Sanctum Sully CD Release Party for “Trade Winds”

Sanctum Sully will hold a CD Release Party at the Rives Theatre, celebrating their new album, “Trade Winds.”  

Well-loved for their three-part harmonies, blues based guitar riffs and down-home sound, Sanctum Sully has long been a Martinsville favorite. Of course, having members who grew up in the area doesn’t hurt.  So, get ready for a foot stompin’ good time with Sully and their grassed-up, traditionally untraditional show.    Bear Mountain Picnic will open.  $10 at Door

Live at the Rives Theatre Series Pass Event

M’City Jazz Band Hits the Stage

The M’City Jazz Band, formerly called the Martinsville Community Jazz Ensemble, has just been added to the roster at the Rives Theatre.  The group will bring their Big Band Jazz to the Rives on April 27, 2012  at 7 PM.  Come out to hear some of the best musicians our community has to offer. Tickets $5 at the door.

Devon Allman Concert Sold Out

Well fans, we are both sorry and happy to say that Devon Allman &  Honeytribe’s Live at the Rives Theatre performance on March 24 is now sold out. We hope you got your tickets in advance, but in case you didn’t, check out our upcoming shows for another event that might soothe your pain.

Tags: Devon Allman, Honeytribe, Live at the Rives Theatre

Fast Track Exhibitors Invited to Free Concert

To show our appreciation for their support of Martinsville and Henry County’s business community, Fast Track 2012 Exhibitors are invited to join the Chamber of Commerce and Arts at the Rives Theatre for a complimentary concert in Uptown Martinsville’s historic Rives Theatre, featuring live music by POSSUM JENKINS. As always, your continued support of the Chamber and Arts at the Rives Theatre is greatly appreciated. For more information on attending this show, please call the Martinsville Henry County Chamber of Commerce at 276.632.6401.

Live at the Rives Theatre 2012 Season Announced

The 2012 Live at the Rives Theatre concert series has been announced.  Here is a look at the performers who will play the series between February and May. More events will be scheduled, so check back for updates!

Series Pass Holder Event
with Lizzy Ross Band
February 17, 2012 · 9 PM
Rives Theatre

Live at the Rives Theatre Series Pass holders are invited to a special Series Kick-Off Party featuring music by Rooster Walk favorite, Lizzy Ross Band with beverages and food catered by Ratatouille.  Only Series Pass holders and sponsors will be admitted to this event, so call the Rives Theatre at 276.403.0872 or email rivestheater@gmail.com today to purchase a Series Pass or to sponsor an event.  In addition to the Lizzy Ross performance, purchase of a Series Pass also gains the holder admission to six Live at the Rives Theatre series performances in 2012 (see below). $50 Series Pass

Devon Allman & Honeytribe
Saturday, March 24, 2012 · 9 PM
Rives Theatre

Front man of Honeytribe and son of the legendary Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers Band, Devon Allman’s passionate, guitar-driven blues is rich and soulful - with definite influences from his famous father.  Ranging from heavy jams to introspective slow tunes, and of course a few covers, Allman brings a solid classic rock sound to his performances.  Tickets available at Daily Grind and Woodall’s Music or rivestheater@gmail.com. $10

Sanctum Sully
Friday, April 13, 2012 · 9 PM
Rives Theatre

Take three-part harmonies, blues based guitar riffs, a ringer of a mandolin and one helluva beer drinkin’ crowd, and you’ve got yourself a ‘Sully’ show. Foot stompin’ good times and grassed-up versions of blues, rock and jamband tunes could sneak their way between a unique array of originals in their somewhat unpredictable sets. Tickets available at Woodall’s Music, Daily Grind or rivestheater@gmail.com. $10

William Walter’s Damn Fine Trio
Friday, May 04, 2012 · 9 PM
Rives Theatre

Combining high-energy rock and roll with a special blend of funky twang, William Walter & Co. deliver live looping jams with epic guitar wizardry. A festival favorite, Walter & Co.’s music reflects a common shared experience. Listening to Walter & Co. is like hanging out with good friends: intimate, energizing and fun. Tickets at Woodall’s Music, Daily Grind or rivestheater@gmail.com.  $10

2012 Live at the Rives Theatre Series Passes Now On Sale

Buy a 2012 Live at the Rives Theatre Series Pass and receive an invitation to a private performance by Lizzy Ross on Feb. 17!

Anyone who has lived in the Martinsville area for a period of time has asked, ”What is there to do in this town?” Well, Arts at the Rives Theatre (ART) is offering some excellent options for the coming year!

 As a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, ART brings live music, local artists and education programming to Martinsville, while supporting the preservation of the historic Rives Theatre as a venue for such programming.

 In the past year, many of you have attended our sponsored ART events and we thank you for your patronage. As we finalize our 2012 Live At the Rives Theatre concert series, we need your support again.

 2012 Live at the Rives Theatre Series Passes are now on sale for $50 each — a 30% discount on regularly priced tickets. Series Pass sales, along with sponsorships, are the primary funding source for ART’s artisan concerts and other events.  We hope that you will consider supporting us in 2012 with the purchase of a Series Pass.

 Each Live at the Rives Theatre Series Pass includes:

 · A special invitation to a Private Series Kick-Off Party on Friday, February 17, 2012, featuring music by Rooster Walk favorite, Lizzy Ross. Only Series Pass holders and sponsors will be admitted to this event. Beverages and food catered by Ratatouille will be included.

 · Admission to Six Live at the Rives Theatre Concerts, featuring blues, rock, funk and more.  We have heard many suggestions and comments from ART patrons over the last year and we think the 2012 line-up will offer a fresh and exciting experience for concert goers.

