The mood and music in Rail Walk next week will be crazy ó crazy as a march hare, that is.
Rowan Blues and Jazz Society presents the first annual March Hare Music Festival March 12-14 at Looking Glass Artist Collective, 405 N. Lee St. Proceeds from the event will benefit the RBJS Education Fund.
The celebration kicks off next Thursday night with free swing dance lessons taught by Diana Moghrabi and friends at 7 p.m., and so the joint will already be jumpin’ at 8 p.m., when the Greensboro band Holy Ghost Tent Revival takes the stage.
The band, which took its name from a sign along a rural road, has a rowdy style all its own, with equal parts bluegrass thrash, old-school swing and frenzied folk, with dashes of rock, funk and smooth vocal harmonies thrown in for good measure.
This will be their fourth visit to Salisbury, They’ve packed The Blue Vine on two occasions, and during last July’s Krazy Night Out in Downtown Salisbury they created a traffic hazard on South Main Street with so many people stopping to listen.
You can check them out at www.myspace.com/hgtr.
HGTR’s appearance is being made possible by Salisbury’s lovely legal minds ó “Ladies of the Bar.”
Friday the 13th will be very lucky for everyone who comes to Looking Glass that night, thanks to the old school, juke- joint style troubadour, Pokey LaFarge, bringing his trio all the way from Louisville, Ky.
Don’t let the cardigan sweater fool you. There’s more to Pokey than meets the eye. Get ready to be blown away by fiery picking and insightful lyrics by this vaudeville poet.
You can listen at www.myspace.com/pokeylafarge.
March 13 is also St. Paddy’s Night Out all over Downtown Salisbury. There’s a trolley stop right at the Looking Glass theater door, so be sure to hop off there, where you are likely to be greeted and serenaded by one-man band David Lamanno, playing both Thursday and Friday nights.
Trombone Day will be celebrated the morning of March 14. Trombonists of all ages and levels are meeting at 10 a.m. for a workshop and rehearsal led by professional performers Robert Foreman, Chris Ferguson and John Alexander.
At noon, the group will present a free performance, open to the public.
The cost to participate in the workshop is $5, with proceeds going to the RBJS music education fund. Registration deadline is March 9. Contact sfhall@carolina.rr.com or call 704-637-7326.
On the evening of March 14, starting at 7:30 p.m., the six finalists of Salisbury’s Battle of the Bands will be competing for the grand prize-two free days in a recording studio with sound engineer and producer Jerod Jacobs.
The winner will be selected by a panel of judges who are professional musicians-Marc Hoffman, Bob Paolino, Jesse Reaves-along with RBJS founder Eleanor Qadirah. You are invited to come cheer for your favorite act, since audience response will be considered as well.
In the Looking Glass Gallery, there will be two exhibits during the festival.
On the South wall will be a display of art provided by festival sponsor Fine Frame Gallery, featuring some of the artists they represent, including Veena Waziri, Dave Griffin, Robert Toth, Cara Reische, Phyllis Steimel, Sam Ragland and Marina.
The rest of the gallery will include works by member artists of Looking Glass Artist Collective. Most work will be for sale.
Emcees for the event will be Lee Street Theatre’s own Mad Hatter, Darryl Casper, and story-telling March Hare Robert Jones.
Beverage concessions will be made served by Blues and Jazz Society volunteers, and food selections will be available from Lee Piper.
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Tickets are available in advance for a minimum donation of $6 per night. At the door, the minimum donation is $8.
Advance tickets are available at Literary Book Post, 119 S. Main St., or in the shop at Looking Glass, 405 N. Lee St., between 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
They are also available by credit card at www.salisburyartists.org/marchhare.
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For more information, contact LGAC Manager and curator Stephen Davis, 704-960-6594 or salisburyartists@gmail.com.