FRED EAGLESMITH
Deadheads followed the Grateful Dead. Parrotheads adore Jimmy Buffett. Fredheads love Fred Eaglesmith.
OK, he’s not Buffett or the Dead, but Eaglesmith has nonetheless carved a considerable niche.
Scheduled to appear at the Down Home in Johnson City on May 29, the critically acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter has been compared with Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits and Bob Dylan.
Eaglesmith’s latest album, “Tinderbox,” examines religion and those who feel it most fervently with songs like “Get on Your Knees” and “The Light Brigade.”
Lyrics for those who think hard and live eyes wide open. Eaglesmith isn’t a household name, but he makes music that belongs in every household.
IF YOU GO
n Who: Fred Eaglesmith
n When: May 29, 9 p.m.
n Where: Down Home, 300 W. Main St., Johnson City
n Tickets: $14
n Info: (423) 929-9822
n Web: www.fredeaglesmith.com
DARRELL SCOTT AND JOHN COWAN
Poets with mighty pens, that’s Darrell Scott and John Cowan.
See Scott and Cowan on May 31 at the Paramount Center for the Arts in Bristol, Tenn.
Loaded with lyrics that shoot equally to the brain and to the heart, the double-barreled balladeers feature music that’s much more than just easy on the ear.
Oh sure, they are highly melodic. But look deep into Scott’s introspective album, “The Invisible Man,” and Cowan’s revelatory “New Tattoo,” and just wait to catch your next breath.
Equal parts disarming and spellbinding, educational and entertaining, the respective sounds of Scott and Cowan emerge from their rural backgrounds to reach out and touch mankind at large.
IF YOU GO
n Who: Darrell Scott and the John Cowan Band
n When: May 31, 8 p.m.
n Where: Paramount Center for the Arts, 518 State St., Bristol Tenn.
n Tickets: $20
n Info: (423) 274-8920
n Web: www.darrellscott.com
n And: www.johncowan.com
HIP HOP FOR KIDS
Hip-hop beats and rhymes and … reading for kids?
Check it out on June 5 at the Bristol Public Library. Asheville, N.C.-based hip-hopper Secret Agent 23 Skidoo will bring his kids-friendly and educational “Hip Hop for Kids with a Sound that’s All Grown Up” act to the library to help kick-start the library’s summer reading program, which runs from June16 through July 25.
Oh yes, unconventional methods from an act with a left-of-field sound. As heard on Skidoo’s debut album, “Easy,” his sound glues funk and reggae and jazz with blues and bluegrass packed with old-school hip-hop beats. Values sculpted for kids couple with themes as if plucked from the set of “Sesame Street” pulsate in the music of Skidoo.
IF YOU GO
Who: Secret Agent 23 Skidoo
When: June 5, 11 a.m.
Where: Bristol Public Library, 701 Goode St., Bristol Virginia
Info: (276) 645-8780
Web: www.childstyle.org
TOM NETHERLAND is a freelance writer. He can be reached at features@bristolnews.com.
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