Smokin Strings

05/30/2026

Ellis Bullard Brings Honky-Tonk Heat to Rhinestone Saloon - Jimmy Compton

On Thursday, May 28, Ellis Bullard took the stage at Rhinestone Saloon in Fort Worth, Texas, delivering a set packed with songs from his latest LP while sprinkling in a few fan favorites from his earlier catalog.

I'll admit right up front that this review is being written from memory. I tried to get a setlist from Ellis and didn't want to keep buggin him for it so I decided to go ahead and get this written up.

What I do remember clearly is the energy in the room.

From the opening songs until the final encore, the dance floor stayed occupied. Couples two-stepped and shuffled across the floor while a wall of fans crowded the front of the stage, singing along and hanging on every word. For a Thursday night, the turnout was respectable, but it also highlighted something I've thought for a while: Ellis Bullard deserves a Friday or Saturday headline slot at Rhinestone. His music and stage presence are more than capable of carrying a prime weekend crowd.

Bullard's blend of traditional country, honky-tonk, and Texas dancehall sound continues to resonate with audiences looking for something authentic. Songs like "Roller Coaster" and "Chasing Numbers" were among the night's highlights, drawing strong reactions from the crowd and keeping the dance floor full.

What stood out almost as much as the music was the makeup of the crowd itself. Sure, Rhinestone Saloon benefits from being in the heart of the Stockyards, where tourists regularly wander in looking for a cold beer and some live country music. But this wasn't just a room full of random passersby. Scattered throughout the crowd were plenty of die-hard Ellis Bullard fans who showed up specifically to see him play. They knew the words, sang along with the choruses, and packed the area in front of the stage from start to finish. That's the kind of following artists spend years trying to build, and Bullard has clearly done exactly that.

The band sounded tight throughout the evening, delivering the kind of performance that feels polished without losing the grit and spontaneity that make live country music worth seeing in the first place.

To close out the night, Bullard finished with "Stubborn Man," a fitting finale and one of the strongest songs in his catalog. It brought the crowd together for one last singalong before the lights came up and another memorable night at Rhinestone came to an end.

If you haven't caught Ellis Bullard live yet, you're missing one of the better traditional country acts working the Texas circuit today. And if Rhinestone Saloon is listening, quit sticking him on Thursdays. Give the man a Friday or Saturday night and let him show what he can really do.

05/30/2026

05/30/2026

LAKEVIEW headlining at Farmer City Heritage Days

05/26/2026

𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐥 𝐃𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐞 & 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭:
𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬
𝐁𝐲: 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐧 -𝐒𝐦𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐞

May 21st 2026, was the first night of a 3-show tour with Them Dirty Roses and it all started at The Radio Room.
The venue was founded in 2012 in a smaller location and grew to a little bit larger second location in 2017. Now it is 2026 and they are in their third location @ 28 Liberty Lane Greenville SC, and has a 500 cap. The Radio Room has a full kitchen and bar, they cater well to the artist and service is impeccable. Check out their website for more upcoming shows @ https://radioroomgreenville.com/
To all my photographers and videographers, the venue has great lights and killer sound so check them out you will not be disappointed.

Now…. Let’s get to the band Nigel Dupree & The Heat. Do you recognize his name?

The band played a three-night tour opening for Them Dirty Roses and night one was held at The Radio Room. The venue was packed out early for a Thursday Night and the fans were ready for a rock and roll good time!!!

The lights went low and the band hit the stage with Jesse Worley on drums, lead guitarist Eric Warner alongside guitarist Devin Vitek with Shannon Wilk on the bass getting it started. Nigel graced the stage soon after and let everyone know he was there. With a voice so powerful it would peel wallpaper. Would I say it is like no other I have heard, no I can’t because there is a little bit of someone FAMOUS nestled in there too. Again, do you recognize his name?

Leading off with his 2025 hit BREAK MY HEART to get the crowd started and then bringing songs to the fans from his 2012 album (UP TO KNOW GOOD) TUMBLEWEED plus new unreleased music and his 2026 hits FIND OUT THE HARD WAY and FAMOUS. Now that the band has every ones attention they broke in with a cover song like no one else has performed for me live yet, it was LED ZEPPELINS IMMAGRANT SONG! With Nigel’s vocals and the band not missing a beat this performance brought the set to a new level for the fans that would make any Zeppelin Fan proud! If you think it calmed down after that you are wrong Nigel kept it going and closed the set with 2 more songs, PRETTY GIRLS & TESTIFY finishing one hell of a SLOBBER KNOCKER!!!!

If you have a chance to catch Nigel Dupree & The Heat, please do so they will let you know real quick Rock & Roll is here in 2026! Nigel can be found on all social media and music outlets and merch can be purchased at https://mightycloud.com/collections/nigel-and-the-heat

And in closing, do you recognize his name… because he looks FAMOUS!

Photos by: T. Dean Images
Venue: The Radio Room
Artist: Nigel T Dupree
, , &theheat,
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05/26/2026

𝐆𝐮𝐧𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬: 𝐉𝐨𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐬 & 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐔𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

𝐁𝐲: 𝐃𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡 - 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞

The Castle Theatre in Bloomington didn’t need volume to shake the walls on April 2nd, 2026. It just needed truth, a couple guitars, and Joe Hermes standing there like he’s got something to prove to every hard mile between Nashville dreams and Illinois gravel roads.

