayfield, singing and absorbing the stories and lessons taught by road hard veterans, all the while picking up tips on how to play a lick on guitar or mandolin. By the time he was a teenager, Mayfield had won several national awards for his guitar and mandolin playing and his reputation was being forged in the world of Bluegrass as a player to watch out for. Things changed however when the family parked their bus in the heart of Country Music USA. Settling in Nashville, with the hopes of finding a steady gig that would allow for some stability, struggling to survive on music alone, David’s father took a job in a machine shop working the graveyard shift, while 16-year-old David got hired to sweep its floors. Once the last day shift worker and office staffer had left the building, voices would soar over the roar of machinery. Father and son while working to keep the family afloat, would simply sing. As if they hadn’t a care in the world. Mayfield recalls it as one of his happiest memories. The family eventually moved back to their hometown in Ohio but David returned a few year later and after a stint of all night “gun-for-hire” gigs in the tourist filled honky-tonks that line downtown Nashville, Mayfield auditioned for country hit maker Andy Griggs. He got the gig and hit the road, eventually landing several appearances on the coveted Grand Ole Opry stage. In 2008 when Jessica Lea Mayfield was ready to make her debut record, Blasphemy So Heartfelt, she asked David to play bass on it. He did. And over the next year he would tour as her bassist, and as a newly minted member of Cadillac Sky all while writing and performing his own songs. That same year he produced and engineered the album “In Gods Time” for old friend Barry Scott. Much to Mayfield’s surprise and with some amusement the song went on to earn a Grammy nomination in the Southern Gospel category in 2009. His production credits continued with Among The Oak & Ash’s sophomore effort for Verve Records. But it was while on the road with Jessica that Avett Brothers, Scott and Seth took notice of Mayfield’s musicianship and the three quickly developed a friendship, leading them to invite David to sit in with them dozens of times including their 2010 Bonnaroo & Merlefest sets. After urging him more and more to make a record of his own, when he took to the studio the Avett’s were quick to lend their voices. David Mayfield Parade is the culmination of that encouragement. The album reflects the numerous influences that come from a lifetime of being immersed in American music and channeling its unique forms with sincerity and celebration from the howl of early rock-n-roll, to the low lonesome twang of folk and country with a voice that is all at once heartbreaking and inherently hopeful.

 

June 3: Shannon Whitworth

June 3, 2011 First Friday
5:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Admission: Free with food donation

Food provided byDog Nation Grill. Beverages provided by Railhouse Brewery in Aberdeen. Vide0 Games on Wheels provided for the kids.

Waters run deep in Shannon Whitworth’s soul. A daughter of South Carolina’s low country, it’s to the water that she returns when she needs respite from the wearisome world. So it’s understandable the theme of water surfaces in her songs so often; these are women who run, women who hope, women who love the wrong man, and when true love is present, women who return. They are Water Bound. The first thing that you notice about Shannon Whitworth is the voice—smoky, elegant, a bit husky, patient at all the right moments and equally adept at the phrasing of a jazz chanteuse; it’s no wonder she’s garnered comparisons to singers from Patsy Cline to Billie Holiday, as well as contemporaries like Neko Case. Then you realize what a stunning songsmith she is. In “Can’t Look In Your Eyes,” Whitworth conjures the dark heart that is at the root of much of the music of Appalachians, but her juxtaposition of the violent lyrical theme with her languid delivery, leaves the listener feeling the protagonist’s devastating resignation to her fate. The second track on Water Bound is the hopeful “Spring Is Here,” in which Whitworth writes about the rebirth of life and hope after a moribund winter. “It’s really more about an emotional state than anything. I knew someone that had Seasonal Affective Disorder, and it is a postcard of hope to them.” “Mermaid Song” explores the idea of two lovers that are failing to connect and uses the metaphor of a woman that is literally water bound (“I’m in the water/Out at sea, And you’re on a mountain/Looking for me”). This is an album that’s also about the blues—sometimes explicitly so, as on the spookily sad centerpiece, “I Got the Blues”—but elsewhere more covertly; Whitworth’s voice chrysalises the grief and naked desire of her lyrics, every bit as expressive an instrument as the mournful slide guitar in “Taking it Hard,” while several songs reference lyin’, devilish men—a reversal of the old “devil woman” trope that’s informed many a blues song. Shannon began recording in 2009 with producer Neilson Hubbard to see what might come of it. She immediately found a match, and they kept recording until Water Bound was a vision realized. “When I listen to the how the album begins,” Whitworth says in reference to the musical opening of the layered and meditative “Run To Roll On Home”, “it reminds me of a spring coming up from the ground. That was Neilson’s idea.” Shannon Whitworth was born in Virginia, but moved to South Carolina almost immediately after birth. Her father was an educator and a music lover. He and her mother filled the Whitworth house with music, and Shannon’s early years echoed with the songs of those that she considers some of the writers who framed her melodic sensibilities: Paul Simon, James Taylor, John Prine and Crosby Stills, Nash & Young. Moving back to Virginia in her teenage years, she was able to plug into the Northern Virginia music scene. She eventually found her way to North Carolina, where she was a founding member of the Biscuit Burners, the bluegrass band that brought her prodigious talents to the attention of the music world. After appearances on the BBC and PBS, Whitworth left the band to pursue a broader musical vision. She released her first solo album No Expectations in 2007. Whitworth has finally settled in North Carolina on a piece of land where three rivers meet. Water Bound carries with it the promise of heading toward something better—a promise that Shannon Whitworth and her beautiful new album deliver in spades.

