Host of the popular roots music history podcast American Songcatcher, Nicholas Edward Williams is a multi-instrumentalist and storyteller who is dedicated to "playing it forward" by preserving the songs and styles that have shaped our country: ragtime, Piedmont blues, traditional folk, old time and early country. Williams has spent the last 15 years touring around the US, the UK, Western Europe and Australia, blending the roots music spectrum in his own style. He's opened for Taj Mahal, The Wood Brothers, Dom Flemons, CAAMP, John Paul White, Town Mountain, John Craigie, Rachel Baiman and Lucy Daucus, and has performed at festival stages on three continents. William's debut record As I Go Ramblin' Around made the International Folk Radio DJ Charts in 2019 with the #6 Top Album, #7 Top Song. His critically acclaimed sophomore release Folk Songs For Old Times' Sake unveiled in November of 2021 and has been heralded by the likes of Grammy-winning musician David Holt who said: "With tasteful guitar arrangements and a voice that draws you right in, Nicholas’ recordings roll along like a mountain stream.”

Artist Statement: Though trained as a painter, I work in a variety of media as a visual artist, including painting, sculpture, printmaking, and collage. I earned an MFA in Drawing, Painting, and Printmaking from Georgia State University, and a BFA in Drawing and Painting from the University of Georgia, studying at the Art Institute of Atlanta, and California College of Arts and Crafts along the way. I'm currently Associate Professor of Art with tenure at Georgia Highlands College. https://russellcookart.com/galleries/652336/images

DOORS 7pm, SHOWTIME 8pm Big City Productions is thrilled to announce our inaugural production, “An Intimate Gathering with Kevn Kinney.” Kinney is front man of legendary American Southern rock band Drivin N Cryin.

The event will be held at Kingfisher Art Company in historic downtown Rome, Georgia on January 28 at 8pm. Tickets are available starting January 3. This is a great opportunity to delve into Kinney’s poignant songwriting in an living room-style atmosphere. Kinney is known for his distinct vocal style and on-stage energy, but also for exploring different genres in his well-crafted songs.

The Drivin N Cryin front man is fresh off the December 9th release of Think About It, which is his first solo album in over a decade. Think About It is also his first vinyl album since MacDougal Blues. Think About It is produced by Athens, Georgia legend David Barbe and features R.E.M.’s Peter Buck and Bill Berry; Telecaster master Laur Joamets (Sturgill Simpson, Midland); Kevn’s brother Mikel Kinney on piano and fiddle; drummer Darren Stanley and bassist Kevin Scott.

Please note: There is NO PARKING in the West Lofts parking lot located at the gallery back door. They will tow. Parking can be found along the surrounding streets, in the Truist Bank parking lot located across the street, behind Harvest Moon restaurant next door, or at one of the public parking decks downtown.

James was born November 1955 in south Mississippi. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 1982 and worked in advertising and design until 1998. Following his intuition he found a metal worker who hired him to help in his shop located in a warehouse on the fringe of the city. There he found other artists and cheap rent, and this combination fostered his creative growth. He began painting in 2000. Moving west, he tried to locate in Seattle but ended up in Lopez Island in Puget Sound, and again focused on the creative process. With every move his art matured, and he now lives in Pell City, Alabama in a cabin he built from the ground up out of salvaged materials, where he spends most of his time painting.

Join us for a special evening to celebrate the release of a long awaited album by Jeremy Wells (the Dalis). The Dalis are a folk picking band made up of two members with roots stemming deep in the many genres of southern Appalachia. Jeremy Wells brings a sultry and seasoned array of songwriting, accompanied by the artistic picking of pure soul. An almost nomadic sound with hints of gypsy jazz and bluegrass, coming together in a unique and un-replicated blend. As a multi-instrumentalist, he brings a new level to the layers of songwriting, with experience always at the forefront of words. Jessee Plumley is a fiddle player who's sound runs deep in old time, bringing with it the sweet, sometimes lonesome, sound of bowed string and heartfelt melody. With songs ranging from blues to grass, this fusion of sound is sure to deliver songs you won't soon forget. The gallery bar will be open serving sodas, wine and beer. Kingfisher is located downtown so there is no designated parking lot, but there is plenty of parking across the street at Truist Bank, and behind Harvest Moon. Doors 7pm Showtime 8pm $15 adv $20 dos

