Nightflying: The Entertainment Guide

Hot Summer Nights 2010 Eureka!

    Raise your frosty glasses in a toast to all the performers, their roadies, and sound techs to deliver musical entertainment to soothe our savage souls on these hot Summer nights! (SIP) Now, refill your glass and salute the bartenders and wait-staff who run around delivering those frosty glasses with extra limes! (SIP) Now, refill that glass and say, “Cheers!” to the owners of the bar who pays for all of this entertainment and the personnel so we could have this moment together! (SIP) Now, salute yourself for supporting this lovely circle! (SIP) Now, call Eureka Taxi to drive you home!
    Eureka Springs is alive and well, looking gorgeous, and full of wonderful entertainment. Read on and see for yourself what our town has in store!
Gordon Lightfoot in Concert
    Gordon Lightfoot, the Canadian songwriter famous for his troubadour singing style and responsible for timeless hits like “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Sundown,” “Carefree Highway,” and “Rainy Day People” will appear in Eureka Springs’ Historic Auditorium on Sunday, August 22 at 8pm.
     Gordon Lightfoot started his singing career in barbershop quartets and duos. In 1962 his solo career exploded when he entered the Country and Folk scene of the time. He is one of THE best selling Canadian recording artists and his songs have influenced and been recorded by loads of artists including Peter, Paul, & Mary, John Mellencamp, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Olivia Newton-John, and many more. Personally, I love his voice and the moods of his songs and am overwhelmed at the thought that he will be in my town. My friend clasped both my hands in the air and bowed her head in silent thanksgiving reverence when the concert was mentioned and I believe that sums up the welcoming vibe Gordon Lightfoot will receive when he arrives.
    Tickets are $65 and $55 and can be obtained by calling the Aud office at (479) 253-7788.
Eureka Springs Bluegrass Weekend August 19-22
    Bring your fiddle, banjo, bass, guitar, and a hankering for watermelon to the Basin Spring Park for the Eureka Springs Bluegrass Weekend on Thursday, August 19th! The Watermelon Social is the traditional kick-off for the Weekend and lots of free fun for the whole family.   Enjoy loads of toe tappin’ and rollickin’ in the park throughout the weekend with music by favorites like the Hobnobbers, The Cobb Family, The Roving Gamblers, Josh Love Band, Common Thyme, The Williams Family, The Hillbenders, Mountain View Friends, and The Dragon Masters. Plus the amazing Spoonman, Bill Nesbitt, Pam Kirby, and more will be joining in the fun.
    Saturday night, August 21 there will be a special performance by Melvin Goins at the City Auditorium. Opening the show are Mr. Big, Arkansas Red, and Tim Crouch.
    It just wouldn’t be Eureka Bluegrass Weekend without The Williams Family Gospel Show on Sunday. This inspiring group moves the crowd with unbelievable harmonies and superb musicianship. They are the perfect high note for the weekend. All shows in the Basin Spring Park are free.
    Around town catch a Friday night performance by The Hogscalders on the Basin Park Hotel Balcony with Catfish on the side. Chelsea’s has Mountain Sprout and their friends The Whistle Pigs both Friday and Saturday. The New Delhi Cafe has the Sideshow Tramps who sort of vamp around the bluegrass genre and are so fun to see. The Squid & Whale has Free State Revival and the Mockingbird Hillbilly Band.   Throughout the weekend there will be musicians around town playing tunes on the street. Also, they’ll be pickin’ poolside at local lodgings after the shows Friday and Saturday nights.
Jack’s Big News
    There is big excitement in downtown Eureka Springs due to the come back of the legendary Center Stage. Jack’s Place at 37 Spring Street is about to break on through to the other side by reopening the space next door creating one large venue. Center Stage sports one of the most impressive stages in Eureka Springs and Jack has big plans for it.
     Both bars will be open on the weekends, and Jack’s Center Stage will be rocking with live music.   During the rest of the week, the room will be open with two pool tables and a large screen TV and Jack’s Place will be serving drinks.
    I got to take a sneak peek at the room last weekend and despite the renovation dust and stacks of future furniture I got a chill of anticipation of things to come. Fatz 59, a power trio from the Branson/Blue Eye neighborhood, will have the honor of the first dance on that Center Stage. This tight party band features Bruce Leighton on lead guitar, Danny Brown on drums and lead vocals, and Jimmy Dowling on bass and vocals. Jack’s Center Stage will open very soon and officially celebrate their Grand Opening on August 20 and 21st.
