Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Gary & Liars Bench Make Cover of Smoky Mountain News!

Go here: http://www.smokymountainnews.com/index.php
Thank you for being fans of The Liars Bench.

Please email Quintin Ellison (quintin@smokymountainnews.com)
and Scott McLeod (info@smokymountainnews.com)
and thank them for publishing Gary and the Liars Bench in the Smoky Mountain News.
 Coming Thursday March 15, 7:00 pm at the Mountain Heritage Center the first of  "The Balsam Chronicles", a series of ground-breaking culturally and historically significant shows about Jackson and the surrounding counties of Western North Carolina.

http://hollernotes.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Liars-Bench/205980006131269
http://twitter.com/#!/TheLiarsBench
https://plus.google.com/LiarsBench

The Mountain Heritage Center at WCU: 828.227.7129

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Full House at Liars Bench "Coy" Encore Show

Last Thursday evening at the Mountain Heritage Center was magical. It was the Liars Bench second show for February and an encore production of "Coy," a dramatic monologue written by Gary Carden.
A number of notables were there including Marvin Cole, a former classmate of Gary's, who most of us know as "Mark Twain."
Gary acknowledged Laura Chew in the audience, who will be starring in Gary's forthcoming play "Mother Jones." Gary also mentioned that Frank Lee (Freight Hoppers) of Bryson City had finished the music for the play "Outlander" which will be starting production at the Parkway Playhouse in Burnsville this June. William Ritter will be one of the actors in the production of "Outlander."
Paul Iarussi, our famous claw-hammer guitar player and old-time singer kicked the show off with "Fields of Brown."

Lloyd Arneach, internationally known Cherokee story teller held the audience spell-bound with "How the Milky way came to be."
Ken Beck, from Sylva, played and sang to the enjoyment of the audience.
William Ritter played a couple of versions of "Bonaparte's Retreat," a sad fiddle tune played by a Haywood County man before one of Kirk's raiders shot him and made famous by Charles Frazier's book (1997) and film "Cold Mountain" (2003).
Tom Dewees did a magnificent job as "Coy"
and the audience rewarded Tom with a standing ovation.
All the performers, Karen, William, Lloyd, Ken, and Paul came back again much to the delight of the audience.
Gary sent everybody home reminding them of the first production of "The Balsam Chronicles" coming in March.


Coming in March, the first of  "The Balsam Chronicles", a series of ground-breaking culturally and historically significant shows about Jackson and the surrounding counties of Western North Carolina.
Why did Charlie Wright risk his life to save Gus Beaty from plunging two thousand feet to his death on Whiteside Mountain? Could a man unjustly accused, convicted, and executed be exonerated and brought back to life by modern (1880s) medical science? Did a Jackson County medical doctor actually invigorate elderly men with a special surgical procedure decades before Viagra? Please stay tuned and come to the next Liars Bench on Thursday March 15 at 7:00 pm at the Mountain Heritage Center and we guarantee you will be amazed at all the interesting things that have gone on in your back yard--brought to you by Western North Carolina's only live, authentic traditional Southern Appalachian storytelling, music, poetry, drama, and folk arts presentation:

http://hollernotes.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Liars-Bench/205980006131269
http://twitter.com/#!/TheLiarsBench
https://plus.google.com/LiarsBench

The Mountain Heritage Center at WCU: 828.227.7129


Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Dramatic Performance Of “Coy” To Be Centerpiece Of Encore Liars Bench Benefit Show


The Liars Bench
Stories of the Southern Appalachians
A Live, Authentic Traditional Southern Appalachian Storytelling, Music, Poetry, Drama, and Folk Arts Presentation”

Sylva February 21, 2012—Gary Carden of The Liars Bench, a two-year old program featuring authentic traditional Southern Appalachian storytelling, music, poetry, and drama, announced an encore show Thursday February 23 at 7:00 pm at WCUs Mountain Heritage Center to follow the successful February 16 Liars Bench performance of “Coy”. There will be an admission charge of $10.00 per person to cover the costs of show production.

“We have done over twenty, free performances in Sylva and Cullowhee, and in addition, we have traveled to other locations such as Andrews, Franklin, and Waynesville,” said Carden, the founder and Artistic Director of The Liars Bench. “The show has become quite popular and part of the program's appeal is due to the fact that admission at all of the City Lights and Mountain Heritage Center performances have been free. Customarily, we 'pass the hat' at each performance in order to give a token payment to the performers. However, in order to stabilize our finances we have decided to charge admission for this special “Coy” program.