Friends, please join us for a FREE musical performance by folk artist/songwriter Abe Partridge of Mobile, AL. Presented by Clark Jones and Kingfisher Art Co., this free, exclusive event will showcase Abe's fierce catalog of original music. Prepare yourself for mix of depth, humor, and emotion as he shares his unique and authentic songs with us. Doors Open at 7:00pm Show at 8:00pm “...Partridge sounds like a prodigy of Townes, Guy and Rodney the way his lyrics poetically twist and turn via a grizzled and lived in voice over a jagged acoustic guitar” — Alan Harrison - THE ROCKING MAGPIE “Abe Partridge has established himself as one of the most respected songwriters and visual folk artists in the southeast.” — AMERICAN SONGWRITER MAGAZINE The gallery bar will be open, serving beer, wine, soft drinks, and waters. There is plenty of parking at the Truist Bank, just a block away, located at 100 E 2nd Ave, Rome, GA. Or behind the Harvest Moon. Kingfisher is located off Broad Street, on E 2nd Ave, in the yellow West Lofts building in downtown Rome, GA. For more info 404-310-8910.

Clark Jones and the Big City String Band will light up the night with their Big City music! FREE SHOW! DOORS 7pm SHOWTIME 8pm

Out of Atlanta but truly calling the road his home, Reverend Hylton is touring the nation with his songs of relatable tales of life experiences. Heartbreak, addiction and traveling are the substance of his melodic musical, lyrical and vocal writings.

From the stage to the crowd, a real performance is heard. Real words from real experiences make for an authentic time shared by both The Reverend and the crowd.

Reverend Hylton is now out touring in his van living the Vanlife. Playing 200 shows a year all over the country. He is hitting as many towns and meeting as many folks as he can. Come out and listen to the stories, new and old as he makes a stop in your town. The gallery bar will be open, serving beer, wine, soft drinks, and waters. There is plenty of parking at the Truist Bank, just a block away, located at 100 E 2nd Ave, Rome, GA. Or behind the Harvest Moon. Kingfisher is located off Broad Street, on E 2nd Ave, in the yellow West Lofts building in downtown Rome, GA. For more info 404-310-8910.

SATURDAYS 12-5 NIGHT SHOPPING THURSDAYS AND FRIDAYS 4pm-9ish, serving hot cider, mulled wine, and more! Jewelry, Clay, Fiber, Mixed Media, Paintings, and more! Artists: Cheryl Hodge, Kimberly McGuiness, Starr Dees, Diana Smithson, Russell Cook, Donnie Davis, Scott Thomas, James Barron, Mary Huggins, Sherri Richards, Kathryn Sproull, Karen Schuttinga, Jeff Dixon, Susan Kapitza, Mary Galysh, Dennis Ritter, Jena Dost, Jeremy Dost, Ivy Pottery, James Hill, Judy Frasure, Hayden Bryant, Brad Cochran, Linda Mitchell

OPENING RECEPTION Oct.8, 6pm, in conjunction with downtown Rome's FIDDLE FEST!

