somebody out there might want to check this out... >>> "Tom Freeland" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 02/28 10:54 AM >>> The U. of Miss. has an annual "Conference on the Book" co-sponsered by the American Booksellers Association and the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. This year there is a panel titled "Developing the Pictures from Life's Other Side: The Art of Writing Southern Music Literature." The scheduled panelists are Peter Guralnick, Bill Malone, Charles Wolfe, Cecilia Tichi, and Stephen Tucker. The moderator is Micheal Bertrand. Other writers involved in the conference include Randall Kenan, Wendell Berry, Ellen Douglas, Darcey Stienke, Barry Hannah, and Noel Polk. The conference is April 9-11. Additionally, there's the small free festival in Oxford on Saturday, April 24th. It's on the Square in the middle of town, has been going on for 3 (or 4?) years, and is very pleasant. It's the best time of the year to be in Oxford, the crowds have been small, and the music often good. This year there will be two stages. On one stage the line up is* Sincere Ramblers (local bluegrass band) followed by three groups I booked for the festival: the Soul Consolaters (a Gospel group from a local rural Baptist church, been active 28 years) the True Loving Five (unaccompanied 6 member singing group from north Marshall County, MS, great rural and rough Gospel) Othar Tuner Fife and Drum Band (92 year old Other Turner's fife band from Como) North MIssissippi All Stars (Jim Dickinson's sons band. I assume from the way it's listed that Dickinson will not be with them.) James "Super Chikan" Johnson (excellent blues from Clarksdale, Jack Johnson's son. This will be the first time I've seen him since he signed with Fat Possum.) The other stage: Orquesta Caliente (a salsa band I don't know; my brother describes them as "ok") Sleepy La Beef (Rockabilly musician from Arkansas, knows over 2000 songs and is liable to play any of 'em) Rebirth Brass Band (New Orleans brass band) Blue Mountain (really good locally-based alt-country band) Southern Culture On the Skids (rock band I barely know) Lucinda Williams (interesting country / folk /rock songwriter, just won a grammy) Picking between Othar and Sleepy LaBeef presents a tough choice. Another is Rebirth vs. Super Chikan. The Square is small enough that moving from one stage to the other is easy. There'll be local food (bbq, local restuarant's booths) with some good choices, better than usual festival options. Tom Freeland
