News
‘Five Things Every North Carolinian Should Do This Month’ – Number 4 Is Go to the Brand New Opry
Our State magazine’s “Five Things Every North Carolinian Should Do This Month” for January lists “Hometown Pickers,” our very own Brand New Opry show, as number 4. If you missed the January show, you’ve got another chance on February 17!
“The Brand New Opry, held in Davis Theatre in downtown Concord, honors local legends and hometown heroes,” said Our State. “Organized by Jeff Whittington, who’s appeared on the Grand Ole Opry stage himself, the bluegrass variety show includes the Brand New Bluegrass Boys house band and performances by Whittington, a former North Carolin Banjo Champion. It’s a down home celebration of North Carolina’s talent and passsion for the bluegrass genre. ”
The Brand New Bluegrass Boys includes Whittington, John Culbreath, Pete Corum, Tom Isenhour and Ben Watlington.
Culbreath has performed with bluegrass greats Vassar Clements and Mac Wiseman. A former South Carolina Banjo Champion, he also plays fiddle, guitar and banjo.
Corum toured with bluegrass great Lester Flatt’s Nashville Grass, playing at the Grand Ole Opry, on television and all over the United States and Canada, and appeared Off Broadway and in the movie Cotton Patch Gospel. He plays bass and sings.
Isenhour is the three-time mandolin champion at the Union Grove Festival. He has been playing bluegrass music for more than 45 years and has been playing off and on with Whittington since the 1970s.
The newest band member, Watlington, is a 16-year-old from Mocksville who won first prize at the very competitive Granite Quarry Fiddlers Convention. He plays guitar and sings.
Tickets are $10 each and available 24 hours a day on the “Davis Theatre” page and at the Davis Theatre Box Office, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., in person or by telephone, 704-920-2753. Tickets are limited and subject to early sellout.
‘In and Out’ Exhibition on Display in The Galleries
A group invitational exhibition, In and Out, will be on display through March 8 in The Galleries.
The multi-media exhibition is based on opposites, including interiors and exteriors, inner thoughts and outward expressions and the artists’ choices of methods and media. The show includes paintings, photographs, quilts, glass art, baskets and sculptures.
Nineteen artists are included in the exhibition: Luke Allsbrook, paintings; David and Veronica Bennett, glass art; Arless Day, collage paintings; Sharon Dowell, paintings; Greg and Carla Filippelli, baskets; Anita Francis, sculptures; Heather Allen Hietala, fiber and clay art; Martine House, fabric sculptures; Hanna Jubran, sculptures; Marina Konovalova-Bare, paintings; Gayle Stott Lowry, paintings; Virginia McKinney, clay sculptures; Dottie Moore, quilts; David Simonton, photographs; Deborah Squier, paintings; Mark Stephenson, paintings; and Ginger J. Williamson, photographs.
Three of the artists – painter and collage artist Arless Day, quilter Dottie Moore and painter Mark Stephenson – will demonstrate some of their techniques beginning at 7 p.m. during the downtown Concord Art Walk on Friday, February 10.
The Galleries have fun activities for all ages in conjunction with the exhibition, including art work scavenger hunts for both children and adults. Volunteer docents are available to give you a tour or you may enjoy the exhibition on your own. Admission is free.
The Galleries are open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. They will also be open during the Friday, February 10 Art Walk, 6-9 p.m., and for Show Up Saturday Saturday, February 4, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information, visit the “Galleries” page or call 704-920-ARTS (2787).
Screening of Independent Film ‘Artois the Goat” January 19 at the Davis Theatre
Modern Film Fest at the Davis will present a free screening of the award-winning independent film Artois the Goat on Thursday, January 19, at 7 p.m.
The Davis Theatre is located at 65 Union Street S in Concord. Modern Film Fest at the Davis is a partnership between the Cabarrus Arts Council, which operates the Davis Theatre, and Modern Film Fest.
In the romantic comedy, lab technician Virgil Gurdies embarks on an epic quest to create the greatest goat cheese the world has ever known, and reclaim the heart of his beloved Angie. She has taken a new job in Detroit and to follow her means signing his life over to his soul-sapping career in artificial flavor additives. To stay behind and pursue his newfound passion for fine artisanal goat cheese, is to risk losing her forever. A felonious German baker, a grave-digging hermit, and a tiny white goat color this journey of love, destiny and dairy products.
Written and directed by Cliff and Kyle Bogart, the film won “Best Feature” at the Beloit International Film Festival and the Myrtle Beach Film Festival and “Best Comedy” from First Glance Hollywood. It was an “Official Selection” for the California International Film Festival, the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the Sonoma International Film Festival the SXSW Film Festival and a “Spotlight Film” for the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival. For more information about the film, visit www.artoisthegoat.com.
