Lexington, KY, Newlyweds Showcase Local Talent with “Post-Nuptial Music Bash”

Michelle Evans, owner of Dear Ben Nichols, contributor at our co-conspirator and good friends Ninebullets.net, blogger/interviewer deluxe, and all-around awesome lady, recently took the plunge in a private ceremony with new husband, Cory Hanks. The Lexington, KY, couple’s beautiful relationship has been built on a time- tested foundation of the ages…music. Cory Hanks handles bass guitar duties for SSKTDA mainstays and beholders of one of our favorite records of 2014, Those Crosstown Rivals. Evans (now Hanks!), not only owns and created the aforementioned “all things Lucero” staple blog, Dear Ben Nichols, she’s an editor at The Vinyl District, and has launched several more blogs/social media pages to actively promote her newly second love, music.

Naturally, newlyweds clamor for the hottest beach destination or long-dreamed overseas trip as a honeymoon. Not the Hanks, they have decided to throw a “Post-Nuptial Music Bash” that promises to not only feature local and national talent, but will be open to the public and…wait for it…FREE. Slated for November 15 at Lexington, KY’s Al’s Bar, the bash features five local artists, three of which I’ve written about in one form or another, and the indelible, Tennessean troubadour, Matt Woods. Locals include Fifth On The Floor front man, Justin Wells, singer/songwriters Tyler Childers and Senora Lainhart, the beast that is Doc Feldman, and of course a rip-roaring set from Those Crosstown Rivals. Sounds like a hell of a time and in just the fashion of the new Mrs. Hanks. Michelle gives herself tirelessly to helping up and coming artists get their art in the hands of bloggers and journalists and has been a huge part of my own personal growth as far as writing goes. She’s a talented writer and editor, and has a knack for the interview like no other. It’s no surprise to me that this newlywed couple’s first inclination was to throw a jam with intentions of giving back to their community and showcasing their friend’s talents. “We had a private ceremony without friends and family,” Hanks explains. “We wanted to give back to our family, friends, and the Lexington music community – the people who have been so good to us over the years – by putting on a free show that features our seriously talented friends. You know, a really special lineup with musicians they know and love. It should be a really great time.”

It’s a beautiful thing to see two folks in love with not only each other but what they both collectively “live” for…music. Folks have been falling in love in and around music for decades, a common ground beseeched in raw emotion and effervescence, “One love, One heart”. I wish the Hanks many, many happy days to come and a huge, Congratulations, from the bottom of my heart. Get yourself to Al’s Bar in Lexington, KY for an evening of phenomenal live music plus a heaping helping of positive vibes on November 15^th, 2014.

facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/events/713336715388038

+Words: Scott Zuppardo+

***Check out Sad Songs Keep The Devil Away at www.ssktda.com for more musings***

About the Musicians (from their websites):

Those Crosstown Rivals represent a zeal for life: Celebrate what really matters, forget about tomorrow, and have a good damn time today. No matter what faces them, they will never stop believing in what they do. Give them a choice to ‘make it big’ or play in a dirty old basement; and they’ll pick filling up a garbage can with empty beer cans and whiskey bottles on any weeknight. Their music tells all. It is a means to find good in the terrible, to shake your fists against all that we can overcome.

Matt Woods, the only one of the bunch not from Kentucky, has been a figure in the East Tennessee music scene for the past ten years and has performed in several bands as well as working as a solo artist. Woods has shared the stage with the likes of CAKE, Drivin’ n’ Cryin’, Will Hoge, Shannon McNally, Kevn Kinney, Roger Clyne (of The Refreshments), The Corduroy Road, Tim Lee, Mic Harrison (of the V-Roys and Superdrag), Doug Gillard (of Guided By Voices), Two Cow Garage, Col. Bruce Hampton & the Code Talkers, Zac Brown, Graham Colton, Brian Vander Ark (of The Verve Pipe), The Features, and a seemingly never-ending list of talented independent artists from points around the globe.

Tyler Childers, featured on Live from Red Barn Radio, is from Paintsville, located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky, where the tradition of music thrives with the US 23 Country Music Highway Museum and Butcher Hollow. Carrying on the music tradition is native son Tyler Childers. Following his “Papaw” around to the Kentucky social institutions – church events and barber shops, to name a few – as well as a lot of coon hunting with his dad, Childers has heard a tale or two about the misadventures of a few good ol’ boys, and he gives his own spin of these accounts behind a whisky-soaked voice well beyond his age of 23.

Justin Wells is the lead vocal and guitar for the American alt-country, southern rock band, Fifth on the Floor, formed in Lexington, Kentucky in 2006 and consists of Ryan Clackner (lead guitar), Kevin Hogle (drums), and Jason Parsons (bass/vocals).

Doc Feldman – “Doc Feldman’s new album sounds like the weary, worn down end of a dark barroom set. Tired, frustrated, and beaten, his songs are of a particularly compelling breed of Southern gothic. There’s hope there, but the kind of hope you find at the ass-end of a hot humid Southern day as you collapse on your bed for rest. There’s depth to these songs, and weight, and something that fills up your soul just a little bit.” — Devon Leger, Hearth Music

Senora Lainhart is a folk singer and songwriter from Eastern Kentucky. Like any good Southerner, Lainhart has a passion for singing on porches, eating good food, and the riches of nature – and the soft, sweet delivery of her voice reflects that. With tales of young love and sinning, you’re sure to have related to every one of her heart-rending words at some point in your life.

About the Venue (Al’s Bar – from their website):

Al’s Beer Garden is now open Thursday-Saturday from 6pm on. Our selection of twenty draught beers all hail from Kentucky, including favorites from West Sixth, Country Boy, Blue Stallion, Against the Grain, Apocalypse, and more. Located in the back of the newly renovated Sidecar, the Beer Garden entrance is behind Al’s and offers a great place to grab a beer outside or at the new bar! Also please contact us if you’d like to host your next event at the Al’s Beer Garden!