Nothin’ Fancy Takes Over the Bluegrass Monday Stage on May 19
JONESBORO - Nothin’ Fancy will present a concert of bluegrass music at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 19, at the Collins Theatre, 120 West Emerson Street, in Paragould. The concert is part of the Bluegrass Monday concert series presented by KASU 91.9 FM.
Typically, KASU Bluegrass Monday concerts are on the fourth Monday night of each month. However, due to Memorial Day, the May concert will be one week earlier than usual.
From the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, Nothin’ Fancy was formed in 1994. This full-time, professional bluegrass band plays dozens of concerts each year. The group has performed at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, the Lincoln Center in New York City, Dollywood in Pigeon Forge and Silver Dollar City in Branson.
Nothin’ Fancy has released 17 CDs, and they record for the Mountain Fever record label. The band performs bluegrass standards, gospel songs, original melodies, novelty songs and unique bluegrass arrangements of songs from other styles of music. Group members are heavily influenced by the various bluegrass groups from the past, who were from the same geographical region as band members.
Nothin’ Fancy has been named “Entertaining Group of the Year” by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) six times. The group was inducted into the Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015.
For over two decades, the band has hosted its own annual bluegrass festival in Buena Vista, Va. That event is one of the most popular and respected bluegrass events in the country, featuring performances by the band and dozens of other top bluegrass acts.
Lead vocalist and emcee for the group, Mike Andes, has been performing publicly since he was 14. He was raised in a musical family, and he formed his first band, the East Coast Bluegrass Band, in the early 1980s. Andes, a founding member of Nothin’ Fancy, also plays mandolin for the band. He has been nominated for Mandolin Player of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Individual Entertainer of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year awards by SPBGMA. Andes released his first solo CD in 2013.
Chris Sexton was a guest fiddle player on Nothin’ Fancy’s second and third CDs, and he officially joined the band in 2000. In addition to playing bluegrass, Sexton is a classically trained violinist who has performed with numerous symphony orchestras. He has obtained a master’s degree in violin instruction from Shenandoah University, and he is an adjunct professor at the Woodbridge Campus of Northern Virginia Community College, where he teaches violin, viola and cello.
Recordings of his music have been featured on television programs on the Discovery Channel, the Learning Channel, PBS and the National Geographic Channel. Sexton has also produced solo CDs, both old-time fiddle music and classical music.
Jacob Flick plays banjo and sings for the group. The Virginia native graduated with a degree in Appalachian studies from East Tennessee State University with an emphasis in bluegrass music.
Curt Gausman is the band’s guitarist who also sings. He has played in bluegrass bands since the 1980s, such as Hobbs & Partners and the Hazel River Band.
Nothin’ Fancy’s bassist goes by the stage name Jenkins. This South Carolina native toured the world in the band of noted musician Frank Solivan.
More details about Nothin’ Fancy are available online.
The admission fee to the Bluegrass Monday concert is $10 per person, payable by cash at the door the night of the concert. Everyone aged 18 and under will be admitted free. Advance tickets can be purchased on the KASU website. All ticket proceeds go to the musicians, compensating them for their performance.
Groups of eight or more may request reserved seating by contacting KASU’s Marty Scarbrough. Otherwise, the theatre doors open at 6 p.m., and seating is first-come, first-served.
Acoustic musicians are invited to participate in a bluegrass music jam session at 5 p.m. in the Joe Wessell Building, adjacent to the Collins Theatre. A section of seats in the theatre will be reserved for jammers and their guests so that they can play until the concert begins.
The Bluegrass Monday concert series is a non-profit presentation of KASU-FM, providing music fans with an affordable and outstanding evening of family-friendly entertainment. These concerts are held on the fourth Monday night of each month.
These concerts are presented with support from sponsors including the Paragould Advertising & Promotion Commission, Bibb Chiropractic Center, Gardner-Milner Law Firm, the Posey Peddler, Kiss The Cook, Holiday Inn Express and Suites of Paragould and KASU.
KASU is the public media service of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro broadcasting at 91.9 FM and streaming on a variety of online platforms. For more information, contact KASU program director Marty Scarbrough at mscarbro@AState.edu or 870-972-2367. Additional information is also available on the Bluegrass Monday Facebook page.
Nothin' Fancy members (from left) Chris Sexton, Mike Andes, Jacob Flick, Curt Gausman and Jenkins.