Other upcoming films in the Modern Film Fest at the Davis series include: short films (Confederate Zombie, This Is Not a Game, East Street USA, The Action Hero’s Guide to Saving Lives and Butterfly Circus) on Friday, February 10, 9 p.m., after Art Walk; Catching Dreams, a documentary about a man’s quest to become part of Cirque du Soleil, Friday, March 30, 9 p.m., after Art Walk; The Day Carl Sandburg Died, a film about the life and times of the poet and storyteller, Thursday, April 5, 7 p.m.; and Pig, a mystery, sci-fi thriller about an amnesiac man who wakes up alone in the middle of the desert, Friday, Thursday, May 31, 7 p.m.
Most of the films presented in the Modern Film Fest at the Davis series have not been rated by the MPAA. The arts council recommends that you research them to determine whether they are appropriate for you. For more information, call 704-920- ARTS (2787) or visit www.CabarrusArtsCouncil.org.
Music and Comedy Coming Up in 2012 at the Davis Theatre
Outstanding music and comedy performances are coming up in early 2012 at the Davis Theatre.
The theatre operated by the Cabarrus Arts Council presents three performing arts series: On Stage at the Davis, the Brand New Opry and Footlights.
The flagship series, On Stage at the Davis, brings dazzling professional touring performances to the Davis Theatre stage. 2012 will open with one of the biggest shows ever at the Davis: Ain’t Misbehavin’ on Friday, February 3, at 8 p.m. Featuring 30 show-stopping musical numbers that take you on a journey through the Fats Waller songbook and Harlem in its heyday, the production features Broadway veterans including M. Martine Allard, who was nominated for a Tony for The Tap Dance Kid, and Vivian Jett, who was Amelia McQueen in Ain’t Misbehavin’. Tickets are $49. For more information, visit www.sonicbids.com/AintMisbehavin
Acclaimed Canadian band Sagapool will play, Saturday, March 17, at 8 p.m. The band of six musicians has created a vibrant, original sound that defies simple categorization. Featuring guitar, double bass, accordion, percussion, banjo, glockenspiel, violin, clarinet and piano, Sagapool combines elements of jazz, gypsy and fanfare with pure fun. It has won several honors, including “Best Instrumental Album” in the 2008 Canadian Folk Music Awards. Tickets are $39. For more information, visit www.sonicbids.com/Sagapool
The 2011-12 On Stage at the Davis season will close with something completely different: the Adam Growe Comedy and Quiz Showe on Saturday, April 21, at 8 p.m. This uproarious stand-up comedy quiz show features audience members as contestants competing for cash prizes live on stage. Growe is one of Canada’s most accomplished and well-known comedians, performing on stage, television and radio. He is host of Discovery Channel Canada’s Cash Cab and stars in his own Just for Laughs Gala. He also has been seen in the United States on Premium Blend and Star Search. Tickets are $40. For more information, visit www.adamgrowe.com
The Davis Theatre’s popular Brand New Opry bluegrass series has two more shows this season on Thursdays, January 12 and February 16, at 7:30 p.m. Hosted by local favorite Jeff Whittington, the Opry features the Brand New Bluegrass Boys: Whittington, John Culbreath, Pete Corum, Tom Isenhour and Ben Watlington. Tickets are $10.
The Footlights series showcases outstanding performers in our region for enjoyable, casual evenings at the Davis. Singer-songwriter and guitarist Jim Avett, who also happens to be Scott and Seth’s dad, will perform on Thursday, March 29, at 7:30 p.m. He plays folk, country and gospel as he tells stories through song. Tickets are $10. Read more about him at www.jimavett.com.
The last Footlights performance of the year will be Mooresville musician Clyde Derberry on Thursday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m. Influenced by rock and roll, R&B and gospel, he sings songs that reflect the world we live in and his hope to make sense of it. Tickets are $10. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/clydederberry.
Tickets for all shows are available 24 hours a day by clicking the “Davis Theatre” tab. Tickets also may be purchased at the Davis Theatre Box Office, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in person or by phone, 704-920-2753.
Arts Council Distributes $20,189 in Grants to 10 Community Organizations
The Cabarrus Arts Council has awarded $20,189 in grants to 10 community organizations for arts activities that directly enhance the quality of life in Cabarrus County.
The Grassroots Funds from the North Carolina Arts Council are presented to non-profit arts organizations and other charitable agencies that integrate arts programming into their services. The arts council has been distributing Grassroots Funds in Cabarrus County since 1982. A community panel reviews the grants and makes funding recommendations to the arts council Board of Directors.