July 1: Anders Osborne

July 1, 2011 First Friday
5:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Admission: Free with food donation

Sponsored by  Fletcher Industries. Food provided by Moes and beverages provided by Natty Greenes

Anders story (his life, his career) is not unlike those of the other great songwriters and artists that he’s been compared to by critics and roots purists Dylan, Guthrie, and Van Morrison, by the time he found New Orleans (or maybe it is the other way around) by taking the long way trekking through Africa and Egypt, working odd jobs to get to his next destination, he had the miles and music down to begin his career in his new home. “Oftentimes the most true portraits of America have been rendered by those who have come from outside its borders, yet somehow seem to understand and inhabit our culture more than those of us who have lived here all our lives.” JAMBASE Anders has spent most of career since honing his songwriting at the same time creating a solid fan-base by touring the East and West coast as a performer, while dividing time between New Orleans and Nashville as a staff writer for the Universal Music and Razor and Tie publishing companies. He’s worked his magic for other performers, writing “Watchin the Wind Blow By,” a number one hit for country superstar Tim McGraw and “I Was Wrong” and “A Better Man,” both Grammy-winning songs from Keb’ Mo’s album Slow Down. Anders has written songs for Brad Paisely, Jonny Lang, Tab Benoit and Jimmy Thackery, to name a few. “Anders Osborne artfully blends blues, rock, soul and classic R&B to create his own distinctive synthesis and original style.” ALL MUSIC GUIDE Anders hit the national scene with the 1995 release “Which Way To Here”. He and his band began to tour the country and later that year he was signed to Okeh Records, which had just been revived by Sony’s Michael Caplan. The record received rave reviews world wide and became Osborne’s first commercial break with two top-five singles on the national charts, “Favorite Son” and “Pleasin’ You.” Both were featured on movie soundracks movies, the latter later recorded by Johnny Lang. Anders also recorded a second CD for the label, titled “New Madrid”, which remains, unfortunately, unreleased. Three other independent-label releases — “Live at Tipitina’s” appeared on Shanachie in 1998 followed by “Living Room” and the next year the introspective “Ash Wednesday Blues” were issued. The following year Anders emerged as producer on the two historic recordings “Bury the Hatchet,” on which he and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux are double billed. Later Anders produced Monks “Mr. Stranger Man”, both distributed by Shanachie Music. In 2007, MC Records released Osborne’s critically acclaimed “Coming Down.” His performances have been described as equally spiritual as musical, creating the elusive connection between artist and audience. His emotive guitar complements the message and the music, enticing listeners into his heart and soul. His life is transformed via his song performances into a vehicle to take you to his destination, let you linger awhile, and bring you home a bit better than you left it to step into his world. He is able to refine and relate to the ordinary, making you feel a bit extraordinary in the process. No wonder he is in demand by perfomers of all stripes as a songwriter.

August 5: Howie DeWitt

August 5, 2011 First Friday
5:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Admission: Free with food donation

Food provided by Dog Nation Grill. Beverages provided by Carolina Brewing Company.

Visit WebSite of Howie DeWitt

September 2: Frontier Ruckus

September 2, 2011 First Friday
5:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Admission: Free with food donation

Sponsored by  Troops Connect. Food provided by Moes Southwest Grill. Beverages provided by Natty Greenes.

