National Music Series Comes to Jacoby Arts Center

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@ Jacoby Arts Center | ALTON, IL

About this event

The Jacoby Arts Center has been selected as an official venue for the Last Honky Tonk Music Series, a nationwide roots music series hosting shows in more than 60 venues across America. The first official show will be on Friday, August 11 at 7:30 p.m. and will feature national touring artists Daryl Wayne Dasher, Jill Kinsey and Craig Gerdes. The Jacoby Arts Center is located at 627 E. Broadway, Alton, Ill.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have Daryl Wayne Dasher back to perform at Jacoby and so look forward to hearing the additional artists on the bill,” said Penelope Schmidt of the Jacoby Arts Center. “We’re honored to be selected as a venue for the Last Honky Tonk Music Series, as we align with the Series’ value of celebrating live music, regional heritage and the practice and appreciation of the arts in our community.”

The Jacoby venue was recommended by Nashville songwriter Dasher, who performed at the Center while on tour late last year.

“When I arrived at the Jacoby Arts Center my reaction was immediate,” said Dasher. “I felt the energy of the building and it struck me so hard, I was ready to play the minute I walked through the door. And the people, the sense of the community, was so amazing, I knew I had to recommend it for the Last Honky Tonk Music Series.”

Jacoby patrons will hear the incredible songs and stories of high caliber artists Daryl Wayne Dasher, Jill Kinsey of Nashville and Illinois native Craig Gerdes.

“I was born into music,” said Gerdes, who grew up in Benson, Ill. He started playing in his dad’s country band when he was 10 and writing his own songs a year later. Now, he splits his time between Nashville and Pattonsburg, Ill., where his wife and children live.

“Most of my songs are factual. They’re about sharing real life stuff I’ve gone through,” said Gerdes. His debut album on Sol Records, “Smokin’, Drinkin’ and Gamblin’”, is due out this fall.

He’s spent 10 years as a songwriter in Nashville and tours throughout the Midwest and South, performing more than 200 shows a year. Several years ago, he met fellow artists Brigitte London and Jill Kinsey in Florida. The Last Honky Tonk Music Series was still in the conceptual phase but Gerdes was invited to join.

“I didn’t know what the Last Honky Tonk Series was but I said, sure. We all connected. It’s been like falling into a river and letting the current take me,” he said of his career path. 

“Craig blew my mind,” said Kinsey. “His vocals are traditional country, just velvet. He’s a good family man.”

Kinsey grew up in Athens, Texas and was a dancer until she was 15. That’s when life set her on a different path. One day, while in the car going to dance lessons, Kinsey was singing along with Reba McIntyre.

“My dad said, ‘Did you know you could sing?’ I didn’t see that in myself. So I started songwriting,” Kinsey said.

Four years later, she met some band managers who gave her a lot of encouragement. In 2001, she moved to Nashville and started honing her writing skills while waiting tables.

“My music comes straight from God,” she said. “It’s absolutely a gift.”

Her first full-length album, “Just Jill,” is a compilation of the country, blues, gospel and rock songs she’s played around the country. An instrumental piece in the middle separates a country first half and a rock-and-roll second half.

“We recorded it live and you can feel the life in it, feel and hear the emotion,” she said. “When I write, I allow myself to write the good, the bad and the ugly so sometimes that comes out in other genres.”

She said it’s a big treat to be on stage with Gerdes and Dasher.

“I’ve known Daryl Wayne Dasher since 2001. He’s a living jukebox. His original music is so wholesome and beautiful it will stick in your head.”

Dasher said he always wanted to be a rocker. When he was 20, he moved to Nashville where he played in a rock band for 15 years.      

“But when I wrote music and played it, it came out classic country stuff, stylistically and content-wise. I realized it’s who I have to be, who I am.”

Dasher has hiked several portions of the Appalachian Trail, the first 50 when he was just 11 and much of his music reflects his love for the outdoors. He considers “Mountains of Montana to be the centerpiece of his second album, “Great Big Sky.”

The Last Honky Tonk Music Series launched on March 23, 2014. Venues are selected by the heart and soul of the owners and their contributions to live music. They range in size from small mom-and-pop places in small towns, to large clubs and outdoor amphitheaters.

The Series motto is SAVC: Sustain the Artists, Sustain the Venues, Sustain the Communities. It exists to bring original and roots music to the people, especially in places that wouldn’t ordinarily have the opportunity to experience it.

The shows draw from a roster of 50 artists in the roots country, blues, Americana, folk and roots rock genres. It is a volunteer network run by Brigitte London, a singer/songwriter from Morgan City, La. London started the Series by enlisting multiple artists who were friends of the late Wayne Mills, an outlaw country star from Nashville. When Mills suffered a tragic passing in 2013, London decided to bring artists together in an effort to encourage live music and camaraderie, a cause that had been very important to Mills. The Series was named to honor Mills, whose last album was called The Last Honky Tonk.

See here for samples from each artist: http://www.jacobyartscenter.org/audio-last-honky-tonk.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or online at http://www.jacobyartscenter.org/tickets. Seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis. Doors open 30 minutes in advance and a cash bar is available.

About the Jacoby Arts Center

The mission of the Jacoby Arts Center is to nurture and promote the practice and appreciation of the arts through education, exhibits, cultural programs and community outreach initiatives. Jacoby Arts Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The Jacoby Arts Center is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Jacoby Arts Center, 627 E. Broadway, Alton, IL 62002 / 618-462-5222 / jacobyartscenter@gmail.com

When

7:30 PM - 10:30 PM
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Where

627 E Broadway, ALTON, IL 62002 (Driving Directions)
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200 W. Third Street | Alton, IL 62002
Suite 200
618.465.9850
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