Six arts groups received organization support grants to support their ongoing operations: Cabarrus Art Guild, $500; The Choral Academy, $750; N.C. Music Hall of Fame, $1,500; Old Courthouse Theatre, $3,500; Piedmont Choral Society, $1,000; and Southern Piedmont Woodturners, $2,000.
Four organizations were awarded funds for arts programs: Kannapolis Parks and Recreation, summer concert series, $5,000; Hospice and Palliative Care of Cabarrus County, therapeutic music workshop, $500; Logan Community Day Care Association, music lessons for children, $2,939; and Multi Cultural Student Union, a dance program for at-risk youth, $2,500.
“Supporting the arts throughout our county is one of the cornerstones of the Cabarrus Arts Council, and one of the primary ways we are able to accomplish this is through the North Carolina Arts Council’s Grassroots Arts Fund,” said Noelle Rhodes Scott, president and CEO. “By distributing state funds to local arts councils, the state arts agency is able to encourage and nurture the arts from the mountains to the coast. It is this beautiful network of arts councils and Grassroots funding that has given North Carolina its great reputation as a state filled with the cultural arts.”
For more information about the Grassroots Grants and other Cabarrus Arts Council activities, call 704-920-ARTS (2787) or peruse our website. For information about some of the organizations and projects supported with Grassroots Grants, click the “Community Arts” tab.
‘Handle with Care’ and ‘Shop Seagrove’ Through December 21
There are just four more shopping/viewing days for our annual Shop Seagrove show and sale and the Handle with Care group exhibition at The Galleries. Both will close at 4 p.m. Wednesday, December 21.
Handle with Care features glass art paired with paintings and photographs that reflect the fragile and exquisite nature of the medium while Shop Seagrove showcases clay works by eight of the famed North Carolina town’s most prominent potteries.
Handle with Care includes glass works by Kate and Billy Bernstein, Shane Feo, John Geci, Judson Guerard, Ronnie Hughes, Robin Levin, Kenny Pieper and Justin Turcotte; photography by Raymond Grubb, Scott Hotaling, Jon Kolkin and Barry Love; paintings by Donald Peeler, Ralston Fox Smith and Wanda Stepp; art quilts by Roxanne Lessa; and weavings by Vicki Essig. There are exquisite glass bowls and vessels, delicate flowers, whimsical birds and roosters and dramatic sculptures.
Shop Seagrove brings together eight of the most prominent potteries from the famed North Carolina town known for clay works: Avery Pottery and Tileworks, Cady Clay Works, Chris Luther Pottery, Dirtworks Pottery, King’s Pottery, Luck’s Ware. There are utilitarian pieces such as baking dishes, mugs, pitchers and platters and decorative pottery including vases and candlesticks. Prices start at under $10.
Besides the two primary shows, we have assembled an array of handcrafted glass balls and other tree ornaments and one-of-a-kind gifts, from socks to baskets to hand-painted cards.
The Galleries have fun activities for all ages in conjunction with the exhibition, including artwork scavenger hunts for both children and adults. Volunteer docents are available to give you a tour or you may enjoy the exhibition on your own. Admission is free.
The Galleries are open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information, call 704-920-ARTS (2787) or visit www.CabarrusArtsCouncil.org.
Davis Theatre Tickets Make Great Holiday Gifts!
If you’re still trying to decide what to get the person who has everything, we have the perfect gift: tickets to a performance at the Davis Theatre!
There are three On Stage at the Davis performances, two Brand New Opry shows and two Footlights concerts scheduled January-April. Tickets for all shows may be purchases online by clicking the “Davis Theatre” tab or at the box office Monday-Friday, 10 a.m-4 p.m., in person or via telephone, 704-920-2753.
