BARRY COURTER: Lisa, we have some pretty serious Steve Martin mojo heading our way in the next several weeks. I might have to track down my arrow-through-the head prop. It starts on Friday with two shows in town.
The FrazierBand, featuring John Frazier, a very talented multi-instrumentalist and producer who worked with Martin when he focused on playing music several years ago, will be at Clyde’s on Main. That same night, Martin’s sometimes-bluegrass band, Steep Canyon Rangers, will perform at the Walker Theatre.
And, of course, Martin himself will be in town with the Rangers along with Martin Short on March 8 for a show at Memorial Auditorium. I very cleverly bought tickets to that for my wife for Christmas. TWO tickets. Clever, huh?
Lisa Denton and Barry Courter
LISA DENTON: Oh, you’re clever, but so is Kelley. There’s nothing saying she has to take YOU.
BARRY: Oh. Dang. That’s true.
LISA: FrazierBand gets to Chattanooga fairly often, but this time they’ve got new music. The album “Some People Change” was released Friday and is getting great reviews.
Frazier, you may remember, was a co-writer with Martin and the Rangers on the song “Go Away, Stop, Turn Around, Come Back,” which Martin recorded on “Rare Bird Alert.” It’s a sort-of breakup song, which should be clear from the title. My favorite lyric is “Let’s just say it’s over / Time to move along / Wait it’s Tuesday evening / Our favorite show is on.”
BARRY: That’s a good one. I like their song “Atheists Don’t Have No Songs.” The chorus is “Catholics dress up for mass / And listen to Gregorian chants / Atheists just take a pass / Watch football in their underpants / Watch football in their underpants.”
Classic Martin. Sometime when we are both bored, I’ll recite for you every word of his comedy albums. Yeah, I was that guy. It’s a wonder I ever got a date.
LISA: Um, the chance to hear you mumble along with everything Martin says is probably not helping your case to get Kelley to take you with her. (Note to Kelley: I’m free that night!)
Another can’t-miss event coming up is the “Love Letters” production Saturday at Chattanooga Theatre Centre. This is a two-person play about a couple who can’t be together, for various reasons, but they express their deep affection through letters over the years. Bob Bernhardt is the male lead, and while he has a lot of charisma, I think he may be upstaged by his co-star, Mimi Kennedy of “Dharma & Greg” and “Mom” fame.
BARRY: She is so great. I got to talk to Bob and Mimi last week, and both said her brother Jim Kennedy pretty much “volunteered” them to do it. Jim is actually directing as well. There was a very brief discussion about the two siblings starring together, but Mimi says the “ick” factor nixed that pretty quickly. While the storyline is mainly about two lifelong friends, there are some romantic moments.
Anyway, they both are very excited about the opportunity. Mimi visits her brother here pretty often, by the way. Fun fact: Both Bob and Mimi are from Rochester, N.Y., but they’ve not met.
Get event information every Thursday in ChattanoogaNow or online anytime at www.ChattanoogaNow.com.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354. Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.