By Mary Catherine Brooks
Wyoming County Bureau Chief
—
Country music star Uncle Kracker will headline the Wyoming County Labor Day Celebration in Pineville, according to Sherri Morgan-Ellison, entertainment coordinator.
His free performance is scheduled Saturday, Sept. 4, at 5:30 p.m. on the Pineville Middle School football field.
Concert goers will also be treated to a performance by rising star Troy Olsen, beginning at 4:15 p.m., along with The Boatmen, who will kick things off at 3:15 p.m.
The free concerts are made possible by sponsors Riverside Energy, Brooks Run, Cleveland-Cliffs, Appalachian Power, Raleigh General Hospital, Dominion Gas, Pocahontas Land, Southern Cross Construction, MacArthur Walmart, Montani Graphics, Pineville Furniture and Joe FM/WELC.
— - —
Opening ceremonies are scheduled at 3 p.m., including The National Anthem lead by The Boatmen, and a prayer offered by Larry Morgan, of Richmond, Va.
Those attending are welcome to bring lawn chairs.
Accommodations near the stage will be made for those with special physical needs or those confined to a wheelchair, Ellison said. For assistance, contact any event staff or police officer the day of the concert.
“No tobacco, alcohol, pets, or weapons will be permitted on school grounds,” she emphasized.
Additionally, audio and video recording equipment is prohibited; however, digital and standard cameras are permitted.
Merchandise, including T-shirts and CDs, will be for sale near the stage.
The Boatmen will also be available to sign autographs and speak with fans following their performance.
— - —
While Matt Mullins didn’t play in his high school band, he did spend some nights sneaking in to watch others play in late night clubs in the Beckley area.
Now 27, Mullins is playing with his band, The Boatmen, six nights a week across the United States.
The Boatmen, formerly known as Old School Abby, includes band members Randy Gilkey and Robert Gross, of Oak Hill, along with Nick Durm and Mullins, who are both from Beckley.
While playing as Old School Abby, band members used electric guitars and loud drums.
“It was a lot of noise,” Mullins joked via telephone interview from Birmingham, Ala.
The Boatmen sound is created with four-part harmony and acoustic music.
“It’s more vocally driven,” Mullins explained.
“When you hear all four voices in harmony, the music kind of drives itself. You can feel the music.
“There’s more soul,” Mullins said.
He notes that, based on audience reactions he’s seen, their fans approve of the changes.
Much of the group’s music is written by band members; however, they are now using a song given to them by a writer in Fayetteville, Mullins said.
On Oct. 1, the group will record their first album live during a performance in Asheville, N.C., he said.
— - —
A native of Detroit, Mich., Uncle Kracker, whose real name is Matt Shafer, has worked with country music stars Kid Rock and Kenny Chesney, among others.
“I started writing rap songs when I was 11, after the first Fat Boys record came out in the mid 80s,” Uncle Kracker said. “I met Kid Rock when I was 13 and got my deal a couple of years later.”
A respected songwriter, Uncle Kracker has contributed to Kid Rock’s albums.
For the past decade, he has enjoyed continuing success with his own albums and currently has a song, “Smile,” in the top 40 country songs from his “Happy Hour” CD.
Country superstar Kenny Chesney was featured on Uncle Kracker’s “Last Night Again” and during the same year, Uncle Kracker sang on Chesney’s “When The Sun Goes Down,” which topped Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart for five consecutive weeks. It also marked the first time in more than 20 years that an artist without a previous country history was featured on a No. 1 country single.
— - —
Olsen’s “Summer Thing” is currently climbing the charts.
Also a successful songwriter, Olsen taught himself to play guitar.
“My idea of success was to be on the radio,” he explained. “I’d opened for every major country artist there was. I’d played for all sized crowds, from 20 to 20,000 people. I had done everything you could possibly do with that type of existence.
“I knew in the back of my mind that if I never came here and tried it, I would have hated myself later in life for never taking the leap,” he said of leaving the road and settling in Nashville.
He purchased a studio rig, then spent 12 hours a day learning to master the board and the booth.
Along the way, he co-wrote a hit song for Blake Shelton, “I’ll Just Hold On,” and “Ghost Town Train,” recorded by Tim McGraw recorded for his “Southern Voice” album.
“Summer Thing,” which he penned with Ben Hayslip and Jimmy Yeary, is an ode to warm weather and women.
“My journey has been a long one, but it’s taken every minute of it for me to get it together,” he said.
