ELVIS WILL BE IN THE BUILDING!

That's right, Elvis (as impersonated by Greg Johnson) will be in the Princess Theatre on August 18th!

The Harriman City Schools Alumni Association is sponsoring "A Tribute to Elvis" on August 18, 2012 from 7:00-8:30pm at the Princess Theatre. 

The event features award winning Elvis tribute artist Greg Johnson, with special music provided by award winning songwriter and star of the longest running morning variety show in the Smokies, Patty Waszak. 

General admission ticket price is $12.00 and reserved seats are $25.00. 

Tickets can be purchased at Rocky Top General Store, in South Harriman, and at Dustin Smith's Amazing Bakes Cookies and Cakes bakery, and The Jewelry Exchange in downtown Harriman, TN. 

Proceeds from the event will go to the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund.

"LIVE From The Princess" - Good and Bad News

The bad news is...you probably missed it!  That's so unfortunate too!

“LIVE From The Princess” attracts singers from around the country. Whether it be country, pop, R&B or gospel, you get a front row seat to tomorrows upcoming stars. This high energy program is hosted by entertainer Angel Nash. Each program includes a personal glimpse of the artists themselves as well as featuring their music. LIVE From the Princess is webcast on www.musiccitytelevision.com and broadcast on BBB Communications Channel 12, Comcast Cable, and can be heard on WKVL Radio 850AM & 105.3FM.

"LIVE From The Princess" may become a recurring show, with new performers being assembled each month.  Each show will be different, and guaranteed to be entertaining.  The next show is August 25th!

The theme  will always be different, but all will perform in from of the new/old jukebox stage prop.  This prop has been in Nashville for over 20 years and has seen lots of today's well known performers.

The host for this, and each month's show, was  Angel Nash.  

Angel is Originally from New York, Angel moved to Nashville 15 years ago. She has performed with  various artists such as Craig Morgan, JoDee Messina, Hal Ketchum, Lori White, T. Graham Brown, Ricky Lynn Gregg and many others. 

Angel has also hosted several syndicated worldwide TV and radio programs. Before moving to Nashville, Angel performed 8 years of theatre with leading roles in productions such as Little Shop of Horrors, Grease, West Side Story, and Wizard of Oz.

The groups assembled on August 14th were great family entertainment.  For the most part, the performances were "faith based" with a country/western theme. 

For example, first up was MICHAEL TETRICK, a singer/songwriter from Indiana.  Mike has sung at numerous fairs, rodeos, and is also very active in youth ministry outreaches.  Michael explained the inspiration for each of his songs, and told the crowd about how he straighten out his life.  He's now a new man with a new purpose!

He certainly showed us he could sing too!  I thoroughly enjoyed each of his personal tunes.

Next up was the husband and wife team of René and Edie Jones.  This couple was not afraid to show their affection for each other and walked on and off the stage holding hands.  Their harmonies were linked as well, and feed the audience with personally written songs of faith.

René and Edie Jones (the Christian Cowboy) are from  South Carolina moved to Nashville in 1992. They have had several songs to chart in the top ten of the Christian Country and Country Gospel charts. They had a #1 hit  with the Christian Country record called  “Rockin on the Front Porch” in 2009. 

Up next was BILL WRIGHT (in the background above), a Rockwood native singer/songwriter, who has recorded numerous albums, is very active in singing in regional radio programs. He was recently featured on the American Pickers television show.

Bill has been in the music business for many years and has many CDs of his music out there.  He also loves his guitars, as you can see above, and says he doesn't really know how many he owns.

ANN HARTMANN, touched those that came with her songs of faith too!  She is a singer/songwriter who has had 7 songs to reach #1 on Independent Christian Country charts. She received numerous awards and nominations for her singing/songwriting. She currently performs at churches, writer’s nights, and women’s seminars.

But the group that impressed me most was RELENTLESS!

Relentless members (L-R) Nick Hill, Haley Fulmer, Austin Jones, and Anthony Hamby all attend the Courts of Praise Church that meets on Sundays at the Princess. They recently opened for the group the Vespers back in June. Haley, just 17 years-old, leads with vocals and ukele, a was the star of the show...at least for me.  She's so talented and I predict will go far!

Nick, who is the minister for Courts of Praise Church, plays banjo and kick drum, and Austin plays bass, while Anthony plays the guitar.

