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Crystal Senter Brown will be speaking, signing books and reading from some of her works from 4 pm – 6 pm on January 18 at the Morristown Hamblen Library. This is part of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend Celebration of the 10th Anniversary of Morristown Task Force on Diversity.

Ms. Brown, a nationally recognized author and poet, was born in Morristown to a bass-playing Baptist preacher and painter. She was awarded the 2010 Harold Grinspoon Award for her children’s book, Gabby Saturday and has been awarded several Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Fellowship awards. She has been featured in Essence Magazine, Redbook Magazine and Vibe Magazine.

Java Jive returns January 18th with guitarist Mitch Smith. The popular concert series is free and open to the public, and will be held in Rose Center’s Prater Hall at 7 PM. Doors open at 6:30.

Mitch Smith, a Morristown native, has been a part of the local music scene since his return from active duty in 1995. He has played various instruments in working bands of various genres, Mitch feels blessed and humbled to have had the opportunity to work with some very talented musicians. Mitch says, “Every musician you play with, no matter their level, can teach you something”. And teaching is something Mitch is very familiar with. In 2000 he enrolled at Walters State Community College in the music program, and earned his degree while supporting himself with private students and the Montgomery G.I. Bill.

Mitch has since released two studio albums and a few singles with the help of other local musicians. He has organized two Rock Orchestra events featuring a rock band backed by full string and brass sections. Music is still a huge part of Mitch’s life. He is the Assistant Director of Contemporary Music at First United Methodist Church. He maintains his teaching business (teaching guitar, drums, bass and keyboards). He has also been involved with various Encore and Walters State productions such as Rock of Ages, Rocky Horror Show, Grease and is soon to be in the Green Day musical American Idiot. And, somehow Mitch still found time to begin a new studio project with a band called FurtherBorn. Mitch also writes and produces his own music.

His original music these days consists of moods and imagery. Mitch is an instrumentalist, not a singer so much of what you’ll hear is ambient, thought provoking and eclectic. Mitch brings his own brand of flash and flamboyance to each performance. Mitch describes his connection to music this way, “My family is my top priority in life, but other that, nothing has ever really rivaled the importance of music to me. I feel that it is a gift from God, and though many people have wonderful gifts, each is unique and I just want to use mine to its full potential”.

Light snacks and adult beverages permitted.

Crowder
FRIDAY • JANUARY 18 • 7:30 PM
Orchestra: $35 | Mezzanine: $30 | Balcony: $25
VIP: $50 (VIP package details @ NPACgreeneville.com)

Over the past two decades, David Crowder has developed a reputation for lyrically powerful, musically intricate and eclectic songs that have been sung everywhere from churches to mainstream clubs. Since his eight-time Dove Award-winning and Grammy® nominated David Crowder Band broke up in 2012, the singer-songwriter has recorded two hit crossover albums and several hit singles as a solo artist. His 2014 debut album, Neon Steeple, debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200, hit #1 on the Christian & Gospel Albums chart, and was named iTunes’ Christian Album of the Year. Crowder garnered multiple radio hits, including “I Am” and the Grammy® nominated “Come As You Are,” as well as a Grand Ole Opry debut and a Dove Award.

Crowder’s current album, American Prodigal, topped the Billboard charts and reached #1 on the Christian & Gospel Album chart. The lead single, “Run Devil Run,” was picked up by NBC’s Sunday Night Football and hit #6 on the Christian Digital Songs chart. American Prodigal also scored Top 10 radio hits with the K-LOVE Fan Award-nominated “My Victory” and “Forgiven.”

STOMP
SUNDAY • JANUARY 20 • 7:00 PM
Orchestra: $50 | Mezzanine: $45 | Balcony: $40

Straight from Broadway, STOMP is explosive, provocative, sophisticated, sexy, utterly unique, and appeals to audiences of all ages. The international percussion sensation has garnered an armful of awards and rave reviews, and has appeared on numerous national television shows. The 8-member troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments – matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps – to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms. The return of the percussive hit also brings some new surprises, with some sections of the show now updated and restructured, and the addition of two new full-scale routines, utilizing props like tractor tire inner tubes and paint cans. As USA Today says, “STOMP finds beautiful noises in the strangest places.” STOMP. See what all the noise is about.

