Short Takes Offers a Quick Look at Region’s Entertainment

YO MAMA
What a way to seal a summer concert series.
The always-spirited Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band concludes this summer’s It’s Great on State concert series on Sept. 11 in downtown Bristol.
Based in Asheville, N.C., the six-man reveling band features a sound with a backbone forged in funk.
But Booty is more than simply a younger incarnation of George Clinton’s Parliament. Formed in 2002, they also sprinkle elements of rock, hip-hop, jazz, blues, Latin and reggae into their musical gumbo.
Toss in the tasty Asheville Horns, and It’s Great on State fulfills its name and concludes its season in ooh-la-la spicy fashion.

IF YOU GO
What: It’s Great On State Concert Series
Who: Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band and the Asheville Horns
When: Sept. 11, 7 p.m.
Where: Downtown Bristol
Admission: Free
Web and audio: http://www.bootyband.con

APPALACHIAN ART
Art meets art when the music and paintings of Willard Gayheart collide in an Appalachian fusion.
Scheduled to run from Sept. 11 through Oct. 5 at the Appalachian Spirit Gallery in Marion, Va., “Willard Gayheart: Appalachian Artist” features the extraordinary pencil art of a distinctly man of the mountains. The self-taught artist is perhaps best known for his portraits of such bluegrass musicians as Bill Monroe.
Make sure to visit the exhibit on opening day at 6 p.m. Gayheart, a founding member of the Highlanders, will perform songs he’s written that further reflect his beloved mountain culture.

IF YOU GO
What: “Willard Gayhart: Appalachian Artist”
When: Sept. 11-Oct. 5
Where: Appalachian Spirit Gallery, 144 W. Main St., Marion, Va.
Admission: Free
Info: (276) 759-3890
Web: http://www.willardgayheart.com
Also: http://www.appalachianspiritgallery.com

40 YEARS
Jimi Hendrix was still alive. Man walked on the moon. There were no home computers, flat-screen televisions and microwave ovens.
So it was 40 years ago.
Now 40 years later, the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra offers a free concert on Sept. 13 at Winged Deer Park in Johnson City. The show not only marks the orchestra’s 40th year but also its new season. Fittingly, the program will include a tribute to America.
There will be no guest artists. Instead, the orchestra will depend on its own rich talent to offer music that’s lush yet laced with high-charged power, too. Neither rock nor country nor bluegrass nor hip-hop will emerge amid the look back and indeed what appears to be a promising look ahead.

IF YOU GO
Who: Johnson City Symphony Orchestra
When: Sept. 13, 5 p.m.
Where: Goulding Pavilion at Winged Deer Park, Johnson City, Tenn.
Admission: Free
Info: (423) 926-8742
Web: http://www.jcsymphony.com

MUSIC NOTES
—Big goings on at the Carter Family Fold. Extensive renovations completed, A.P. Carter’s general store turned Carter Family Museum reopens on Sept. 27 at 1:30 p.m.
Then country hit-maker and longtime Carter Fold supporter Marty Stuart will appear in concert at the Fold at 3 p.m. Tickets for Stuart’s show are $20-$25 for adults, $3 for children ages 6-11 and free for children ages 5 and under. For more information on the festivities, call (276) 645-0035, (423) 247-9891, or (276) 386-6054.
—New music in stores this week includes hip-hop superstar Jay-Z with “The Blueprint III,” which includes guest appearances from Young Jeezy, Alicia Keys and Kanye West.
—Also out this week, rock jam band Phish offer “Joy,” and gospel’s Gaither Vocal Band regroups for “Reunited.” Then there’s country duo Brooks & Dunn’s finale, “#1’s…And Then Some.” A two-disc 30-track career spanning set, B&D serve up but two new tracks including current single “Indian Summer” and “Honky Tonk Stomp,” the latter which features ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons on lead guitar.
—Song you have to hear – Willie Nelson’s hilarious “Ain’t Goin’ Down on Brokeback Mountain.” Included on Nelson’s newly issued compilation album “Lost Highway,” the song won’t turn up on radio, but it sure ranks as one of Nelson’s most delightfully politically incorrect moments on record.
—This week’s link to a free MP3 download comes courtesy Weird Al Yankovic. The track, “You’re Pitiful,” is a parody of James Blunt’s hit “You’re Beautiful.” Blunt refused to allow Yankovic the right to sell the parody, so Yankovic countered by giving the song away for free. Just go to http://www.weirdal.com and scroll to the bottom of the page for the link.
—In closing, mark your calendars for a wonderful week of music, beginning with the Washington County Fair in Abingdon, Va., from Sept. 14-19 and concluding with Bristol’s Rhythm & Roots Reunion from Sept. 18-20.
Meanwhile, read more about them and then some, forthcoming in Short Takes and Music Notes. By all means music fans, stay tuned.

TOM NETHERLAND is a freelance writer. He can be reached at .