The art and traditional music communities lost a tall tree when Art Rosenbaum passed away this September. Artist, musician, and folklorist Art Rosenbaum (1938-2022) and wife Margo spent a lifetime criscrossing the backroads, collecting banjo and fiddle tunes, blues, gospel, and other traditional folk music of the United States. In the tradition of Alan Lomax or Harry Smith, Art recorded and Margo photographed, culminating in the Grammy Award winning box set, Art of Field Recording. Having taught visual art at the University of Georgia for three decades and authored several books on banjo and folkways, Rosenbaum influenced generations of young artists and musicians, while bringing fading traditions forward into today. Art’s paintings are often a blend of expressive realism and allegory, populated with traditional musicians and Athens, Ga hipsters, and are included in the collections of museums around the country, including the Smithsonian. Art and Margo Rosenbaum have spent their careers and marriage traveling across different media and modes through various states of space and time. Trained and active in painting, they have also for over 50 years documented the heritage of American roots music and folk culture through recordings, drawings and paintings, essays, and photographs. These varied media have been compiled in books and box sets, including Art of Field Recording Vol I and II: Traditional Music Documented by Art Rosenbaum. Volume 1 of the set won a Grammy Award for Best Historical Album in 2008. These varied practices intersect and complement each other as both artists capture the identity of a nation as expressed through its musical and folk traditions and express their own personal preoccupations in their paintings. The Rosenbaums’ practice is rooted in mid-century modernist figurative painting that, like American folk music, balances personal expression with universal experience. Margo Newmark Rosenbaum (b. 1939) was initially introduced to the Bay Area Figurative movement as a student at the San Francisco Art Institute where she studied with Richard Diebenkorn and Elmer Bischoff. In reaction to the dominance of Abstract Expressionism, these San Francisco Bay artists reintroduced recognizable subject matter into abstract painting through which they evoked a strong sense of place. Art Rosenbaum (b. 1938) also emerged from the post-Abstract Expressionist milieux, finding influences in the abstract, socially minded narratives of Philip Guston and John Heliker. Art majored in Art History and later earned an MFA in Painting at Columbia University in his native New York where he also dabbled in the city’s nascent folk music scene. While in college, he also began to capture field recordings of unknown and unsung blues and folk musicians. With these early roots in painting, performance, and cataloging, the paths of Art and Margo converged in New York, where they met and married in 1966 after Art returned from studying in Paris. In 1968, Art secured a teaching position at the University of Iowa where Margo acquired an interest in photography while earning an MA in Painting. The couple eventually settled in Athens, Georgia in 1976 where Art assumed a teaching position for the next thirty years at the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia, serving as the first Wheatley Professor in Fine Arts before his retirement in 2006.

OPENING RECEPTION Sept. 14, 6pm-8pm. Performance Sept. 17, 8pm. Abigail Stevenson (visual artist) and Faith Im (solo dance artist) present an artistic collaboration, "In the Image of God." Audience and, or patrons will experience abstract art, poetry, and live contemporary dance. The presentation will last 40 minutes and guests are free to move about the gallery or sit as they take it all in. With this collaboration, the artists illuminate areas of faith questions that are not often talked about… "What is culturally and historically presented to us as "truth" and what is personal, dynamic, and practical relationship with God? Where is the line between truth and tradition? How, as women of faith, must we reconsider the narratives of the present masculine-hegemonic, atmosphere and inherited history? How can ritual and tradition comfort and inform the experience of those for whom it was not built for? While we cannot offer answers, we do offer exploration, empathy, and hope."

Join us for a special evening of music with Leah Calvert and Michael Smith (the Dappled Grays) $10 adv, $15 at the door, table reservations available, all ages welcome. Doors open at 7pm, showtime 8pm. "Two instruments, two voices, beautiful songs and captivating harmonies. As the lead writers and voices of the popular bluegrass band, the Dappled Grays, Leah and Michael share a long musical history. They used the downtime of the pandemic to write an entire new catalog of music and launched their new project, Smith & Calvert. Their 12 episode Video Podcast "About a Song" is out now. Michael has played with Sugarland, John McEuen (of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), the legendary bluegrass fiddler Bobby Hicks, and for 10 years, shared the stage with Lauren Morrow as a member of the Whiskey Gentry. Leah is a first call Atlanta fiddler/violinist and singer. Apart from releasing her own music, she currently plays and records with John Driscoll Hopkins (of the Zac Brown Band) and has recorded extensively with Kristian Bush (of Sugarland)." The gallery bar will be open, serving beer, wine, soft drinks, and waters. There is plenty of parking at the Truist Bank, just a block away, located at 100 E 2nd Ave, Rome, GA. Or behind the Harvest Moon. Kingfisher is located off Broad Street, on E 2nd Ave, in the yellow West Lofts building in downtown Rome, GA. For more info 404-310-8910

INFINITE PERSPECTIVES: A Lifetime of Art, Music, & Poetry featuring the works of Lee Staven, aka Leland Staven. Opening Reception Aug. 6, 6pm-8pm. Exhibit runs through Sept. 10. At age 88, Lee Staven has lived a few lives. He’s been a painter, a printmaker, a poet, and a jazz musician playing trumpet and piano, all at a high level. As an educator, he built up the art program at Berry College, then did the same at Agnes Scott, innovating printmaking techniques that allowed students to combine photography, painting and printing without using the harsh solvents and chemicals regularly a part of the printmaking process. Similarly, his painting breaks boundaries, including shaped canvases, thick textures, and sculptural elements in a style that veers from abstract to realistic, and back again.

