Short Takes: Eugenie Russo, Marty Rabon And 'Say Goodnight Gracie'

BY TOM NETHERLAND
SPECIAL TO THE HERALD COURIER

EUGENIE RUSSO
Piano music may conjure wild hair visions of Jerry Lee Lewis or Billy Joel with most people.
Then, there are styles such as offered by classical pianist Eugenie Russo. The New York City-born Russo will present the program “Celebrating the Great Romantic Tradition” on April 2 at Emory and Henry College in Emory, Va.
Russo will perform the music of Brahms and Chopin along with Clara and Robert Schumann.
Elegant? You bet. By day, Russo serves as head of the piano department of the Josef Matthias Hauer Conservatory in Austria. That’s high cotton.
As Russo will show at Emory and Henry, classical music contains brawn and beauty, elegance and energy. Classical once was very much the music of the people at large.

IF YOU GO
Who: Eugenie Russo
When: April 2, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Emory & Henry College Memorial Chapel, Emory, Va.
Admission: $10 for adults, $3 for students from other institutions
Info: (276) 944-6846

MARTY RAYBON
Brand names. Think computers, and Apple and Dell may come to mind. Think bluegrass, and the Mountain Empire, then Song of the Mountains may follow, too.
This month’s Song of the Mountains program offers the renowned talents of Seldom Scene, Marty Raybon and The Midnight Ramblers. Scheduled for April 4 at the Lincoln Theatre in Marion, Va., the show equates to stage-sizzling music at its best.
Take Raybon. The former lead singer of country’s Shenandoah sings as one might among a band of angels. No kidding. High though not lonesome, clear though with much to say, Raybon epitomizes the heights to which the voice can strive.

IF YOU GO
Who: Song of the Mountains featuring Seldom Scene, Marty Raybon and The Midnight Ramblers
When: April 4, 7 p.m.
Where: Lincoln Theatre, 117 E. Main St., Marion, Va.
Admission: $25
Info: (276) 783-6093
Web and audio: www.martyraybon.com
And: www.songofthemountains.org

SAY GOODNIGHT GRACIE
Some plays offer love stories, while others offer music and humor or drama.
“Say Goodnight Gracie” offers all of that. Set to stage on April 5 at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center in Greeneville, Tenn., the play documents the “life, laughter and love” of comic duo George Burns and Gracie Allen.
In comedy, he was the straight man to her wacky comic persona. Together, they were funny and inseparable in love until her death.
The play features their belly-bursting humor and also their steel-strong love. Finally, the play touches upon the poignant as Burns lived his final decades without her, still very much a comedian and yet never without saying “goodnight, Gracie,” to conclude his performances. Pure magic.

IF YOU GO
What: “Say Goodnight Gracie”
When: April 5, 3 p.m.
Where: Niswonger Performing Arts Center, 212 Tusculum Blvd., Greeneville, Tenn.
Admission: $30 for adults, $12 for students
Info: (423) 638-1679
Web: www.saygoodnightgracie.net

MUSIC NOTES
-- Welcome, Robert J. Seebacher. Johnson City Symphony Orchestra’s new conductor officially assumes the stick beginning April 1.
-- Anyone catch Buckcherry last week at Freedom Hall in Johnson City? No bull, no filler, no cry-on-the-couch rock. They rock as mightily and close to the classic lineup of Guns ‘N Roses as can be found these days.
-- Then, there’s Metallica. The heavy metal guitar gods on April 14 will issue its entire catalog of 163 songs from each of their live and studio albums including soundtrack tunes via iTunes in the digital-only set “The Complete Metallica.” Meanwhile, check out the San Francisco-based rocker’s blistering new video “Broken, Beat and Scarred” here: www.metallica.com/index.asp?item=602120.
-- That leads to this week’s free MP3 download. For the more sedate minded, Amazon is currently offering the fantastic pop-rock track “Furr” from Blitzen Trapper for free. Simply sign onto amazon.com then search under MP3 downloads.
That’s it for this week’s Short Takes and Music Notes. Until next time, read and rock on and without pause by all means stay tuned.

TOM NETHERLAND is a freelance writer. He can be reached at features@bristolnews.com.