Kay B. Brown, Heatherly and Rick Rushing combine forces for Harmony In The Chaos
While I generally reserve this column to highlight a specific band or upcoming album, this week I’d like to put the spotlight on an upcoming show involving a few different acts.
Why this show in particular? Because I think it represents something pretty damn special, something we’ve seen from time to time, but not nearly often enough.
The show is being billed as “Harmony in the Chaos” and it’s being presented by the Music Box at Ziggy’s on Saturday, Sep. 16th at 9 p.m. Three acts are featured: Kay B Brown with DJ D-Whit, Heatherly, and Rick Rushing & Dakari. Each act is a phenomenal representation of their respective genres, but it’s the variety of genres on a single bill that I find particularly noteworthy.
Common sense dictates that if you’re putting on a punk show, you book punk acts. If you’re sponsoring a jam-band show, you book jam bands. Mixing and matching genres in a single night is quite a bit riskier, but done properly, the reward is so much greater.
The unifying element in that case isn’t style, it’s talent, and a well-balanced mix reinforces one of the most basic tenets of music I believe in, that music is a universal language and that real talent is a thing anyone and everyone can appreciate regardless of their person taste.
It’s the credo I bring to this column week after week as I write about every conceivable genre the area has to offer, from bluegrass to metal, from punk to pop, from blues to country to gospel.
Now I know this will come as a tremendous shock to many of you, but I often find myself writing about music I wouldn’t otherwise listen to in my leisure time because that isn’t where my personal taste lies, but the point of this column isn’t, “Marc’s favorite music,” it’s Chattanooga music, what’s out there, and what’s wonderful about what we have.
To that end I am continually reminded how rewarding it can be to step outside the box of my own predilections. When I gush about some new artist or album, it isn’t for show, it isn’t because I’m a hype man, it’s because there is something genuinely moving about whatever band I’m talking about, and honestly I tend to gush more over the unexpected finds than I do my own personal favorites.
Still, most of us tend to live within the confines of our own particular habits and preferences and all too often we miss out on opportunities to hear something really worth hearing.
Kay B. Brown is easily one of the most exciting, talented rising stars in the hip-hop community. Heatherly has made a name for herself in last few years as another rising star in the singer/songwriter indie folk scene. Rick Rushing is one of the most legendary and underappreciated bluesmen to come out of this scene, bar none.
Three acts, each one of the best at what they do, each representing a genre generally not paired with the other two, on one bill, on one stage for one night. The opportunity to solidify bonds between our ever-growing music scene, to introduce fans of one to the phenomenal talent of the others, this is what Chattanooga needs more of.
It’s a beautiful thing and while fans of any of these individual artists are all but guaranteed a rewarding performance from their own personal favorite, the opportunity to expand some horizons, to discover something new and wonderful you might not have experienced otherwise, is too valuable an opportunity to pass up.
Unity, ladies and gentlemen, unity through music is what this show is all about I cannot urge you enough to swing by and open yourself to new possibilities. Kudos to Music Box @ Ziggy’s for sponsoring the show and kudos to the artists for coming together to make an outstanding night of music.