Robinella’s career began with a sort of luck that rarely comes to most artists within their lifetime. What started out as a simple husband-and-wife duo fresh out of college quickly grew to a full-fledged band that blended Bluegrass, Country and Jazz. The combination of Robinella's honey-sweet vocals with violin, mandolin, bass, drums and piano captivated audiences, thus creating the ever popular Robinella & the CC Stringband. They released their first album, self-titled Robinella and The CC Stringband, in 2000, which quickly followed, No Saint, No Prize in 2001. Both were on the independent label Big Gulley Records. With a few simple twists of fate, what followed was a whirlwind of rapid success - Columbia Records liked what they heard and signed Robinella in 2002. The label took seven songs from the band’s two prior albums and released them as the CD Blanket for My Soul and then released a full album in 2003, Robinella and the CC Stringband. This led to a national tour including opening for such artists as Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Earl Scruggs, Nickel Creek, Robert Earl Keen, Kasey Chambers, Del McCoury and Rodney Crowell as well as an appearance on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and a music video on CMT for their hit single, “Man Over”. She also performed on NPR’s “Mountain Stage,” appeared on the Grand Ole Opry and performed on PBS’s “SoundStage.” In 2006, Robinella was nominated for “Emerging Artist of the Year” at the Americana Music Awards and released her fourth album, “Solace for the Lonely”, on Dualtone Records in Nashville. But then life, as it has a tendency to do, threw a few curveballs her way. She became a mom and a couple of years later, she and her husband/musical partner split up with a new record almost completed. Exhausted and somewhat disillusioned with the industry and its promises, it was time to regroup, redefine and get back to her roots. So she returned to her home, the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, and got back in touch with what she truly wanted – love, family, friendship, music, art, truth. With that comes her latest release, “Fly Away Bird”, her most mature work. However, within the melancholy and touches of sadness there is not true despair. For such a voice — that dazzling, warm, bright-as-summer-sunshine soprano — to even communicate it would most likely defy certain laws of emotional physics. No, instead, this album, beneath the disappointments, she is brimming with optimism — with hope. You can feel it, and even more important than that, you believe — because she believes, and because her music is so honest and so genuine and so forthright that you just can't help but knowing that this is an artist who still finds life to be magical. Artist's Statement "The more things change the more they stay the same." The longer I live the more I see the truth In this statement. And the truth I see is that as the day to day passes, while the years roll on, our lives are full of repetition -- repetition in choices, repetition in words, repetition of body and mind. As an artist, and a singer and songwriter. I see this repetition in paint, in color, and in song rolling off my lips. I'm from East Tennessee this means a lot of things to different people. To me, it means a big family, a mild climate, an accent, a thank you and your welcome. It means part of an old hymn. "Lord lead me on from day to day I want to walk the holy way though friends forsake me all alone, I ask the Lord to lead me on..." It means modesty. It means character. What can I say about my music but that it is intertwined with my life. The songs I have written, the songs I will write... These words I know because I have either lived them or seen them or felt them over and over, over and over, over and over again. I've seen many things. Some people would say I was naive. Maybe naive is a choice. I believe in beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Can you see it? Want me to try and show you? I will. With repetition, with a country song, with a smile, with a jazzy phrase I heard in a movie, with some fancy chords a man showed how to play. With some truth. With some lies.

Bradley Cochran, AKA Rolling Nowhere, is a self taught artist and songwriter born in Rome, Georgia. A self-proclaimed late bloomer, Brad started writing and performing music at age 30 and began painting in 2016 at the age of 40. While working dude ranches in Wyoming in his twenties, Brad fell in love with Western Landscapes and culture. His subjects include Cowboys, Western landscapes, skulls, while also paying homage to his love of American roots music. “I painted myself out of a dark period in my life and found my passion inside a world of bright colors. I’m basically putting everything I love into a blender, adding color and moving forward to an unknown destination with my Art. “ Brad's performance is in conjunction with the art exhibit featuring his paintings at Kingfisher, entitled OUTSIDERS: Folk Art from the Rural South, which runs through July 9. Kingfisher is a downtown Rome location with no designated parking lot. Look for street parking along Broad St. and E 1st St., or use one of the closest parking lots a block away at either the lot behind Harvest Moon, or Truist Bank, and the Roman Chariot provides free rides from and to anywhere in downtown Rome if you text them your location at 706-413-2822.

