Concert Review: Healing Appalachia 2022, A Two-Day Musical Mission To Battle The Opioid Crisis In Appalachia
If you’ve been a fan of our site, you’ve likely seen us mention Healing Appalachia several times. We were able to cover the first event, and you can find our coverage from that event, here.
If you’re unfamiliar with Healing Appalachia, allow me to provide you with an overview of the mission and some reasons that this event is extremely important. Healing Appalachia is (now) a two-day music festival that takes place on the fairgrounds of the West Virginia State Fair in Lewisburg, West Virginia. The event benefits the Hope In The Hills charity. An organization that is dedicated to helping fight the opioid crisis that grips Appalachia.
In short, the day that 26 people overdosed in one day in Huntington, WV, things had to change and that was the spark needed to pursue meaningful help and eventual change. The throes of addiction are very difficult to treat, and there weren’t a lot of organizations that were focused solely on addiction. Especially in the Appalachian region of our Country, which has been one of, if not the hardest hit regions in the entire world. So with music and events as the vehicle, Hope In The Hills and Healing Appalachia were born from a tormented necessity, and that’s why Capture Kentucky made the nearly five-hour drive to shine a little light on the cause that’s near and dear to our hearts.
You can read their entire mission here.
While you’re there, we highly encourage you to donate as well. The link for that is right here.
A Journey In Growth. Morgan Wade Was Anything But ‘Reckless’ At The Burl.
There are two types of shows that I LIVE for as a journalist and photographer. The first is a hometown show. There’s absolutely nothing like the energy of seeing folks come home to a sea of appreciation. The second, and the category that this show falls in, is when an artist that I’ve previously witnessed on a small stage returns to that same fanfare of a hometown show. It’s a thing of beauty and it’s why I knew I had to cover this show.
See, back in 2019, before the dreaded c-word, I witnessed a young lady on a small stage in the front yard of one of my favorite families on this planet. That would be the Roberts from good ole Ross’ Creek. If you don’t know the family, until the pandemic, they hosted Kickin’ It On The Creek. Morgan’s performance was a favorite for a multitude of reasons. Number one being just how much Morgan performing meant to Kelli Roberts. Seeing Kelli pull up a chair on the side of that stage warmed my heart like few things have in my lifetime.
That hot September, I saw a Morgan Wade that was still in her protective shell. She was hesitant to talk a lot, somewhat ashamed of her Virginia accent, until she heard all of us talk and she knew she was fine. Lol Morgan hid behind her sunglasses for that performance. She was a young lady that had all the tools she needed to succeed, but she was uncertain how the world would react to her and her music. (more…)
Rockers 3 Doors Down brought Kentucky’s Cameron Jayne To Rock The Funk Out Of The Barnyard
Hey y’all! It’s been a minute since I’ve been able to catch a show and bring you in-depth coverage, so for my first article in months, I chose a show that features one of my favorite bands, in Black Stone Cherry, (well it would’ve been anyhow) and the fine folks in 3 Doors Down at The Barnyard in Sharpsburg, Kentucky.
Unfortunately, COVID reared it’s ugly head and the fellas in Black Stone Cherry were forced to cancel several shows. Believe me when I say this, missing a show in their home state is just as heartbreaking to them, as it is to all of us. Their health is what matters most though. So send the folks some love, prayers, and good vibes.
Now you may remember our coverage of the very first show to be held at The Barnyard. (You can find that coverage here.) At that time, the main pavilion wasn’t complete like it is now. That day, we saw Kentuckians George Molton AND Tyler Booth on a removable stage back in 2021. They were support for Drew Parker and Sawyer Brown. Since that day, much has changed at The Barnyard.
The main pavilion is now finished and the traffic flow is much improved, as it’s a bit more spread out now. If you were able to snag tickets for a seat under the roof though, you were absolutely golden. Lawn access is also available for most shows, but as the Kentucky heat keeps creeping up higher and higher, you’re better off getting out of the sun. It may cost ya few more bucks, but I assure ya, it’s worth it.
The Nightmare Returned! Alice Cooper and Ace Frehley Rocked The Appalachian Wireless Arena In Pikeville.
Larkin Poe Harmonized Their Hearts Out At The Mountain Arts Center In Prestonsburg With The Cold Stares As Support
There’s an infinite number of variables that make for a good time, but on Sunday night, we found the ultimate prescription.
We took two sisters and all their beautiful harmonies, tossed in a heavy dose of the Blues, sprinkled in songs from their entire career and mixed them all together in the best cauldron Kentucky has to offer in the Mountain Arts Center in Prestonsburg.