The young group is well worth listening to, and even visiting the church service on Sundays to hear.

I hated to pick a favorite, because they were all good, but Relentless just blew me away.  They had heads rocking to the beat, and people whispering to their neighbor how good the young group was!

Here is just a sample of their two songs!  Watch an listen to Haley, and you can tell she enjoys being on stage and singing her songs of praise!

Now, aren't you sad you missed it all?!

The good news is...there will be a new show from "LIVE From The Princess" each month.  So, now that you know what you've missed, you can look forward to the kind of quality show you will see.

Behind the scenes, are a lot of talented people making sure the acts are organized and presented properly.  Since these shows are video recorded, you might even get on TV yourself!  

So come support your Princess on August 25th, at 7PM, and be thoroughly entertained for only $5 at the door!

"Live From The Princess" Starts this Saturday Evening

Don't have plans for tomorrow night? Now you do! Come to the Princess Theatre to see LIVE From The Princess.

“LIVE From The Princess” attracts singers from around the country.Whether it be country, pop, R&B or gospel, you get a front row seat to tomorrows upcoming stars. This high energy program is hosted by entertainer Angel Nash. Each program includes a personal glimpse of the artists themselves as well as featuring their music. 

LIVE From the Princess is webcast on www.musiccitytelevision.com and broadcast on BBB Communications Channel 12 , Comcast Cable and can be heard on WKVL Radio 850AM & 105.3FM .

Doors open at 6pm

Show at 7pm

Tickets: $5 sold at the door

THE PRINCESS MAY HAVE LANDED THE LEAD ROLE IN NEW FILM!

You may remember my earlier post about “The Christmas Star” (click here).

Well, to recap, Torry Martin and friends have been looking for a “Princess” to star in their next movie called “The Christmas Star”, which centers around a small-town theater, coincidentally named “The Princess”.

The group heard about our Princess through Muse Watson, who never misses a chance to spread the Princess gospel wherever he goes, about “the dream” and Roane County.

Here is just a taste of the “The Christmas Star” story treatment:

“Harriman, Tennessee had everything a small Southern town should have: a good diner... friendly neighbors... and big news the whole town could gossip about. At the center of the buzz was The Princess Theater... a gilded Lady whose velvet curtains hid a silver screen - and a world of dreams. For decades, The Princess was the heart of Harriman's social life, but somewhere along the way the world passed The Princess by. Finally, her bright lights dimmed, and she closed her doors for good. That is, until the day Grady Garrett came back home." 

ABOUT THE WRITERS: 

Marshal Younger has written more than 100 episodes of Focus on the Family’s audio drama “Adventures in Odyssey”. He is also the author of the children’s book series, Kidsboro. He has written two produced screenplays, “A Greater Yes”, and “Meant to Be”, both from PureFlix Entertainment. He currently lives in Spring Hill, Tennessee, with his wife and four children. 

Sandy Brownlee is a writer, actress, and transmedia advisor. Sandy has written for radio, stage, television and film. She helped develop and was primary writer for the original children’s character “Discovery Jones” on the Inspirational Network, as well as for INSPs “Cheyenne Country.” She’s created seven full length radio dramas; eight full-length stage productions; and eight original sketch comedy dinner theaters. She’s also written MOPS Int’l, The Jeremiah People, Jefferson Productions, Bruce Wilkinson, and several national conferences. 

Torry Martin is an actor and comedian who has written for “Adventures in Odyssey” where he created the character of Wooton Basset. He is the author of eight comedy sketchbooks for Lillenas Drama Publishers. Torry is a two-time Gospel Music Association Grand Prize Winner for both his acting and writing abilities and he has a regularly featured humor column in two national periodicals called “On Course” and “Club House”. He makes his home in Sparta, Tennessee. You can visit his website at www.torrymartin.com.

This film is just in its first draft, and several more drafts are anticipated before the script satisfies its writers. Movies sometime take years, so it’s going to take a lot of prayer and finger crossing to push this to fruition ahead of the normal schedule.

It will be so good for our community area. It will get our “dream” out there for others to know and maybe encourage them to help us along. “The Dream”, as Muse and Gary began it, will (sort of) be incorporated into the story line.

