Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The Southern Music Rising (SMR) Festival comes to town on Saturday, Nov. 20, at the Monticello Opera House (MOH). Eight acts bring a vibrant range of music styles to both the historic theatre stage indoors and an outdoor stage in the Opera House Garden from 12 to 7 p.m. Here's your guide to a great afternoon and evening of bluegrass, folk, Americana, blues, country and rock music!
Who is performing:
* Grant Peeples - a Tallahasee-based legend known for
tunes, raucous humor and heart-
gigging ballads
* Belle & the Band – an award-winning folk duo who have emerged as one of Florida's most accomplished acoustic performers
* Blue Holler Band - South Georgia and North Florida’s premier acoustic bluegrass band that blends instrumental perfection with family-style harmonies
* Brian Smalley - a well-known Florida guitar picker with ten crafty fingers who plays a variety of musical genres
* Dana King – a singer-songwriter from Thomasville, Ga., with a soulful sound all her own.
* Ric Edmiston – a Tallahassee-based songwriter who regularly performs at the Florida Folk Festival
* The Scotts – performers and teachers of traditional music for more than 30 years, including Irish and old-time fiddling
* Brett Kelly – a diverse performer offering Americana, traditional country and rock musical numbers
For more information about the featured performers, see the article in last Friday's Jefferson County Journal or visit monticellooperahouse.org.
How to get tickets:
SMR tickets cost $10 in advance and $15 the day of the event. Advance tickets can be purchased in Monticello at Kelly & Kelly Properties, Inc. (205 W. Washington St.), Sorenson Accounting (285 E. Washington St.), Oh Happy Day Gifts (315 N. Jefferson St) and the Monticello Opera House (185 W. Washington St). To purchase tickets online (with a $2.00 convenience fee), go to the MOH website at www.monticellooperahouse.org/shows.
What's happening when:
Main Stage
1 p.m. The Scotts
2 p.m. Blue Holler Band
3 p.m. Belle & the Band
4 p.m. Brian Smalley
5 p.m. Blue Holler
Garden Stage
Noon Ric Edmiston
1 p.m. Dana King
2 p.m. Brian Smalley
3 p.m. Grant Peeples
4 p.m. Brett Kelly
5 p.m. Belle & the Band
6 p.m. Brett Kelly
Where to find food and drinks:
SMR attendees can enjoy on-site catering by Johnston’s Meat Market as well as the MOH cash bar. Several downtown restaurants also are within a short walking distance of the festival.
Where to stay:
If you’re planning to spend the weekend, consider staying at one of the local lodging establishments listed at www.jeffersoncountyfl.gov/p/recreation-tourism. The Monticello area includes a variety of unique bed-and-breakfast homes as well as national inn chains.
Note that concert-goers can also contribute their own sound to the festivities! A picking area will be available for those who want to bring their own string instrument and jam with other local musicians.
Don’t play yet? Enter to win a Yamaha guitar during the raffle, donated by Music Masters (of Tallahassee) and Kelly & Kelly Properties, Inc. (of Monticello).
The idea for the Southern Music Rising Festival originated with the Foundation for the Preservation of Historic American Music in 2008. Over time, the festival has become a local tradition not to be missed!
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