Saturday, March 15
Gram Parsons Revival
In Nashville, a group of musicians take part in an annual event to honor the late, great Gram Parsons. Its called the Gram InterNational, and its a seven-day music festival in which bands that can be considered descendants of Parsons style of alt-country play in homage to the musician, who originally hailed from Winter Haven, Fla. The goal, they say, is to support the effort to have him inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Oddly enough, nobody in our region has replicated the event, even though hes a Central Florida son who spent a good portion of his formative years playing youth centers all around the region, and there are lots of bands who whether theyre conscious of it or not have been influenced by his hauntingly beautiful legacy. So we were thrilled to see this Gram Parsons revival on the calendar at Wills Pub. The Luxury Liners, from Nashville, play the role of the Flying Burrito Brothers, Parsons early country band, for the night. Jackson and Forest Rodgers (of Clermont, Fla.) and singer-songwriter Stephen Rock (from Orlando) pay homage to Parsons with a honky-tonk revival that not only represents what Parsons was, but what his musical style has helped evolve 40 years after his death. This show is a dont-miss for anyone with even a passing interest in Parsons.
Erin Sullivan
with the Luxury Liners, Jackson and Forest Rodgers, Stephen Rock | 9 p.m. | Wills Pub, 1042 N. Mills Ave. | willspub.org | $8