“STOMP uses ordinary objects to make extraordinary sounds. It connects with the audience from the minute it hits the stage. STOMP! There it is!” – Eric Boehlert, Billboard

“STOMP is sheer joy. The execution is astounding. Absurd and fascinating.”
– William Ferguson, Esquire Magazine

Straight from Broadway, STOMP is explosive, provocative, sophisticated, sexy, utterly unique, and appeals to audiences of all ages. The international percussion sensation has garnered an armful of awards and rave reviews, and has appeared on numerous national television shows. The 8-member troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments – matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps – to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms. The return of the percussive hit also brings some new surprises, with some sections of the show now updated and restructured, and the addition of two new full-scale routines, utilizing props like tractor tire inner tubes and paint cans. As USA Today says, “STOMP finds beautiful noises in the strangest places.” STOMP. See what all the noise is about.

The 10th Annual Mildred Haun Conference: A Celebration of Appalachian Literature, Culture, and Scholarship will take place on Friday, February 1st, and Saturday, February 2nd. The conference theme, in order to commemorate our anniversary year, is “Like Mountains, Like Mildred: Exploring Appalachia’s Gentle Strength,” and our keynote speaker will be award-winning novelist Terry Roberts, who penned The Holy Ghost Speakeasy and Revival, That Bright Land, and A Short Time to Stay Here. Our writers workshops will be led by Terry Roberts (Fiction), Catherine Pritchard Childress (Poetry), and Darnell Arnoult (Nonfiction).

New to our schedule of events this year is a songwriting workshop, led by Guy Larry Osborne, Stephen Osborne, and Diane Krause. Instruments will be welcome!

The conference is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Click the “learn more link” to register.

Balsam Range
FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 1 • 7:30 PM
Orchestra: $25 | Mezzanine: $20 | Balcony: $15

Balsam Range is a group of five outstanding acoustic musicians and singers from western North Carolina. For their band name, they thoughtfully and respectfully adopted the name of a majestic range of mountains that surround part of their home county of Haywood, NC where the Great Smoky Mountains meet the Blue Ridge, the Great Balsam Range.

The group’s ascent to the top of the Bluegrass world has left a well-marked trail of success since the band’s inception in 2007. One of the genre’s most award-winning artists in recent years, they have garnered 10 International Bluegrass Music Association awards on the heels of six critically acclaimed albums. Balsam Range has left audiences spellbound while headlining major festivals from coast to coast, selling out venues across the nation and appearing multiple times at the Grand Ole Opry.

Elements of jazz, country, gospel, swing, and old-time music are all infused into the fresh sound of this unique Southern band. It’s five distinct personalities creating one remarkable musical experience.

The Platters & The Drifters
SUNDAY • FEBRUARY 17 • 3:00 PM
Orchestra: $40 | Mezzanine: $35 | Balcony: $30

Spend a nostalgic evening with two of the world’s most beloved Motown groups who were instrumental in creating the Rock & Roll and Doo Wop sound. Head back to a time when life was easy, life was good — the 1950s and the sweet vocal harmonies of The Platters and The Drifters!

The Platters, one of the most successful vocal groups of the early Rock & Roll era, had hits that took them to the honored place of being one of the most successful vocal groups in the world with hits such as “The Great Pretender,” “Only You,” “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,” and “The Wonder of You.”

Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, The Drifters, are a long-lasting American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal group. With hits such as “Save the Last Dance For Me,” “Some Kind of Wonderful,” “Under the Boardwalk,” “This Magic Moment,” and “Stand By Me,” The Drifters music has stood the test of time.

America
SUNDAY • FEBRUARY 24 • 7:30 PM
Orchestra: $60 | Mezzanine: $55 | Balcony: $50

Starting in the late 1960s in London, high school friends Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell (along with former band mate Dan Peek), quickly harmonized their way to the top of the charts on the strength of their signature song “A Horse With No Name.” America became a global household name and paved the way with an impressive string of hits following the success of their first #1 single. Forty plus years later, these friends are still making music together, touring the world and thrilling audiences with their timeless sound.

Their best-known tunes “I Need You,” “Ventura Highway,” “Don’t Cross The River,” “Tin Man,” “Lonely People,” and “Sister Golden Hair” were cornerstones of 1970s Top 40 and FM Rock radio. From their formative years, America has been a band capable of transcending borders with its uplifting music and positive message. Embracing a rainbow of divergent cultures, America’s audiences continue to grow, comprising a loyal legion of first, second and third generation fans, all bearing testament to the group’s enduring appeal.