On July 2nd, Torry, brought singer Erica Lane and filmmaker Kyle Saylors to visit the Princess. Megan Anderson guided them through the newly restored theater, giving them a bit of a history lesson.

Eric Lane Saylors is a (Beautiful! A personal editorial comment!) talented singer and had a new music video come out a month ago that is already up to almost 2 million hits on YouTube. She's creating a stir in Nashville and is recording a new contemporary music CD at the moment. To see her newest video "The Ballad of Sgt Hack", just click on the link! 

Kyle Saylors, is Erica's husband and he owns a production company with his brother Kenny called Saylors Entertainment. Their company has recently had a new series for red Bull picked up that features interviews with several top NFL players and will be airing on FOX Sports on Saturday nights all through football season. They also produced the award-winning documentary "Kimjongilia" that was featured on Fox News and was a hit at Sundance.

To learn more about the Saylors Brothers (click to visit the website). 

The group loved the Princess and think that it would not only be perfect for the film but that it would also be perfect for hosting a variety of concerts and events. (Maybe even an Erica Lane concert perhaps?) Hmmmm.

The group saw our Princess as a great asset, and wished us well in the first months of getting things grounded and moving forward.

Today (July 5th), Torry (right) came back for a follow up meeting, with cowriter Marshal Younger (blue t-shirt), who frequently collaborates with Torry on film scripts and radio drama ideas, and the possible director of the new film, Andrew Walkington (left), founder of the British Youth Film Academy and a well-known director with many credits to his name. 

Gary Baker and I met with the group and enjoyed watching Andrew eat his first American country cooking at the Cracker Barrel. He loved his dumplings, greens, and pinto beans with cornbread. I told him that’s what we all eat around here!

Under the shelter of a small tree in the parking lot, Torry spoke with Muse Watson, who may have a starring role in “The Christmas Star”. Watson has recently leaned toward faith based movies, like last year’s “A Christmas Story”, which he took to the stage in Branson, MO during the Christmas season.

The group seems well formed for success, and is now off to do more writing, planning, talking, networking, and praying about their project. I told them that the Princess Foundation, and the whole Harriman area, is behind this project, and that we (you and I) will do all we can to make it happen here.

They will be looking for downtown shooting locations, talking to many of you, and hoping some of you, and/or your vintage cars, might like to be in their movie. Please offer them your best hospitality!

For now, let’s keep a good thought, and “dream” about the possibly of this movie coming here to film!

Hurry back soon guys!

TICKETS FOR THE "TALK IS CHEAP" TOUR AVAILABLE TOMORROW!

I'm happy to announce that the long anticipated ticket sales for Bill Landry's "Talk Is Cheap" show at the Princess, August 11, at 7PM, will begin tomorrow (July 6th) at Rocky Top General Store in Harriman, Tennessee.  

The store is located at 316 Ruritan Rd. 

Store hours are Monday - Saturday 

8:30 a.m. til 5:30 p.m. EST.  

Phone: 865-882-8867

Update: 

Tickets can now be purchased at Rocky Top General Store, in South Harriman, and at Dustin Smith's Amazing Bakes Cookies and Cakes bakery, and The Jewelry Exchange in downtown Harriman, TN. 

Tickets are generally $15, but if you want to "meet & greet" with the storytellers backstage, the first two rows are going for $25. 

 

The Princess Foundation presents Bill Landry, Sam Venable, Jim Claborn, with Elizabeth Rose - it's the "TALK IS CHEAP" tour!  The storytellers will each take the stage and tickle your funny bone with stories from the East Tennessee area.

Click on the "Talk Is Cheap" embedded link for more information on the storytellers!  


It's going to be a great, fun for the entire family, show.  Tickets will probably go fast...so hurry and get there early tomorrow!

THE "TENNESSEE TRAVELER" VISITS THE PRINCESS

Alan Williams recently visited our Princess, for a segment on his "Tennessee Traveler" show on WVLT Channel 8 in Knoxville!

We appreciate the visit and hope they come back soon!

THE "TALK IS CHEAP" TOUR IS COMING TO THE PRINCESS

Four of East Tennessee's best "storytellers" are coming to the Princess Theatre on Saturday, August 11th, at 7PM.  So pass the word...they are coming!

The Princess Foundation presents Bill Landry, Sam Venable, Jim Claborn, with Elizabeth Rose - it's the "TALK IS CHEAP" tour!  The storytellers will each take the stage and tickle your funny bone with stories from the East Tennessee area.  