The flagship On Stage at the Davis series will bring three dazzling professional touring performances to the Davis Theatre stage this spring:
Ain’t Misbehavin’, Friday, February 3, 8 p.m., $49. Ain’t Misbehavin’s 30 show-stopping musical numbers take you on a journey through the Fats Waller songbook and Harlem in its heyday. It features Broadway veterans including M. Martine Allard, who was nominated for a Tony for The Tap Dance Kid, and Vivian Jett, who was Amelia McQueen in Ain’t Misbehavin’ on Broadway. In snazzy period costumes the dynamic five-member cast, accompanied by a hot band, turn the theatre into a rollicking rent party. sonicbids.com/AintMisbehavin
Sagapool in Concert, Saturday, March 17, 8 p.m., $39. This Canadian band of six musicians has created a vibrant, original sound that defies simple categorization. Featuring guitar, double bass, accordion, percussion, banjo, glockenspiel, violin, clarinet and piano, Sagapool combines elements of jazz, gypsy and fanfare with pure fun. The band was conceived in the halls of the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal and played extensively in Canada before it began performing in the United States in 2007. It has won several honors, including “Best Instrumental Album” in the 2008 Canadian Folk Music Awards. sonicbids.com/Sagapool
Adam Growe Comedy and Quiz Showe, Saturday, April 21, 8 p.m., $40. This uproarious stand-up comedy quiz show features audience members as contestants competing for cash prizes live on stage. Growe is one of Canada’s most accomplished and well-known comedians, performing on stage, television and radio. He is host of Discovery Channel Canada’s Cash Cab and stars in his own Just for Laughs Gala. He also has been seen in the United States on Premium Blend and Star Search. adamgrowe.com
The Brand New Opry and Footlights series showcase outstanding performers in our region for fun, casual evenings at the Davis. The Opry brings some of the best bluegrass musicians in our area to the Davis. Hosted by local favorite Jeff Whittington, the Opry features the Brand New Bluegrass Boys: Whittington, John Culbreath, Pete Corum, Tom Isenhour and Ben Watlington. Upcoming dates are Thursday, January 12, and Feburary 16 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.
Footlights will present Jim Avett, singer-songwriter and guitarist, on Thursday, March 29, at 7:30 p.m., and Clyde Derberry, Mooresville singer-songwriter, on Thursday, April 26. Both shows are $10 and will start at 7:30 p.m. Avett, father of Scott and Seth of the Avett Brothers, plays, folk, coutnry and gospel music as he tells stories through song. Derberry, who is influenced by rock and roll, R&B and gospel, sings songs that reflect the world we live in and his attempt to make sense of it.
Go to the “Davis Theatre” tab to read more about all these shows and about the theatre.
Brand New Opry Christmas Shows December 8 and 15
The Davis Theatre will present two nights of the Christmas version of its popular Brand New Opry Christmas show on Thursday, December 8 and 15. The theatre is located at 65 Union Street S in Cabarrus County’s historic courthouse.
The show will be hosted by one of the most popular bluegrass artists in the area, Jeff Whittington. It will feature the Brand New Bluegrass Boys playing Christmas songs as well as bluegrass classics and Whittington strumming Christmas music on the hammer dulcimer.
The Brand New Bluegrass Boys band is made up Whittington, John Culbreath, Tom Isenhour, Pete Corum and Ben Watlington.
Whittington has appeared on the Grand Old Opry and was a staff musician on the syndicated Arthur Smith Show. A former North Carolina Banjo Champion, he plays banjo, guitar, dulcimer and harmonica and sings.
Culbreath has performed with bluegrass greats Vassar Clements and Mac Wiseman. A former South Carolina Banjo Champion, he also plays fiddle, guitar and banjo.
Corum toured with bluegrass great Lester Flatt’s Nashville Grass, playing at the Grand Ole Opry, on television and all over the United States and Canada, and appeared Off Broadway and in the movie Cotton Patch Gospel. He plays bass and sings.
Isenhour is the three-time mandolin champion at the Union Grove Festival. He has been playing bluegrass music for more than 45 years and has been playing off and on with Whittington since the 1970s.
The newest band member, Watlington, is a 16-year-old from Mocksville who won first prize at the very competitive Granite Quarry Fiddlers Convention. He plays guitar and sings.
Tickets are $10 each and available 24 hours a day by clicking the Davis Theatre tab and at the Davis Theatre Box Office, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., in person or by telephone, 704-920-2753. Tickets are limited and subject to early sellout.
Biggest Art Walk of the Year Friday in Downtown Concord
The biggest Art Walk of the year – with 26 stops and more than 100 artists — will take place Friday, November 18, 6-9 p.m. in downtown Concord. And Art Walk isn’t even the only thing that’s happening! The City of Concord’s tree lighting festivities 5:30-7:30 p.m. will include children’s activities, trolley and carriage rides, performances and fireworks. After Art Walk at 9 p.m., there will be a free screening of the award-winning documentary Automorphosis at the Davis Theatre. The centerpiece of Art Walk is, of course, art work! There will be visual art displays all over downtown Union Street and beyond, and many of the artists will be there to meet you and talk about their work. There will be live music at four locations and refreshments at many of the stops.
The Art Walk will feature The Galleries’ Handle with Care and Shop Seagrove shows as well as the Art-O-Mat and handcrafted ornaments and other one-of-a-kind items. Handle with Care is a group invitational focusing on glass art paired with paintings and photographs that reflect its fragile nature. Shop Seagrove brings together some of the best potters from North Carolina’s famed pottery town, enabling you to shop without leaving Cabarrus County! The Art-O-Mat is a reconditioned vintage cigarette machine that dispenses original works of art for $5 plus tax.