Due to the generous support from the Rome Area Council for the Arts, this show will be FREE and will be held in conjunction with the opening of the exhibit, Outsiders, Folk Art from the Rural South, featuring the artwork of Abe, and several other southern folk artists!

Partridge received national and international recognition in early 2018 when he released his first official full-length release, Cotton Fields and Blood For Days, to rave reviews and substantial airplay on Americana radio. It landed Partridge a lengthy feature in The Bitter Southerner and the album was chosen to be one of their “Top 30 albums of 2018.” Ranging from the earthy to the surreal, from the spiritual light to the depths of depression, Partridge draws listeners in with a combination of southern gothic storytelling, dark humor, and gripping intensity.

Partridge was on tour in the Netherlands and Belgium in November of 2018 when he met and bonded with David Ford, who says, “By the time you’ve witnessed ten thousand men take to the stage with an acoustic guitar to sing about their feelings, you can easily get to the impression that whether magnificent or mediocre they’re all to some degree just recycling the schtick of Bob Dylan, James Taylor or any number of whiskey-sodden bluesmen. Then one rainy night in the Netherlands I saw Abe Partridge take to the stage with an acoustic guitar and it felt like the first time anybody ever thought to try it. He didn’t just sing his songs, he set fire to them. It was brutal and tender and smart and angry and funny and brilliantly, uniquely authentic. I saw it as a magnificent reminder that great songs, delivered with honest intensity were what first made me want to do any of this in the first place.”

When Partridge is not writing or touring, he is creating his folk art paintings, which now hang in art galleries around the Southeast and in the private collections of Tyler Childers, Mike Wolfe (American Pickers), and Rick Hirsch (Wet Willie). He painted the cover art for Charlie Parr’s, Last Of The Better Days Ahead (Smithsonian Folkways). His monthly subscription-based art club has sustained him (and his wife and 3 children) during the Covid-19 pandemic.

American Songwriter Magazine said, “Abe Partridge has established himself as one of the most respected songwriters and visual folk artists in the southeast.”

Partridge has recently resumed touring, including a recent “Artist Spotlight” at the legendary Bluebird Café and a showcase for his art and music at the 2021 FinsterFest.

Partridge is currently putting the finishing touches on a new studio album projected to be released in early 2022.

This unique art exhibit, sponsored by the Rome Area Council for the Arts, will feature works by self taught artists living and creating in the southeast. The Opening Celebration is free, and will feature works and a performance by Abe Partridge (Montgomery, AL), along with works by Tex Crawford (Commerce, GA), Robinella (Maryville, TN), Brad Cochran (Canton, GA), James Schroeder (Kingston, GA), James Barron (Anniston, AL), Scott Thomas (Mentone, AL). The gallery will be open noon-8pm, with the Opening Celebration from 3pm-8pm, and will include a free live music performance by Abe Partridge 6pm-8pm. The gallery bar will be serving beer and wine, mocktails, soft drinks and waters. This will be a stop on the Outsider Art Trail, an event put together by the Paradise Garden Foundation. Participants can hit all the art spots on the driving trail and have a chance to win an overnight stay in one of the cottages at Howard Finster's Paradise Garden. Other stops on the Outsider Art Trail include the Rock Garden in Calhoun, Ga and Trade Day in Summerville, Georgia, and are all kid friendly and dog friendly. For a complete list of the stops visit the Paradise Garden website at paradisegardenfoundation.org.