Tales straight from the horse's mouth!

Bill Landry has been the voice, host, narrator, and co-producer of The Heartland Series since it was conceived on WBIR TV, Channel 10 in 1984, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Since it began, over 1,400 short features have been produced, including over 150 half-hour specials. The program celebrates the people and the land of the entire Appalachian region.

Bill has collected numerous stories from his travels to gather material for the Heartland tales.  Most of those stories are hilariously funny, and he will tell many of them on August 11!

Bill Landry, Elizabeth Rose, Sam Venable, and Jim Claborn!

Sam Venable is a humor columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel.  He assumed that position in 1985 after serving as the newspaper’s outdoors editor for 15 years.

Sam is a native of Knoxville. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee with a degree in journalism and minor studies in forestry and wildlife management. 

Winner of more than three dozen national and regional writing awards, Sam has also been widely published outside the newspaper field.  Most of us feel we haven't read the morning paper without a Venable column!

His newest collection of tales is called "Someday I May Find Honest Work: A Newspaper Humorist's Life."

In his latest book, Venable chronicles life and all the strange and absurd things that go with it. With his lively commentary and quirky observations, he brings an uncommon perspective to common experiences. But even as he describes these trials and tribulations, Venable admits -- with what you can be certain is a big grin -- "that it sure beats workin' for a living." 

"What dog?  I didn't see no dog!"

Jim Claborn is a long time Hamblen County teacher, newspaper columnist, author, and Dollywood Street Character. Besides being seen on about 30 "Heartlands Series", other appearances include NBC's "Today Show", "The Last of the Mohicans", and A & E's "Biography". An accomplished storyteller and humorist, he's been heard across the country and locally at the Museum of Appalachia, Morristown's Crockett Tavern Museum, the Museum of East Tennessee, and many other East Tennessee venues.

The things Bill finds in his pockets!

Elizabeth Rose shares stories woven with wit, humor, and expressive enthusiasm. She has the ability to mesmerize her listeners, transporting them through her image-laden tales of other times and cultures. She has thrilled children and adults alike with her vivacious storytelling in classrooms, festivals, and conferences around the country. She is truly captivating in voice and presentation!

Sam says: "Spread the word!  We're a comin'!"

Tickets go on sale July 6th, at Rock Top General Store in Harriman!

THE VESPERS WELL RECEIVED AT THE PRINCESS

Like most of you, I too had to miss Sunday afternoon's performance at the Princess.  However, Megan Anderson, Princess Manager, was kind enough to fill us in on what we missed!

____________________

 

What a great show The Vespers put on Sunday night (June 3rd)!

I am saddened that so many of you were unable to attend, because you missed a great musical show!  However, I understand that you can't always attend, but please try.  We promise not to put on a bad show, so if it's booked, you can count on it being quality entertainment.
 

So here is my account of what you missed:
The show was opened by a very talented local 16 year-old named Haley Fulmer.   She was joined by Nick Hill on kick drum and the banjo and Anthony Hamby on guitar.  I was not surprised a bit when the audience gave them a standing ovation.

After a few minutes break between acts  the Vespers entered on stage one by one.  I have to say they sounded exactly like they do on their CD.  You would have been amazed by how many different instruments they played.  They had acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, electric bass, tambourine, and of course drums. Between songs they would switch the instruments around. They are really talented artists.

The Vespers had mentioned that they had just finished a 14 non-stop tour and we were their last stop on their way home to Nashville.  They loved the Princess and I could tell from the minute they entered the building they were excited to perform here.  They were all so nice and took a lot of time after the show talking with fans.

This was such a great concert, not to mention it was for a great cause.  All the proceeds from the concert went to Hunger Relief in Roane County (which is another reason you should have attended).   All the food brought in by ticket buyers were given to food banks in Harriman, Rockwood, and Kingston.  Way to go Roane County!

The Vespers will be back in East TN on July 13th in Maryville at The Shed and July 27th at the Relix Variety Theatre in Knoxville.  I hope to make at least one of those shows, and I hope to see you there!

NOTHING FINER THAN AN EVENING AT THE PRINCESS

I can't say Thursday night was a packed house, but there was a nice crowd, and everyone seemed to have a great time.  I was just disappointed in you...it was a $10 ticket and the music was so much better than you might have expected, so why weren't you there?!