If you would like to purchase a 2012 Live at the Rives Theatre Series Pass, please email your name, address and phone number to rivestheater@gmail.com with 2012 Live at the Rives Theatre Series Pass as the subject.  Or, you can call ART Board President, Dean Johnston at 276-732-2836.

Thank you for your past and future support of live music in Martinsville.  We hope to see you at the Rives Theatre on February 17!

For more information on ART, like us on Facebook for regular updates.

What Lies Ahead

The last year has been a blast.  Thanks to everyone who came to our First Fridays at the Rives series as well as our other events.  In the coming year, we will be arranging our shows a bit differently, which means the First Fridays at the Rives series will be replaced by a new series called Live at the Rives.  Events will no longer be held the first Friday of each month, or monthly at all.  This change in scheduling will allow Arts at the Rives Theatre to book more of the bands you love.  We’re still booking the season, so check back in February for a list of upcoming Live at the Rives shows for 2012.

Happy New Year!
Arts at the Rives Theatre

Christmas Is In the Air

Day After Christmas Concert Spectacular
Monday, Dec 26, 2011
8 pm | Rives Theatre

 Join Arts at the Rives Theatre for the much-anticipated Day After Christmas Concert Spectacular.  This annual event  brings a night full of music and friends to Martinsville.  The Day After Christmas Concert will feature, direct from Martinsville, Colonel Mustard and the Bacon Boys (aka the John Franck family band), Jaime Woodall, Jacob Woodall, Tom Berry and Friends and a special reunion of Sump featuring Johnny Selman, Brent Lacy, Chad Bassett and Win Webster.  Monday night is sure to be a holiday highlight, so bring your friends!

$5 at the door

Jingle All The Way!

5th Annual
Jingle Bell Jamboree
Friday, Dec 2, 2011
8 PM | Rives Theatre

Singer/songwriter Jay Clark and Martinsville’s own Doug and Telisha Williams will perform at the annual night of music, merriment and holiday goodwill know as Jingle Bell Jamboree.

Jay Clark has his roots well grounded in the East Tennessee region. Originally from Winchester, TN, and currently residing on 31.5 acres in Rockford, TN, Jay considers Knoxville and the surrounding mountains his adopted home.

Jay began playing guitar and writing songs during his high school years and has been actively involved in songwriting and performing ever since. After leaving Winchester to attend Maryville College in 1992, Jay spent the summers of 1993 and 1994 performing at Dollywood and various bluegrass festivals with Keith Garrett (The Boxcars, Blue Moon Rising) in a traditional bluegrass brother-style duet. In 1995, Jay transferred to the University of Tennessee and met Robinella (www.robinella.com). They started singing together at churches and gradually put together a traditional bluegrass band, The Stringbeans, with the help of Cruz Contreras (The Black Lillies, CC Stringband). The Stringbeans played around the Knoxville area from 1997 to 1999 and were voted the “Best Bluegrass Group” in 1999 by the Readers Poll of Knoxville’s alternative weekly, the Metropulse.

Doug and Telisha Williams hail from Martinsville, where we all know the boarded up factories stand as monuments to how fast the world can change. When you hear them sing songs about a couple of hard luck kids who made some bad decisions and wound up in jail, you’ve got to remember that Doug & Telisha are still good friends with those kid’s family. The songs for their latest record, Ghost of the Knoxville Girl, weren’t written by people who like to imagine what it’s like “out there,” instead they came from stories told across kitchen tables or between friends after a couple of pitchers at the Ten Pin.

Proceeds from Jingle Bell Jamboree benefit the Martinsville-Henry County SPCA. Donations accepted at the show for pets in need. Doors 6:30 pm. Show 8 pm. Tickets available at Studio 107, Binding Time and at the door the night of the show.

Tickets $10

It’s Gonna Be a Scorcher

Jason Ringenberg
Friday, Nov 4, 2011 
8 PM | Rives Theatre
$15 at the door
Reserve Tickets

Farmer Jason
Saturday, Nov 5, 2011
11:30 am | Rives Theatre
Free!

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Well music fans, our next event is coming up this Friday and it has come to our attention that our fabulous performer, Jason Ringenberg, may need a little introduction. He is a man of many talents, after all.

Some of you may be familiar with Ringenberg as the “Jason” in Jason and the Scorchers, the hard-driving, country-punk hybrid that tore into the Americana music scene in the early 1980s and became a regular opening act for then soon-to- be-pop-giants R.E.M.  Today, Ringenberg still tours with the Scorchers, but has also branched out into a highly successful solo career.   Though the Scorchers’ style of alt-country is a gritty, fast-paced riot, Ringenberg’s solo style is smooth and twangy, reminiscent of Dwight Yoakam, but with an undeniable touch of his punk rock past.  If you like classic country with an edge, Ringenberg is your man.

Listen: “Ride the Orphan Train” by Jason Ringenberg

These days, Ringenberg doesn’t just rock juke joints and music halls.  He has also been known to don overalls and a cowboy hat and become children’s entertainer Farmer Jason, a PBS sensation.  Farmer Jason delights kids with original songs, like “Punk Rock Skunk” and “A Guitar Pickin’ Chicken.”  He tours the U.S. and abroad with his high-energy, barrell-of-laughs kids’ act that causes giggles galore.

So, now that you know a little about Jason Ringenberg, and his home-spun alter-ego Farmer Jason, join us at the Rives Theatre this Friday for an evening with an alt-country superstar. Then, bring your kids to the theatre on Saturday morning for the fun and friendly antics of everyone’s favorite farmhand.

Farmer Jason is presented by Boys and Girls Clubs of Martinsville and Henry County, Martinsville-Henry County Family YMCA and Arts at the Rives Theatre.