Molly Ringwald, UNCG Theatre, MerleFest, NC Writers' Network, & The Marshall Tucker Band

Molly Ringwald

David heard his first jazz concert when he was a little kid. The Ahmad Jamal trio opened for Dizzy Gilespie and his big band, and he was hooked. For actor, singer, author, and dancer Molly Ringwald, that early introduction to jazz came practically while she was still in the womb. Her father is a jazz pianist, and by the time Molly was three years old she was already belting out classic jazz standards and show tunes with her dad at the keyboard. Since then Molly Ringwald has enjoyed a highly successful acting career, and recently, the mother of three has come full circle and released her debut album, Except Sometimes. The CD is filled with wonderful tunes from the great American songbook like "I'll Take Romance," "Where is Love," as well as a nice arrangement of the Simple Minds classic "Don't You (Forget About Me)".

On Friday night, April 24^th she and her pianist Peter Smith will be in concert with the UNC at Greensboro Jazz Ensemble I and strings. All proceeds go to the Greensboro Urban Ministry. The Miles Davis Festival Concert begins at 8 pm in Aycock Auditorium.

She spoke with David by phone from her home in Los Angeles.

UNCG's Production of August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone

In August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone, his characters struggle openly with the intense discrimination Black Americans faced in the years following emancipation. The UNCG production will showcase Black perspectives as experienced in the year 1911 using integrated storytelling, movement choreography and song.

August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone continues through April 26^th with evening shows at 7:30 and 8 and weekend matinees at 2 in Aycock Auditorium in Greensboro. 

Although Wilson's stories reflect African American experiences, Triad Stage Artistic Associate and UNCG resident director Tamera Izlar says the themes in the play are universal.

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MerleFest

From it's humble beginnings playing for 800-900 folks on the back of a flat bed pickup truck, to nearly 80,000 fans of traditional plus music, and a team of more than 4,000 volunteers Merlefest has emerged as one of this country's premier music festivals. It's an annual homecoming for musicians and music fans alike on the scenic mountain view campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of the late Eddy Merle Watson, son of American music legend Doc Watson. He called MerleFest a celebration of ‘traditional plus' music, a unique mix of music based on the traditional, roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, and it's expanded to include Americana, Cajun, country, blues, rock and many other styles. This year the four-day event will host nearly 120 bands performing on 13 stages.

Merlefest 2015 runs from Thursday, April 24^th through Sunday the 26^th on the gorgeous Wilkes Community College campus in Wilkesboro. The Avett Brothers, Dwight Yokum, North Mississippi All Stars, Steep Canyon Rangers, Robert Earl Keen are among the list of 117 bands performing the best of the best traditional plus music on 13 the different stages of Merlefest. It's kid friendly, family fun and the right place to be this weekend.

Festival Director Ted Hagaman says the annual event has become the primary fundraiser for the Wilkes Community College Endowment Corporation, funding scholarships, capital projects and other educational needs.

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Ed Southern and The North Carolina Writers' Network

In 1985, the North Carolina literary landscape was ready for a statewide organization. There was a group for published authors and the North Carolina poetry Society, but individuals decided it was time for an organization that would bring all of the state's writers together. The North Carolina Writers' Network was born.