…delicate, finger-picked banjos, aching, oaky violin and the haunting voice of frontman Matthew Milia, who conjures what might happen had Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Mangum been raised in a log cabin. Their songs are full of rich, rural details: frozen lakes, swaying trees, highway lights glowing in the deep night. Add to the mix baleful brass and trembling percussion, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for Gothic Americana.” – Rolling Stone

“The literate angst and spare, elegant sound of 2010’s Deadmalls & Nightfalls, powered by a handful of acoustic instruments… and some tactfully applied horns… suggests a middle ground between the Palace Brothers and Sufjan Stevens, but the effect feels more like the shared experiences of Midwestern brethren than any conscious borrowing, and Milia and his bandmates give this album a full and satisfying sound without sacrificing the open spaces that add so much to the power of this music.” – All Music Guide

“On the surface their music is a careful blend of folk and bluegrass, but below the obvious layer many fans sensed an intangible element ingrained within the notes and lyrics Frontier Ruckus, through some kind of rare ability, turned memories into melodies and transformed a from-the-inside-out examination of their native Michigan into a creaky back-porch storytelling session relevant well beyond the Great Lakes. Deadmalls and Nightfalls is a musical map to the psyches of its performers. You will want to know the words by heart to sing under the haze of summer starlight, alongside the roaming river, while drifting down forgotten backroads, and contemplating the causes and effects of urban sprawl.” – PopMatters

“Deadmalls and Nightfalls also paints pictures, in vivid imagery of American scenery, life, and love, with not a single word misplaced in its poetic grace. Deadmalls and Nightfalls is an album meant to be combed through and listened to time and again, an album to bask in.” – Under the Radar

“So what do banjos, dobros, trumpets, alto horn and a singing saw have in common? One wouldn’t think very much were it not for Frontier Ruckus, a citified quintet of rustic folkies whose name belies their mournful melodies. Though they hail from Detroit, their songs evoke the loneliness and isolation of a dust-blown prairie. It’s a feeling owed in large measure to vocalist Matthew Milia, a star in the making…However this is no downer. Even in the face of that pervasive yearning, Deadmalls & Nightfalls boasts an unassuming, unfettered appeal that grows more affecting with each successive hearing.” – Blurt

October 7: Dangermuffin

October 7, 2011 First Friday
5:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Admission: Free with food donation

Food provided by Dog Nation Grill. Beverages provided by Lonerider.

Sit a moment with Dangermuffin’s latest album, Moonscapes, and you’ll hear tales of rogue lawmen, forlorn lovers, and rolling waves. Based in Folly Beach, SC, the eclectic trio casts a fresh perspective on American roots music.

With the release of Moonscapes in 2010, Dangermuffin has exploded onto the national scene. They are embarking on coast-to-coast touring courtesy of booking agency New Frontier (The Avett Brothers, Darrell Scott) and distribution and promotion support from label Dualtone Music Group (Guy Clark, Brett Dennen). They are becoming a cornerstone on festival billings, including Virginia’s FloydFest, SummerCamp Festival in Illinois, Yonder Mountain’s Harvest Fest in Arkansas, Jazz Aspen in Colorado and dozens more to come in 2011.

Setting Dangermuffin ahead of the pack are the refreshingly magnetic lyrics of Dan Lotti, winner of the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s 2005 “New Writers Showcase.” Lotti’s strong, articulate vocals perfectly frame each song, creating a stout foundation for the tasteful poly-groove jams and improvisational passages. “The concepts of Moonscapes comes from when the tide goes out on the beach, leaving tidal pools that look like craters,” says Lotti. “To me, that seemed like the notion of the sea of tranquility.”

Dangermuffin’s rhythmic anchor lies in the creative beats of Steven Sandifer (Drew Emmitt Band, Adrienne Young), embellished by the thrilling, twangy guitar stylings of Mike Sivilli. The result of their pooled talents is an inventive, fresh sound that retains an organic Americana truthfulness.

SiriusXM satellite radio has been spreading the music of Dangermuffin by airing them regularly on Jam On and Outlaw Country. Last year, the band celebrated acclaim in Relix Magazine as the winners of the April 2009 “Jam Off” competition. Their fanbase grows exponentially with each new market and show, as evidenced by their skyrocketing ticket sales nationwide.

With two strong records already under their belt and a new flagship album simply taking off, 2011 will prove to be groundbreaking for Dangermuffin. Give Moonscapes a spin and experience the post-roots groove — a punchy, folk-jam pastry with a sweet-toothed soul of the south.