    New Delhi Cafe attracts a steady flow of refreshing music throughout the week. A new music menu item was recently added, the duo of Stevie T & Jerry on Thursday’s. Stevie T’s songs could be forced into the Country Blues section like Steve Earl could, but it is tinged with gospel, grit, folk, and it really rocks! Check it out for yourself and thank me later for the recommendation. The New Delhi continues to enchant downtown with the music of BrickFields and Jerry Jones’ Wednesday Open Jam, plus weekly special performances by all sorts of players: Miles Ralston, Sideshow Tramps, Mountain Sprout, David Alan Coe’s daughter - Shelly Coe, and a return of our beloved Opal Fly from her new home in Las Vegas on September 4th!
    Chelsea’s Cafe & Bar keeps their reputation for red hot music accurate through these hot summer nights with a head-spinning line-up. In addition to the ever popular Tuesday night open mic with Kevin, they have this to offer on the weekends ahead: Ozakwaaba, Elisha Israel & AZ One, Earl & Them, Stevie T & Jerry, Mountain Sprout, The Whistle Pigs, Sam & The Stylees (ask Eric about his buoyancy), Randy Crouch, Opal Fly (Via Las Vegas!), The Ariels, and Macaroni 5.
    The Squid & Whale~ I introduced some of my out of town guests to the “Open Mic Musical Smack-Down” experience featuring Bloody Buddy & Friends last Thursday night at the Squid & Whale. The couple we saw on stage had the crowd boppin’ and smiling and my guests witnessed this and asked, “Is it always like this around here?” The weekends bring in another wave of Squid & Whale live music fun with acts like Dayton Waters, Jah Kings, Snake Fighter, 42, Black Water, The Will Callers, Pearl Nation, The Crumbs, Free State Revival, Mockingbird Hillbilly Band, Mighty Moonfrogs, Raina Rose, and Taken featuring Darryl Brooks. Happy Birthday to DEE!
Eurekapalooza  
People get ready for a new music festival happening this Fall called Eurekapalooza! This all day event will be held on Saturday, September 25th at Lake Leatherwood in Eureka Springs and will benefit Clear Spring School. Eurekapalooza will feature about a dozen fabulous musical acts in a gorgeous outdoor setting. Lots of games and activities for kids of all ages, concessions, camping, and great music make this a must for your September plans. The line-up is still growing, but the confirmed list includes: The Ariels, The Awesome Possums, Cool Clear Water, David Singleton, The Hogscalders, HonkySuckle, Jones Van Jones, Kory Montgomery Band, Nathaniel Rogers, Pearl Brick, The Rooguards, and more! Tickets will be sold at the gate for $15, children 12 and under get in free. Primitive camping is first come first serve, and a limited number of reservable electric/RV sites, and cabins are available by calling Lake Leatherwood Park office at (479) 253-7921. For more information about Eurekapalooza or Clear Spring School, please visit www.eurekapalooza.com or www.clearspringschool.org.  
Happy Trails to Catherine Reed
    Eureka Springs songstress, Catherine Reed, is taking her beautiful voice and easy-going nature to Colorado to start a new and exciting chapter of her life and will be missed greatly by audiences and friends. Catherine’s talent is invaluable to the entertainment schedule on the Basin Park Hotel Balcony, and in fact she is my “go to person” to get the information I need each month to report for this paper. I love hearing her voice floating down from the Balcony Bar, from the Basin Spring Park Band Shell, and at the Crescent Hotel’s Sunday Brunch. She will be at KJ’s Caribe` Restaurante August 27 & 28. Please check the Sound pages in this issue for an opportunity to see her perform before she goes and pick up one of her CD’s. It will help with her gas money and make a great Catherine Reed souvenir!
Awesome Possums Bouncing Back Benefit
    This is a note to alert friends of Lyle Pinkley of the Awesome Possums that the musicians of Eureka Springs are rallying in support of his awesomeness in the Basin Spring Park Band Shell on Sunday, August 8th from 1 'til 5pm. His rehearsal/recording studio burned to the ground on the 4th of July when a neighbor’s burn pile embers spread out of control. The fire thief robbed Lyle of expensive equipment including his beloved instruments and irreplaceable photos and original lyric sheets and gig posters from over 30 years of playing music. News like that just leaves all of us here in town wishing there was something we could do, so we are doing what we know how; throwing a benefit in the Basin Park.
    Thanks again for supporting live music, this paper, and this column. Now go out and have some fun! You deserve it.
    And if you see Peter Read, please wish him many happy returns on his birthday and wedding anniversary! God Bless Peter Read! Cheers to Peter! For he’s a jolly good fellow which nobody can deny!
Karen FitzPatrick

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