As often happens with these weekly stories, they start out ostensibly about a musical act coming to town or a specific musician, and then the narrative broadens when I uncover the local people and personalities behind the scene who instigate and agitate for their favorite players. Such is the case this week, so let’s first begin with the musician.
On Saturday at Red Bicycle Hall a band called Kentucky Wild Horse will be playing, led by a man named John Harrod. And if that name Harrod seems familiar, that’s because of the wide impact of Harrods in Kentucky history over the years, including historic Harrodsburg and its connection to Daniel Boone, and Harrod’s Creek over in Louisville.
John Harrod is a musician, singer, storyteller and historian with deep roots in the culture of Appalachia. He’s spent 40 years collecting and recording fiddle tunes and oral history from the region, and he’s built a wonderful show with a 4-piece band to showcase and share what he’s learned.
John is a recipient of the Folk Heritage Award and The Kentucky Governor’s Award in Arts. He’s a graduate of Centre College, a Rhodes Scholar, and he went on to become a teacher down in Owen County for many years. He is, to quote the person we’ll be talking more about in just a moment, “a funny, bright, brilliant guy who puts on a very entertaining program!”
The driving force behind bringing this music and storytelling to Madison is a dynamo of energy
and enthusiasm named Jarrett Boyd. Jarrett is the retired library director from Carrollton who settled here in Madison about 13 years ago. “We produced a program in Carrollton back in the late 90’s called ‘A Point in Time’ about all the history associated with the confluence of the Ohio and Kentucky Rivers, right on the edge of town there,” explains Jarrett. “It was a series of vignettes, both stories and music, and John Harrod was a natural fit for that.
“But actually, I knew John from much further back, in the 1980’s, when I would go to see his group The Gray Eagle Band play at places like Lola’s in Emiinence, Kentucky. John and I have been friends for several decades, and I think he’s really something special. So since I live here now in Indiana’s Music City, I’ve been telling anybody who would listen that we need to get this guy here to play.
“Well, mostly people don’t listen to an old lady like me, but Jane Vonderheide finally did, and we brought John and his band in for last year’s Play Music On The Porch Day back in August. They actually performed on my porch on Third Street, and everybody just loved them, I knew they would. That exposure led to this upcoming show, sponsored by the Kindred Folk Society, at Red Bicycle Hall. I’m so excited that we get to share John’s music and folklore knowledge with a wider audience, and I really encourage everyone to come out and see this show. He weaves an amazing spell of music and history and stories.”
Tickets to the show are available at MadTixEvents.com.
HOT TIP OF THE WEEK:
OK, I’m seeing 12 live music events on Saturday on the calendar. TWELVE! We’ve had some 8’s and 9’s in the past. And when things really heat up in the summer we sometimes might see 10 shows on a single day. But twelve?! I have to say, this experiment we call Indiana’s Music City is succeeding beyond my wildest expectations, and we can thank the venue owners who book the bands and the music lovers who go out and support the shows. This is truly a magical and one of a kind thing going on here in our little town, people!
And not to be outdone by Saturday, the other days of the week are coming in strong too. I don’t think I’ve ever seen 5 events on a Wednesday before, including 2 open mic opportunities (and another on Thursday). The new venue TimelessLIVE continues to bring in new and interesting musical acts with a band called The Woodshop Boys on Friday and Lindsey Lane on Saturday. If you haven’t been to TimelessLIVE yet, check it out this weekend. They are in the old Masonic Lodge building, right across Main Street from Off Broadway Taproom. And if you are from out of town and thinking about the perfect weekend getaway, the weather looks perfect with temps in the low 70s and zero chance of rain. Make plans now for a fun day or two in Indiana’s Music City!
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