A lot of night music

Drummer Tim Dickerson with the Brian Austin Band offers some drumstick gymnastics as additional entertainment to his rhythmic skills as a percussionist. The band is playing at the August 2, 2013 “Music on Main” concert on Main Street in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

Click the pic to see more of the band and event

A group of enterprising downtown business and property owners in my home town of Pine Bluff, Arkansas decided that music just might be a good draw to bring folks downtown that had either lost the habit, or never developed the habit of “going downtown.”

The result of this line of thinking was “Music on Main,” a monthly free concert featuring quality musicians and entertainment. The events are always on a Friday evening and are always free. Speaking of free, you can see more “FREE” pictures of the band and event on the Photo of the Week Page at Corndander dot-com. Go forth and see. We will wait here.

The boys in the band. The Brian Austin Band, set up and ready to rock, awaits the nod from the event producer to begin their performance. From left: Ronny Dickerson, bass; John Good, guitar; Hisself, Brian Austin, and Tim Dickerson, drums.

On this night, Friday, August 2, 2013, the humidity was high and the blues from the Brian Austin Band were as thick as Delta “buckshot.” (A word of explanation here for non-Delta readers, “buckshot” is a favored nickname for the thick, gummy, sticky, gumbo soils that are prevalent in some areas of the Delta).

The program included three bands. The Brian Austin Band was first up and is the source of the pictures and comment here. This is not the first time we have photographed the band. They are performers at Blues for a Cause, an event we are always pleased to attend and shoot.

John Good on guitar and Ronny Dickerson on bass are in snyc and grooving as they belt out the blues on a humid Delta evening.

The darker side of Brian Austin.

Brian Austin, a multi-purpose musician wails away on the harp.

See more pictures from this event in our Music on Main gallery.

Drummin’ after dark. Tim Dickerson gets on down with the blues.

After a while, one can no longer stay seated when the tunes are right. This was one of those times, so this couple got up and started jukin.’ And rightly so.

During the performance, one of Brian Austin’s youngest fans wanted an audience with the leader. Austin, being a man of understanding, granted that request.

As should be expected, music fans of all stripes brought their lawn chairs and thirst for good, live musical entertainment. The audience was a good slice across the demographic grain of our community — which as I understand it — was the whole idea in the first place.

Music is the universal language. You either enjoy it, or you don’t. If you seek out or discover a venue favorable to your tastes and preferences and show up — in all likelihood you will enjoy what you see and hear — and have reasonable expectations that those who attend with you have the same uncontaminated intentions.

Click the pic to see our Music on Main gallery

But wait — there’s more!

We’ve created a gallery of 21 pictures from this fun event. See our Music on Main gallery and feel the sweat and music from the comfort of your own screen in air-conditioned comfort. It’s not quite as good as being there yourself, but it’s close.

Thanks for dropping by,

Joe Dempsey

Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind.

http://www.joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html

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Red, White and Blues

Brian Austin, lead singer for the band that bears his name belts out the last tune in the band’s set at “Red, White, and Blues,” a benefit concert at Pine Bluff, Arkansas on July 4, 2012. The freshening breeze flying the flag was the precursor of a thunderstorm which swept through the area about ten minutes later.

Click the pic for the start of the story.

Despite relentlessly attacking heat, sloppy humidity, and an untoward thunderstorm, the performers and attendees at Red, White, and Blues, left with a smile on their faces. The music was great and the following fireworks show was spectacular. Furthermore,  given that it’s July in LA (lower Arkansas), expectations of anything less than wet heat and plenty of it are far removed from the realm of reasonable anticipation.

While you will enjoy this story and collection of pictures, you may enjoy it more by visiting the Photo of the Week page at Corndancer dot-com where it all started. We’ll wait here.

The concert featured three bands, The Brian Austin Blues Band and The Saints of Yesterday, both hailing from Arkansas; and The Hadden Sayers band from Houston, Texas. Sayers, a talented composer and guitarist was a performer at the Blues Music Awards. The audience makeup reflected the storied demographics of blues fans — a duke’s mixture — they come from all corners. Blues slices well through demographic strata.

If there had been a coiffure contest for the event, this blues fan would have won it hands down. Others need not apply. He sat on the front row.

As the night wore on the crowd increased exponentially, mostly coming for the fireworks. Once the latecomers were on the scene, the spirited performers drew them close to the amphitheater. Call it the blues magnet. They’ll probably come earlier next time.

Blues for a Cause, a Helping Hand, a non profit organization which produces blues concerts and festivals to benefit cancer and other catastrophic illness victims produced the event in cooperation with the Pine Bluff Festival Association and the Pine Bluff Parks and Recreation Department. Our hats are off to them for their good work.

Saints of Yesterday rhythm guitarist Dennis South, and bass player Robert Lamb do their part to light up this end of the planet with rollicking blues while drummer Mike Parrish bangs out the rhythmic foundation for the tune. They enjoy their work despite dripping with sweat.

Keyboardist Dave DeWitt, Hadden Sayers, and drummer Tony McClung made more music than one would expect from three people. Who’s to argue with greatness.

Click on the dude to see more pictures.

All in all, it was a great July the Fourth celebration. There were lots of folks, lots of music, lots of fire works and lots of photo ops. Speaking of which, I have posted 40 pictures of the event in a special gallery.

You will see the shots on this page in a larger format plus 36 other pictures. In some of those you can feel the sweat. In any case, you can enjoy the sights and imagine the sounds in the air conditioned comfort of your own space.

Thanks for dropping by,

Joe Dempsey
http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/
http://www.joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html