If you go
Johnny Balik› When: 8:15 p.m. Friday, June 2; doors open at 7:30 p.m.› Admission: $10Jack Pearson› When: 7-9:30 p.m. Saturday, June 3; doors open at 6:30 p.m.› Admission: $25› Where: Songbirds Guitar Museum, 35 Station St.› For more information: 423-531-2473
Nashville musician Jack Pearson plays a seated show for 100 ticketholders at Songbirds on Saturday night.Two artists - one a Chattanoogan whose career is just starting and the other a Nashville guitar player whose career is rock-solid - will be featured in shows this weekend at Songbirds Guitar Museum.
Johnny Balik starts off the weekend with a Pre-Bonnaroo Kickoff Concert on Friday, June 2, at 8:15 p.m. Opening for him will be Menagerie. Balik is a Canadian transplant living in the Scenic City. He's on the lineup at Bonnaroo, which begins June 8.
Mike Dougher, Songbirds talent buyer, first heard Balik some time ago when the singer came into the former Rhythm & Brews to perform in a showcase.
"I heard this voice, and I thought 'Who in the world is that?'" recalls Dougher. "I saw this young fellow singing, and his voice just separated him out of the crowd. I noticed he came out with a song a month ago on SoundCloud, and he was getting thousands and thousands of hits. I called and asked if he wanted to do a show. We thought we'd do it before Bonnaroo while everybody is still in town. To play Bonnaroo you gotta have game."
Dougher says Balik is a pop singer who is backed by a four-piece band. The singer-songwriter is also a multi-instrumentalist who fuses organic and pop sounds with his inspiring lyrics.
"The way music is right now with (such emphasis on) pop music, he falls right into that category, so I think he's got a chance of doing some damage," says Dougher of Balik's future in the business.
The rare opportunity to hear Nashville musician Jack Pearson in a solo show in an intimate setting of about 100 folks happens Saturday night, June 3.
Pearson is a singer-songwriter, producer and sessions musician, but perhaps best-known as an A-list blues/rock lead and slide guitarist.
"Overall, he's a great guitarist. He can do it all," says Dougher. "I've only seen him in big settings, like when he was playing with the Allman Brothers.
Pearson was a member of The Allman Brothers Band from 1997-1999, but has worked with music legends from the world of jazz, rock, blues and country. That list reads like a Who's Who of Music: Vince Gill, Jimmy Buffett, Tommy Emmanuel, Joe Bonamassa, Keb Mo', Delbert McClinton, Earl Scruggs, Chris LeDoux, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Mac McAnally, Amy Grant, Faith Hill, Ronnie Milsap, Lee Ann Womack, The Jordanaires, Lee Roy Parnell, Martina McBride, Taj Mahal, Trace Adkins, Eric Church, John Hiatt, Tedeschi Trucks Band and many more.
During his colorful career, he has mastered a wide range of instruments including electric, slide, acoustic and resonator guitar, mandolin, old-time banjo and Hammond organ.
Dougher says the caliber of this show makes it a must-see.
"You just don't get a chance to see Pearson like this. You may see him in the Tivoli with you and hundreds of your friends. But at the show at Songbirds, there will be 100 people there and you will be 10 feet away to see a Top 20 guitarist. I don't know how it gets much better than that."
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.