Carden readily admits that The Liars Bench programs took an unexpected turn, both in terms of purpose and popularity. “At first, I simply wanted an opportunity to tell stories. However, when local musicians and poets agreed to perform, I realized that perhaps The Liars Bench was an opportunity to do more than merely entertain the audience. Gradually, the show has become a means of showcasing Appalachian culture and presenting it with integrity and authenticity. With the assistance of the Mountain Heritage Center, we are in the process of developing a series of programs called “The Balsam Chronicles” which are based on the history and folklore of the region.”

Recently, The Liars Bench, in conjunction with the Mountain Heritage Center, developed a grant proposal that was funded by the Jackson County Arts Council. “This grant will give us the resources to develop programs that deal with topics such as Dr. John R. Brinkley, the hanging of Jack Lambert, and the historical basis for the belief that Abraham Lincoln was born here. We plan to do this with storytelling, music, poetry and drama.”

During the past year, Carden has designed and directed a series of shows that dealt with Cherokee history and culture; religious music, Jack Tales, and myths and legends. After a show from last October was recently featured on the regional television program Life in the Carolinas, both the performers and the staff of the Liars Bench became convinced that the show should move toward becoming a significant voice in defining and preserving the region's culture.

In addition to Liars Bench regulars, such as Lloyd Arneach, the Cherokee storyteller; Paul Iarussi, claw-hammer guitar specialist; William Ritter, vocalist and musician; Karen Barnes, musician and Eric Young (mandolin and guitar); the February 23 performance will feature a play, “Coy,” written by Gary Carden and performed by Tom Dewees. Advance tickets are $10.00 and are currently on sale at City Lights Bookstore (828.586.9499). Encore performance starts at 7:00 pm. For additional information, call the Mountain Heritage Center at 828.227.7129.

http://hollernotes.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Liars-Bench/205980006131269
http://twitter.com/#!/TheLiarsBench
https://plus.google.com/LiarsBench

The Mountain Heritage Center at WCU: 828.227.7129
###
Coming in March, the first of  "The Balsam Chronicles", a series of culturally and historically significant shows about Jackson and the surrounding counties of Western North Carolina. Whether its the short, blue-eyed men who were here when the Cherokee came to the Southern Appalachians, a Jackson County medical doctor who invigorated elderly men decades before Viagra, or the near-impossible rescue of a man who fell off Whiteside Mountain and came within a hair of plunging two thousand feet to his death by a true Jackson County hero who was married to "Kidder Cole", you will be amazed at all the interesting things that have gone on in your back yard!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Successful "Coy" Liars Bench Delights Audience


Friends, we hope you were at the Mountain Heritage Center last Thursday night because The Liars Bench Bunch out performed themselves.
Paul Iarussi and Eric Young opened the show with an old-time song called "The Grandfather Clock." Paul had been playing the song for years as an instrumental and just learned the lyrics the night of the show.

Lloyd Arneach told a very scary story about the "Great Leech", a terrible monster in the Valley River near Murphy.
Rising Liars Bench star William Ritter sang a ghost story ballad called "Lady Margaret", much to the audience's approval.



Karen Barnes, accompanied by Dave McGill, sang a great up-tempo jazzy-type song called "Satan is Busy in Knoxville."

The centerpiece of last Thursday's Liars Bench (and the encore show to come next Thursday February 23) was "Coy",

a dramatic monologue played to great applause by Haywood County dramatist Tom Dewees, about a young mountain man faced with his grandfather's (and his own) mortality and the magical way that he deals with it.

Tom Dewees played a very convincing "Coy." The audience loved him.
Lloyd Arneach told a story about Chief Ten Bears on the set of "Dances With Wolves" and the Native-American actors who were the first modern Indians to "ride with the buffalo."
William and Eric each played a solo.
Karen Barnes sang a Stephen Foster song "Hard Times."
Friends, we want to thank each and everyone of you who were able to make it out to the Mountain Heritage Center last Thursday night. Please tell your family, friends, and acquaintances about the Liars Bench "Coy" Encore show this coming Thursday February 23 at 7:00 pm at the Mountain Heritage Center. Tickets are now available at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva and will  be available at the door the night of the show.
http://hollernotes.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Liars-Bench/205980006131269
http://twitter.com/#!/TheLiarsBench
https://plus.google.com/LiarsBench
The Mountain Heritage Center at WCU: 828.227.7129
City Lights Bookstore 586.9499 
Coming in March "The Balsam Chronicles", the beginning of a series of culturally and historically significant shows about Jackson and the surrounding counties of Western North Carolina. You will be amazed at all the interesting things that have gone on in your back yard!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Liars Bench Fans listen up; besides City Lights, tickets for each show
(February 16 & 23) will be available at the door. Come early for a
good seat. First show is this Thursday February 16, 7:00 pm at the
Mountain Heritage Center.

http://hollernotes.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/TheLiarsBench
https://plus.google.com/LiarsBench
The Mountain Heritage Center at WCU: 828.227.7129
City Lights Bookstore 586.9499