Other Art Walk stops include Clearwater Studios, 152 Kerr Street; The Peggy, 186 Spring Street NW; The Kendle House, 18 Union Street N; Speak Easy Ale House, 18 Union Street N; Havana Carolina Café, 8 Cabarrus Avenue.; The Bead Lady, 1 Union Street N; Chocolatier Barrucande, 1 Union Street S; Mud Slingers Pottery, 3 Union Street S, Suite 100; J. Talbert Ltd of Concord, 11 Union Street S, Suite 101; The Concord Museum, 11 Union Street S; Gianni’s Restaurant, 16 Union Street S; Cabarrus Creamery, 21 Union Street S; Boyd Afficher, 21 Union Street S; Lil Robert’s Place, 25 Union Street S; Mullis Music, 31 Union Street S; Ellie’s Coffee Shoppe, 37 Union Street S; Past and Presents, 37 Union Street S; Trashed – A Creative Recycling Studio, 38 Union Street S; Carm’s Café, 42 Union Street S; Little Feather, 42 Union Street S; Union Street Bistro, 48 Union Street S; Piedmont Renaissance Center, 51 Union Street S; What-A-Burger, 34 Church Street S; and The Veterans Museum, 65 Union Street S.
Art Walk is organized by The Galleries at the Cabarrus Council. For a complete list of art walk participants click here. For more information, call 704-920-ARTS (2787).
Award-Winning Documentary ‘Automorphosis’ at the Davis Theatre November 18
Modern Film Fest at the Davis will present a free screening of Automorphosis, an award-winning documentary film about eccentric people who turn their cars into mobile works of art, Friday, November 18, at 9 p.m. after the downtown Concord Art Walk.
Automorphosis is a humorous and touching journey on which we discover what drives the creative process for these unconventional characters. And in the end, we find that an art car has the power to change us, to alter our view of our increasingly homogeneous world.
Subjects featured include filmmaker Harrod Blank and his “Camera Van,” world-renowned spoon bender Uri Geller and his fork-and-spoon-covered “Peace Car,” Howard Davis’s “Telephone Car” and religious artist Leonard Knight who painted his vehicles as well as most of an entire mountain in the desert as a testament to his faith. Weaving his own tale amidst the others, Blank, as narrator, is the glue that binds these vibrant portraits.
The film has been praised by reviewers and lauded at film festivals all over the country. Awards include Best in Show at the Macon Film Festival, Audience Award for Best Documentary at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival, Best Editor at the Savannah Film Festival and Best Documentary at the Royal Flush Film Festival, the Savannah Film Festival and the Orlando International Film Festival.
The Ashland Daily Tidings proclaimed the film “a visual feast of eye-popping autos, including a street-legal hamburger and a motorcycle that looks like a red stiletto, but the film is really not about the cars themselves. It is about the fascinating people behind the wheels, and the transformative process by which an ordinary car becomes an extraordinary statement of self.”
The Tulsa World called the film “a celebration of American ingenuity, creativity and — not to put too fine a point on it — eccentricity. That is also what Automorphosis does — inspires viewers to find beauty in the intersection of the bizarre and the banal that is the essence of every Art Car.”
The Southern Oregon Mail proclaimed it “a rousing piece of Americana . . . a minor masterpiece, revelatory, weird, and somehow at bottom uplifting.”
Automorphosis has not been rated, but Modern Film Fest estimates it would receive a PG. The Cabarrus Arts Council recommends that you research the film to decide whether it is appropriate for your family. For more information, call 704-920-ARTS (2787) or visit www.automorphosis.com or www.modernfilmfest.com.
Upcoming Events
Welcome to our website! We are glad you are here and hope you will choose to visit often. We have a great new year of activities planned including outstanding performances in the Davis Theatre, beautiful art work in The Galleries and fun and educational cultural arts programs for local school children.
Tickets for all shows in our 2011-2012 performing arts season are available now. Visit the Davis Theatre page to see what is coming up. Brochures are also available at the arts council offices.
Friday, February 3
Ain't Misbehavin'
8 PM
Thirty show-stopping musical numbers take you on a journey through the Fats Waller songbook and Harlem in its heyday in this star-studded On Stage a the Davis performance.
Friday, February 10
Art Walk
6-9 PM
Visual art displays all over downtown Concord and demonstrations by three artists in The Galleries. Stay late and enjoy a series of short films in the Davis Theatre beginning at 9 p.m.