Rebecca and Megan Lovell are a blues-oriented, Grammy-nominated duo known as Larkin Poe. Natives of Georgia, now based in Nashville, these young ladies made their way to Prestonsburg armed with an abundance of musical ammunition in reserve. Eager to travel and share their music with the masses, these ladies did something you’ll rarely see. In 2020, they released two albums. ‘Self Made Man’ and ‘Kindred Spirits.’
Under Pressure. ZZ Top Brought The Blues Through Cincinnati Like A Texas Tornado
Before we get into this article, I want to take a moment to express my sincere condolences to the family, friends and ZZ Top team over the loss of bassist Dusty Hill. His loss and influence is immeasurable.
**A special thanks to Mike Howard for use of his photo for this article. The photo was also taken at Riverbend for my old website Unsung Melody.
On Sunday evening, I began the process of writing an article that has taken me a lifetime to craft. I was given the opportunity to review and photograph ZZ Top in Cincinnati at the PNC Pavillion, which is a part of the Riverbend Entertainment Complex.
This article will be a bit different, as most of my articles have a tendency to do. See, my earliest musical memories are of ZZ Top. They have been a huge chunk of the soundtrack of my life, and I know I’m not alone in that regard. So let’s get this party started.
Downtown Hazard Danced The Night Away As They Hosted The North Fork Music Festival
Well, I finished off June at Festival Of The Red just up the road in Slade, so it only seems fitting to close out July with another Kentucky music festival right here in downtown Hazard! Let me ask you, how many music festivals have you been to where someone (Tim Parks) was made an honorary Duke Of Hazard? Zero? Yeah, me too. But that’s just one of the many very cool things that happened at this year’s North Fork Music Festival. You really missed out if you didn’t make either day of this one!
Friday evening started with Ben Fugate and I need to apologize to Ben. I missed his set, didn’t make it to the festival area in time to catch him… heard him as I was parking. I did catch Luke Trimble, Waylon Nelson, Dark Moon Hollow and Rye Davis (with a couple of members of Bourbon Branch) closed out the North Fork Festivals Friday night. (more…)
Sydney Adams Finally Achieves The Stage She Deserves In Her Hometown Of Corbin!!
Corbin, Kentucky is the hometown of Sydney Adams. If you aren’t familiar with Sydney, allow me to introduce her to ya. I first became aware of Sydney back in 2019. A friend casually dropped her name and said she’d be releasing an EP soon after. I did a little digging and I immediately found a show to attend. In a tiny little bar in Pineville, my gut confirmed what my ears were screaming about. Sydney Adams is indeed, the real deal. I would even go so far as to say that this young lady has the goods to put Corbin on the map for something other than their famous fried chicken.
Black Stone Cherry’s Kentucky Pride Was On Full Display At The Paramount In Ashland
For a nice warm Friday night, the Paramount Arts Center was the place to be, and for the number of people that showed up, they knew it was going to be a good time! It was a night full of some good ol’ Southern Rock music! The first band to get on stage was none other than Northeastern Kentucky’s very own Devil’s Creek Special! They opened up for The Georgia Thunderbolts and Black Stone Cherry, but with the amount of energy that they had you would’ve thought they were headlining. And they had a killer cover of “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash, and the Paramount was in a full swing sing-a-long with the band!
A Laid Back Celebration! The Kentucky Headhunters Invade Whitesburg For Their Levitt Amp Series
Wow! If you missed Thursday’s kickoff event for this year’s Levitt Amp Whitesburg series you missed an absolutely stellar good time in Whitesburg, KY! If you weren’t there, you missed the return of live music to the Mountain Heritage Stage and the return of free weekly concerts from the Levitt Amp Concert Series. But don’t worry because for the next 9 Thursday’s there will be free music from national and regional acts. All different styles of music, so there should be something for almost everyone’s tastes.
Have I mentioned the huge crowd? I’ve not? Well shame on me! This is the start of my third year covering the Levitt Amp Whitesburg Series and last night was by far the biggest crowd I’ve seen for one event! I’ve seen some big crowds at the Mountain Heritage stage but they are generally during the annual Mountain Heritage Festival (Goose Creek Symphony comes to mind) so when you combine the year that was 2020 with Laid Back Country Picker and The Kentucky Headhunters that is going to equal a huge enthusiastic crowd! After the terrible, terrible year that was 2020, it seems a lot of people were ready to get outside to celebrate some Kentucky music.