NMCC to Host Final Showtime Performance April 12

Lazarrus Miller

Northeast Mississippi Community College freshman Lazarrus Miller of Shannon practices his technique on the keyboard as part of the college’s Campus Country ensemble. Northeast’s Campus Country will hold its final Showtime of the year on Saturday, April 12 at 7 p.m. in the Seth Pounds Auditorium. Admission is free to Northeast faculty, staff and students with a valid identification card and only $5 for general admission.

BOONEVILLE, Miss. (Press Releas) — Northeast Mississippi Community College’s Campus Country will hold its final Showtime performance of the 2013-14 academic year on Saturday, April 12 in Seth Pounds Auditorium on the Booneville campus.

Curtain rises at 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6 p.m. on the season finale entitled, “Day for the Dead.”

Admission is free with a Northeast student, staff or faculty identification card and is only $5 for general admission to the public.

April’s performance will also serve as the final Showtime for many of the sophomore members of the group.

“We’ve been really pressed for rehearsal time in the second half of the semester, so our set list is a bit shorter than usual,” said Northeast campus country director Chris Dunn. “One of my sophomore vocalists, Karly Clayton, pitched the idea of doing an acoustic “pre-show” featuring the singers who are graduating. That seemed like a great idea to me and it will give my veteran singers a bit more stage time. They’re learning the material on their own time outside of our usual rehearsal schedule.”

Northeast’s acoustic pre-show will begin at 6:30 pm.

“With so many singers in the group, it’s sometimes hard to find room in our set lists to feature our band members on vocals,” Dunn said. “I decided to make it a point to do so on this final Showtime.”

Campus Country band members will be singing a diverse mix of songs including “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash; “Worn” by Tenth Avenue North; “Something” by The Beatles; and the show’s title piece, “Day for the Dead” by the Zac Brown Band.

“‘Day for the Dead’ has been a particularly fun song to work up. It’s packed with vocal harmonies and tricky instrumental sections and is definitely our most ambitious undertaking of the semester,” Dunn said. “One of our drummers, Nolan Hill, actually asked about performing this song before he even joined the group. We’re excited for everyone to hear it. And ‘Something’ has always been one of my favorite Beatles songs. I was thrilled when our electric guitarist, Ben Ricketts, asked to sing it.”

Campus Country’s set list also includes a mix of both classic and modern country.

The group will perform country classics such as: “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?” by Waylon Jennings; “When Will I Be Loved?” by Linda Ronstadt; and “Fist City” by Loretta Lynn. Modern country hits such as Ashton Shepard’s “Takin’ Off This Pain” and Dixie Chicks’ “I Can Love You Better” will also be featured.

Northeast’s Campus Country will also venture into the pop/rock genre with songs like “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” by KT Tunstall, “Free to Be Me” by Francesca Battistelli, and “Always on My Mind” by Mandi Mapes.

Campus Country will also delve into the softer side of country music with a collection of ballads including: “Cold as Stone” by Lady Antebellum, “Because of You” by Reba McEntire, “Men and Mascara” by Julie Roberts, and “Travelin’ Soldier” by the Dixie Chicks.

This show will also feature Dunn on electric bass.

“Our bass player needed to bow out of the group to devote more time to his career. With so little time left in the semester, I knew it would be almost impossible to find a replacement,” Dunn said. “So, I’ve taken over on bass and Nathan Smith has joined us to replace me as soundman. I’ve played on a song or two with this group over the past few years, but it’s been really fun to rehearse an entire set list with them. They honestly play and sing as well, and sometimes better, as groups I performed with during my time in Nashville.”

Campus Country will also be performing as the headlining act of Hometown Heritage in downtown Booneville on May 3. The group will take the stage at 5 p.m. This show, Campus Country’s final performance of the school year, will feature the group revisiting their favorite songs from their 2013-14 set lists.

Members of Campus Country 2013-14 include Anna Bray of Booneville (vocals), Karly Clayton of Mooreville (vocals), Lindsey Cox of Booneville (vocals), Emily Finch of Saltillo (acoustic guitar/vocals), Chasie Gentry of Baldwyn (vocals), Hannah Beth Johnson of Corinth (vocals), Paige Johnston of Kossuth (vocals), Michaela Harper of Tishomingo (vocals), Nolan Hill of Ripley (drums/vocals), Lazarrus Miller of Shannon (keys), Ben Ricketts of Corinth (electric guitar/vocals), Kurt Robbins of Booneville (vocals), Nathan Smith of Ripley (sound), Javontae Thompson of Shannon (drums), and Bradley Walker of Booneville (electric guitar/vocals), Katelin Wallace of Tishomingo (vocals), and Makayla Voyles of Glen (vocals).

For Campus Country news and event updates, “like” the NEMCC Campus Country page on Facebook or join the Campus Country mailing list by sending a request to campuscountry@nemcc.edu.

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