Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.
For those of you who enjoyed the prior performances of the local Southern Music Rising Festivals that have delighted Monticello with their iconic talent and remarkable tunes, mark your calendars! On Saturday, Nov. 5, Southern Music Rising will bring an impressive array of musicians to the Monticello Opera House and Garden for their Southern Music Rising Festival. From 10 a.m. until 10 p.m., guests can enjoy live American roots music on two stages while they indulge in great food and drinks on site. This event will include a cash bar as well as a beer garden.
Don't miss this year's line-up! The musical festivities begin with a performance from none other than some young musicians from the Jefferson County Homeschool Association (JCHAI). Southern Music Rising (SMR) has recently partnered with a volunteer program offered by the local homeschool group, where young musicians play music with adults willing to volunteer their time and skills. SMR is pleased to give these students a venue to display their talents and help encourage them. From 10 a.m. until 11 a.m., friends and family are invited to see the JCHAI students perform the very first acts of the SMR Festival free of charge. After the student performance, all guests must have a ticket to attend the remainder of the festival.
The remainder of the festival line up includes Wild Ponies, Boo Radley, Bill Wharton, Dana King, Brian Smalley, The Blue Holler Band, with additional performances from Rick Knowles Band, Frank Lindamood and Ric Edmiston.
Cliff Miller with SMR says that this year's line up is certainly one for the books!
Wild Ponies is a classic Americana music group that is originally based out of Nashville, but pulls their soulful melodies from their roots in Southwest Virginia, playing tribute to old-school influences and traditional mountain songs.
Bill Wharton is exceptionally well known, and has been recognized also as “The Sauce Boss.” During his performances, Wharton is known for cooking gumbo while he sings, serving up this “sauce” to his fans after his performance. Delivering a high energy, iconic sound for the last 40 years, he is a well-known and well loved one-man-band. Over the course of his extensive career, well over 200,000 people have gathered at his performances for some excellent tunes and delicious gumbo.
“Brian Smalley and Ric Edmiston are two of the three best acoustic guitar players that I am aware of in all of Florida,” says Miller, who has been in the business for over 10 years. He adds that, this year, Boo Radley, a husband and wife duo, will be joining the Southern Music Rising Festival for the very first time!
SMR is excited to welcome back Blue Holler Band and Dana King, who are familiar faces around the city of Monticello for those who have enjoyed previous SMR events. This will be their third performance this year for Southern Music Rising, and they look forward to joining in to add their own musical skill to this year's festival line-up.
Frank Lindamood is described as “a history lesson in American root music,” as he has dedicated much time to researching original and traditional American folk music and not only plays them for his audience, but includes stories about them, keeping tradition alive one performance at a time with his banjo, guitar and resonator guitar.
Southern Music Rising is working in conjunction with the Monticello Opera House for this year's music festival. Through generous contributions from the community, SMR is able to limit the extensive cost of much of the festival overhead, and offer tickets to the community at a more-affordable, discounted rate. They extend their gratitude for everyone in the community who has helped make this possible.
Tickets can be purchased through the Monticello Opera House in advance for $25 or at the door on the day of the show for $30. Ticket prices include all-day access to the festival, from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. To purchase a ticket, visit Monticellooperahouse. org/shows or call (850) 997-4242.