Alabama's Abe Partridge received national and international recognition in early 2018 when he released his first official full-length release, Cotton Fields and Blood For Days, to rave reviews and substantial airplay on Americana radio. It landed Partridge a lengthy feature in The Bitter Southerner and the album was chosen to be one of their “Top 30 albums of 2018.” Ranging from the earthy to the surreal, from the spiritual light to the depths of depression, Partridge draws listeners in with a combination of southern gothic storytelling, dark humor, and gripping intensity. When Partridge is not writing or touring, he is creating his folk art paintings, which now hang in art galleries around the Southeast and in the private collections of Tyler Childers, Mike Wolfe (American Pickers), and Rick Hirsch (Wet Willie). He painted the cover art for Charlie Parr’s, Last Of The Better Days Ahead (Smithsonian Folkways). His monthly subscription-based art club has sustained him (and his wife and 3 children) during the Covid-19 pandemic. American Songwriter Magazine said, “Abe Partridge has established himself as one of the most respected songwriters and visual folk artists in the southeast.” Partridge has recently resumed touring, including a recent “Artist Spotlight” at the legendary Bluebird Café and a showcase for his art and music at the 2021 FinsterFest. Partridge is currently putting the finishing touches on a new studio album projected to be released in early 2023.

Kingston, Georgia's James Schroeder is no stranger to Rome, as he is kin to the founders of Broad Street’s Schroeders Deli, a local favorite for pizza and sandwiches. James Schroeder (b.1983 Rome Ga) is a self taught Folk-Pop stencil artist who creates murals on doors and posters using spray paint, tape, and hand cut stencils to feature the forgotten individuals in History. His art has been seen on MTV, several folk art museums, the National Pastime Museum, and The King Center in Atlanta. He was a finalist for the art installation contest at The Mercedes Benz stadium. James also paints posters to hand out at the local MLK Jr celebration as well as BLM events during the unrest after the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Additionally, he is the founder and organizer of the annual anti-bullying event, Ginger Pride, that ran from 2011-2019. James is currently a teacher, coach, and comedian.

For artist and musician Robinella, her music and art are woven together into the fabric of her life. “The more things change the more they stay the same. The longer I live the more I see the truth in this statement. And the truth I see is that as the day to day passes, while the years roll on, our lives are full of repetition -- repetition in choices, repetition in words, repetition of body and mind. As an artist, and a singer and songwriter, I see this repetition in paint, in color, and in song rolling off my lips. I'm from East Tennessee and this means a lot of things to different people. To me, it means a big family, a mild climate, an accent, a thank you and your welcome”.

The colorful works of Tex have been seen in galleries and arts festivals throughout the southeast, including Roots Up Gallery in Savannah, the Quinlan Visual Arts Center in Gainesville, GA, the OCAF Gallery in Watkinsville, the Steffen Thomas Museum in Madison, the Lyndon House Gallery in Athens, and the Georgia Museum of Art. Tex was born in Warner Robins GA in 1970. As a child of the 70's his visual nourishment came from an assortment of comic books, cartoons and lots of sci fi and monster movies. As well as his father's subscriptions to National Geographic, Time and Life magazines all of which have inspired some of the images and iconography in his art along his creative path. Tex is a self taught outsider artist who has been working with reclaimed materials in his art for over 25 year. Tex specifically likes working with reclaimed roofing tin as his preferred medium for the last 18 years. His techniques as well as vision have evolved a lot since then in many ways. He has created thousands of creations out of many fallen barn buildings and house tin roofs using an assortment of primitive tools guided by his curiosity and compulsion! He uses a lot of radiant and bright colors that embody positive energy as well as incorporating a lot of tooth and claw. For him, it's all about finding the balance between joy and the happiness we experience in life, and the trials and tribulations that sometimes we must endure to both appreciate and understand that joy.

Painter, furniture maker, and sculptor James Barron was born November 1955 in south Mississippi. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 1982 and worked in advertising and design until 1998. Following his intuition he found a metal worker who hired him to help in his shop located in a warehouse on the fringe of the city. There he found other artists and cheap rent, and this combination fostered his creative growth. He began painting in 2000. Moving west, he tried to locate in Seattle but ended up in Lopez Island in Puget Sound, and again focused on the creative process. With every move his art matured, and he now lives in Pell City, Alabama in a cabin he built from the ground up out of salvaged materials.

Scott Thomas, from Mentone, Alabama, works predominantly with acrylic paint on 3 dimensional objects including musical instruments and vintage cameras. Scott also paints on canvas and wooden boards. Growing up in a mill village in Northwest Georgia, Scott credits his grandmother’s quilt making as the inspiration for his unique style. He turned to painting as a creative outlet at the age of 58 and has been passionately pursuing this art form for 15 years.

