Night Ranger
Ranks of arena rock bulged when San Francisco’s Night Ranger welcomed 1983 with their top five smash single “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me.”
Well, their fans do love Night Ranger. Look for the middle-of-the-road rockers to drain the ’80s at The Cameo Theater in Bristol, Virginia, on Friday, Jan. 28. Yep, good tickets remain.
Led by lead singer Jack Blades, Night Ranger classifies as arena rockers. Hallmarked by big sounds and dramatic power ballads, Night Ranger appealed to guitar-hungry rockers with such songs as “(You Can Still) Rock in America.” Then along came “Sister Christian” in 1984. It straddled power ballad and rock guitar terrain en route to solidifying the band as one of the standouts of 1980s rock.
People are also reading…
Mike Farris
Raw as jagged razor blades, Mike Farris emotes feeling unabashed and unimpeded.
Presented by the Friends of 1927 Concert Series, Farris returns to Bristol on Saturday, Jan. 29. A longtime favorite in Bristol and beyond, witness the Grammy-winning singer at the McGlothlin Theatre in the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, Virginia.
Stylistically, Farris classifies as a soul singer. Lyrically, he dips considerably into gospel music, though not exclusively. He’s hobnobbed with country singers, but he’s not a country singer. He rocks but falls just shy of being a purveyor of rock ’n’ roll. Instead, he’s Stax gone to church and church gone to Motown, a fella who, when he opens his mouth to sing, pauses the world. Or at least, it should pause for him.
Julie Williams
Flavors of steak and chicken wings jibe well with the twangy music of Julie Williams.
Accompanied by guitarist Willie Melton, Williams returns to Quaker Steak & Lube on State Street in Bristol, Virginia, on Friday, Feb. 4. It’s worthy of a note on one’s calendar.
Based in Carter County, Williams switched musical gears in recent years. Whereas tenets of bluegrass had informed her music, she’s adopted a more country-to-rock style of late. Toned in twang, Williams dips her music deep into Appalachia’s wells. Melton’s Telecaster, which he recently outfitted with a twangy B-Bender, helps to inform Williams’ new approach. However, as in days gone by, Williams’ wide open and emotive vocals shine like an East Tennessee moon.
Music Notes
Two months from spring, September looms closer than you may imagine. Consider that we’re less than eight months from the 21st Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion. Set for Friday, Sept. 9, through Sunday, Sept. 11, in downtown Bristol, gradual lineup announcements will unfurl in the coming weeks and months.
Who’s going to headline? Who among local acts — 49 Winchester? JP Parsons? etc. — will appear during this year’s installment?
Meanwhile, tickets are on sale. Weekend passes, which will incrementally rise in price as September nears, currently retail for $100. For perspective, tickets to see one of last year’s headliners, perhaps rockers Blackberry Smoke, could easily cost nearly that much to see by themselves. Likewise, such past Rhythm & Roots acts as Emmylou Harris, Dwight Yoakam or Steve Earle.
To purchase tickets and for more information on the festival, call 423-573-1927 or visit https://birthplaceofcountrymusic.org/festival.
More immediately, Bristol’s JP Parsons and Abingdon’s Adam Bolt will be among the songsmiths squaring off during the Tennessee Songwriters Week Qualifying Round on Saturday, Feb. 5, at 1 p.m. It takes place at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, Virginia. Tickets to attend cost $10.
Additional participants include such area residents as Johnson City’s Florencia Rusinol, Bristol’s Ella Patrick, Abingdon’s Logan Fritz and Abingdon’s Justin Crider.
Winners of the qualifying rounds, which are occurring across the state of Tennessee, will advance to showcase events at venues in Memphis, Franklin, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Gatlinburg and Johnson City during the week of Feb. 20-26. Showcase winners then advance to the finale at The Bluebird Café in Nashville on March 20.
For more information, visit www.tnvacation.com/songwriters-week and https://birthplaceofcountrymusic.org/event/qualifying-round-at-the-museum.
Texan Ray Wylie Hubbard kicks up the dust during this week’s free MP3 downloads. Mosey over to www.pastemagazine.com/noisetrade/music/ray-wylie-hubbard/oct-4-2021-paste-studio-atx-austin-tx1. Several times a performer during Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, Hubbard offers four live tracks, including a cosmic “Bad Trip,” recorded at Paste Studio in October.