Folks we have got to get out and support every event held at the Princess if we expect our city to grow.  It's wonderful to see old friends, to be inside the Princess, and to have something to do in Harriman.  Isn't that what we've been wanting?  

Before showing and telling you about the show, I like to take a line here to thank The Spot restaurant for being open late during performance evenings.  They do a bang up business during these times, keeping the roadies, sound guys, and artists fed.  One day soon, someone will figure our they can make a buck opening a place to hang out prior to and after concerts at the Princess!

The Spot is more than a sandwich shop too.  They fed the band plate dinners, that Kerry Walker raved about.  So check'em out!

To a little over half capacity crowd, the DetroitDaddies Trio, consisting of Michael "Crawdaddy" Crawley (harmonica/vocals), "Detroit Dave" Meer (guitar/vocals), and Ben Maney (keyboard/vocals)  and took the stage and really warmed up the crowd.  

The bluesy "trop" artists got the house moving, and all so ready for the main event!  Crawdaddy was a ball of fire, and got the crowd into the music by jumping from the stage and continuing to play while sitting in some laps!  He then leaped back up and rolled back into place at the microphone!

Up next was another music treat, The Rockerz from Atlanta!  The Rockerz have made a name for themselves throughout the south playing with the likes of Mitch Ryder, Barry "Eve of Destruction" McGuire, Sonny Geraci of the Outsiders (Time Wont Let Me), Climax (Precious and Few), Archie Bell, Dennis "Classics IV" Yost, and Dennis Tufano (original voice of the Buckinghams).
  

The current line up of The Rockerz is fairly new but Steve G is a seasoned leader and front man who pulls it all together.  The Rockerz formed in 1995, and Stevie's strong vocals and guitar playing are the foundation to the band's great sound.  Steve Guettler is the bands front man playing a great lead guitar and doing vocals, with Brad Slipiec (keyboards), Alex Jones (bass), and Kerry Walker (drums). 

Stevie G has been the undisputed Master of Mayhem since The Rockerz first album, "If You Came Here For The Party Then We're Here To Rock-n-Roll" in 1996.  Ten years later, the album, “Sand in My Shoes” was out and rocking hard.  Stevie G has written all of the songs on these albums, and his latest album, “Big News in a Small Town”, is no exception and sure to be a hit!

So, then it was time for Dennis Tufano, the original voice of the 60s group Buckinghams!  Backed by the Rockerz and Steve Jarrell, who drove up from Nashville just to be on stage with his old friend Dennis.  I've written about Steve previously on my personal blog, and he is a talented sax player with a following of his own.  His contribution to the band Thursday night was notable.

The ladies went wild from the first moment Dennis stepped on stage.  He may be my age now, but he has been taking better vitamins!  He still had his youthful shape and energy, and he put his heart and soul into every song.  He was dripping wet from the sweat he worked up entertaining the Princess audience.  

The women were whistling, yelling, and clapping during and after songs like "Don't You Care", "Hey Baby They're Playing Our Song", "How Can I Be Sure", "Kind Of A Drag", and more.  He still pulls his audience into his beloved music and travels many miles a year from his California home for the love of his craft.

Tufano is an accomplished "harp man" as well, so he and "Crawdaddy" hit it off immediately, talking over and examining the "harp box" backstage. 

So, suffice it to say, if you weren't there, you missed a great show.  The "Tufano" name may not be well known, but folks rest assured, if Princess Productions brings a show, any show, to the Princess, you can count on being entertained.  So, get up and get out!  I'll keep you informed right here!

Next up at the Princess from "Hunger Relief in Roane County", the Vespers!  Sunday, June 3rd on the Princess stage.  For more information, click HERE!

Here are more photos from Thursday night's concert:

Sound check is my favorite time.  I'm there getting a feel for the band and performers and the anticipation begins to build.

Our own Jimbo Duncan and Darrell Cole run themselves ragged making sure all the cables are interconnected and each mic, amp, "wedge monitor", and woofer are putting out the needed sound and feed.  Darrell even added his backup singing talent to one of the Rockerz songs!

Each performer goes through a portion of the upcoming songs and makes sure they can hear themselves and that the audience will be comfortably entertained.