Bradley Cochran, AKA Rolling Nowhere, is a self taught artist and songwriter born in Rome, Georgia. A self-proclaimed late bloomer, Brad started writing and performing music at age 30 and began painting in 2016 at the age of 40. While working dude ranches in Wyoming in his twenties, Brad fell in love with Western Landscapes and culture. His subjects include Cowboys, Western landscapes, skulls, while also paying homage to his love of American roots music. “I painted myself out of a dark period in my life and found my passion inside a world of bright colors. I’m basically putting everything I love into a blender, adding color and moving forward to an unknown destination with my Art. “

The exhibit runs through July 9, and will feature ticketed performances throughout by several of the artists at various dates, with Brad Cochran performing June 25 and Robinella performing July 2. Kingfisher is a downtown Rome location with no designated parking lot. Look for street parking along Broad St. and E 1st St., or use one of the closest parking lots a block away at either the lot behind Harvest Moon, or Truist Bank, and the Roman Chariot provides free rides from and to anywhere in downtown Rome if you text them your location at 706-413-2822.

Doors 7pm Showtime 8pm Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms are known to roots music fans across the globe for their soulful harmonies, driving dance tunes, classic original songs, and commitment to the raw truth of rural American music. Both originally from Washington State, they made a home in Portland, Oregon, where they are foundational to the exceptional old-time and country music scene with the Caleb Klauder Country Band and their membership in the Foghorn Stringband, in which Caleb was a founding member. Charismatic performers, they bring their unique set of talents to the stage with an eye towards good times and an ear towards the deepest songs and tunes. Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms both originally hail from Washington State: Caleb from the coastal islands, and Reeb from the high desert plateau. The two have come together in music and are hailed as some of the most compelling musicians making country roots music in America today. When these two sing together, their honest incantations leave us spell-bound and smiling. Their repertoire is made up of original songs and tunes as well as gems from American roots repertoires. Music is clearly in their blood. Caleb and Reeb’s originals and interpretations of songs have been covered and recorded by many performers and their musical presence reaches into a diverse and loyal fanbase, giving creedence to the impact that this duo has on their listeners. Pillars of the Northwest music scene, they carry the torch of their music around the world, and can be found touring as a duo, as well as with the Foghorn Stringband, and the Caleb Klauder Country Band. Their fans exude admiration for the timeless sound that these two produce, capturing the essence of American roots music. Sometimes we get so unnecessarily swept up in who’s rising and falling in music these days that the sheer joy of music is overlooked. One of the great things about Caleb and Reeb is that they are a world apart from all of that nonsense and let you immerse yourself in the melody and story of classic sounding country music until all other cares of life fade away. Country music is the music of working people who use it to pass the time and forget about the ever-present hardships in their lives. After years of touring together, Reeb and Caleb work intuitively. Caleb’s study and understanding of roots music is so dedicated and rich, that he can hauntingly immerse himself in the same perspective of those old primitive country composers and write as if he was right beside them. Their album Innocent Road includes a clutch of lovingly arranged Klauder originals, along with well-placed and rare covers. The pair bring the spirit of legendary country duos into their contemporary takes on country music. Trading vocals back and forth, they complement each other strikingly well in an attractive meld of honky-tonk that brushes shoulders with trad bluegrass. Caleb has penned over 50 songs many of which are standards across America in honky tonk and bluegrass jams and festivals, both on and off stage. There is a long list of bands and singers who have recorded Caleb's songs over the years. The blend of true harmonies, the sharply-written country songs, and the un-showy authenticity strike a rich vein that makes them seem like they are born and raised in Music City. But Portland Oregon, is their home. For years, Caleb Klauder has been at the heart of Portland’s music scene. In the early 2000’s, his group Foghorn Stringband led the burgeoning square dance and Appalachian string band revival. In the past fifteen years, he’s been leading Portland’s underground country scene. He has quietly pursued his country vision without much of a care for what’s expected or in vogue at the time. There’s a lot to admire in this singular perseverance and honesty.

Ages 18 an up. Comedy from Atlanta and Rome, GA!

This exhibit will feature works by art students, and their teachers, from Georgia Highlands College! More info TBA.