The Homeowners Association of Compass Lake in the Hills will be hosting a "Barefoot Music Festival" May 21st and 22nd. Headlining this event will be a concert by the group "Shenandoah". This should be a really great event to promote the area to visitors, and the profits will in part be used to help fund the local Volunteer Fire Dept., which is a truly worthwhile venture, and one that is near and dear to my heart, as a Volunteer Firefighter myself, and Chief of our communities Fire Dept.
Shenandoah had a string of country and crossover hits in the 1980s and 1990s, and is back on the road with more music. Among their chart-makers are "Two Dozen Roses," "Next To You, Next To Me," "Moon Over Georgia," "Church On Cumberland Road," "I Want To Be Loved Like That," "Mama Knows," "Ghost In This House, "If Bubba Can Dance (I Can Too)," "Sunday In The South," "Rock My Baby," "Somewhere In The Vicinity of My Heart," "Janie Baker's Love Slave," and "I Got You." Shenandoah performs at 6 p.m. Saturday night.
Melanie Boswell Boso debuts her "Tribute To Patsy Cline" show at this event. Boso co-wrote the piece and will perform as the legendary country music star. She has done other Patsy Cline shows in the past, but this one is more music-heavy, she said. Boso performed aboard two cruise lines for three years, and currently works in more traditional venues, among them the Martin and Kaleidoscope theaters in Panama City. Boso performs in two 40-minute sets beginning at 6 p.m. Friday night, May 20. Her new CD will be available for sale.
The Springs was named Country New Group of the Year at the 2009 New Music Awards, and were ICM's Youth Artist of the Year. Now based in Nashville, Tenn. the band boasts a large cross-over appeal with its mix of country, Christian country and southern rock. One band member won a song-writers' award in Nashville in October 2008. The young man attended Enterprise High School in Alabama, which was leveled by a tornado. He subsequently dedicated a song to his community based on the experience. The Springs have had four Number One spots on the Christian Country charts. The group has been nominated for multiple awards since 2008. They've shared the stage and/or venues with multiple top names in country music. They've performed twice at the CMA Fan Fair event.
Rebel Syndicate is a Southern rock band based in Jackson County. Members are Randy Johnson, Dr. Duane Herring, John Scully, Rob Watson and Jesse Roberts. All five contribute vocals and play at least one instrument.
Scott Wetter is based in Panama City. His serene style has been described as "blue jazz."
He writes some of his own music and does some "obscure covers," he says on his MySpace page.
Some of his influences are Mark Knopfler, James Taylor, Tom Waits, Delbert McClinton, Leo Kotke and John Hartford.
Keely Raquel is a young up-and-comer who sings and plays acoustic guitar. She writes her own music and cites performers like Taylor Swift as influences.
Emerald County Line specializes in modern country, with a smattering of traditional country tunes thrown in. With two lead singers, the band plays many Top 40 hits and covers the likes of Sugarland, Miranda Lambert and Jason Aldean. The band performs Friday night.
The Bay County Christian Youth Choir and the gospel band Lighthouse round out the entertainment.
Festival tickets will only cost $10 and allows attendence to both days and all the entertainment. There will also be a 5K run that begins at 7AM Saturday.
Money raised during the festival will be used by the subdivision in three general ways. The volunteer fire department will get about a third of the profits, another third will be set aside in an interest-bearing long-term fund for on-going subdivision projects, and a third will be used by the "help and handshake" committee, which will welcome visitors and new residence and assist community members in need.
So if you happen to find yourself in the Marianna area and are looking for some good wholesome family fun, this would be a great event to support!