This wasn’t a full band blowout. No smoke cannons. No overproduced gloss. Just Joe Hermes and guitarist Jerry Prater stripping things down to the bones in an acoustic set that felt less like a concert and more like a confession set to melody.

And somehow, that made it hit harder.

𝐉𝐨𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐬 – 𝐁𝐢𝐨

Joe Hermes is what happens when rock grit and country storytelling collide and neither one wins. An Illinois native with a “gunpowder country” edge, Hermes has built his name on high-energy performances and a vocal style that doesn’t really ask permission before it punches through a room.

Raised on everything from Metallica and Pantera to Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bon Jovi, Hermes blends hard rock intensity with country songwriting that leans personal, often walking the line between redemption and rebellion. His catalog, including tracks like “Stronger Than Whiskey” and “Used To Be Me,” shows an artist more interested in honesty than polish.

On stage, even in acoustic form, that same energy doesn’t disappear. It just gets closer.

𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 – 𝐁𝐢𝐨

Jerry Prater doesn’t fight for attention. He anchors it.

A seasoned guitarist known for his work alongside Joe Hermes, Prater’s style leans into restraint and tone rather than flash. In an acoustic setting, that matters more than shredding ever could. Every note he played at The Castle felt intentional, like he was leaving space for the lyrics to breathe instead of drowning them in ego.

He’s the kind of player who understands the assignment: serve the song, don’t steal it.

𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 – 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐞𝐭

The lights were low, the crowd quieter than usual, like everyone instinctively knew this wasn’t a night for shouting over the music. Hermes opened with a stripped-down delivery that immediately exposed the core of his writing. No distortion to hide behind. No full band to carry the weight. Just voice, guitar, and whatever’s left when you take everything else away.

That’s where he lives best, oddly enough.

Hermes’ vocals carried that familiar “battle-tested” tone, the same one that defines his rock-country catalog, but in acoustic form it sharpened into something more vulnerable. Lines that usually land like a fist now felt like they were being set down carefully instead.

Prater’s guitar work framed the entire set like a steady hand on a moving vehicle. He didn’t overplay. He didn’t need to. Instead, he filled the space between Hermes’ phrasing with subtle runs and warm texture that kept the set from ever feeling empty.

There were moments where the room went so still it bordered on uncomfortable. Not because the music faltered, but because it didn’t. That’s always worse in the best possible way.

By the midpoint of the set, Hermes leaned further into storytelling mode, pulling the crowd into songs that felt pulled straight from long nights and longer memories. You could hear the Skynyrd influence in the phrasing, the Pantera-era grit in the delivery, but it never felt like imitation. More like inheritance.

The closing stretch didn’t rely on spectacle. It didn’t need it. It just landed, one song at a time, until the applause finally came like everyone had been holding it back out of respect.

No gimmicks. No filler. Just two musicians proving that sometimes stripping everything down is the loudest move you can make.

And in a room full of music journalists, photographers, and people pretending they’re not emotionally affected by acoustic guitars… it worked anyway.

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝

Some shows rely on production to feel important.

This one just removed everything until importance had nowhere to hide.

Joe Hermes brought the kind of songwriting that doesn’t flinch when it’s exposed. Jerry Prater brought the kind of musicianship that understands silence is part of the instrument.

Together, they didn’t fill The Castle Theatre.

They carved it down to something smaller, sharper, and a lot harder to forget.

Musicians: Joe Hermes Music Jerry Prater
Venue: The Castle Theatre
Photos by: Xplicit Impressions

Joe Hermes

05/25/2026

𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐑𝐚𝐰 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐞

𝐁𝐲: 𝐃𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡 - 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞

Some nights don’t need pyro, massive stages, or walls of amplifiers to leave a mark. Sometimes all it takes is a man, a guitar, and songs honest enough to quiet a room. That was the feeling inside The Castle Theatre on Thursday, April 2nd, when rising country artist Clayton Shay took the stage alone for an intimate acoustic night that felt more like a conversation than a concert.

From the first chord, Shay brought a sense of sincerity that immediately connected with the crowd. There was no band behind him, no distractions, and no safety net. Just raw storytelling wrapped in a country sound built on emotion, life experience, and heart. In a world where so much music feels rushed and manufactured for algorithms, Clayton Shay reminded everyone what country music is supposed to do. It’s supposed to make you feel something.

The beauty of the night came from its simplicity. Every lyric carried weight inside the Castle’s historic walls, and every pause between songs felt personal. Shay’s voice carried a worn honesty that fit perfectly with the stripped-down setting, allowing songs about life, love, struggles, and chasing dreams to hit even harder. You could hear people singing quietly along one moment and sitting in complete silence the next, hanging onto every word.

What makes artists like Clayton Shay stand out is the ability to make a room feel smaller in the best possible way. The connection never felt forced. Between songs, there was genuine gratitude, humble conversation, and the kind of authenticity fans can spot instantly. That connection is what keeps people coming back to live music. Not perfection. Not production. Real moments shared between an artist and an audience.

For an upcoming country artist, nights like this matter. These smaller acoustic performances are where artists build loyal fans one song at a time, proving they can carry a room with nothing but talent and truth. Clayton Shay did exactly that at the Castle Theatre, leaving the crowd with more than just another Thursday night out. He left them with songs they felt long after the lights came up.

That’s what live music is about. From the pit to the page, those are the moments worth remembering.

Musician: Clayton Shay
Venue: The Castle Theatre
Photos By: Xplicit Impressions

05/25/2026

𝐄𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐧’𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐀 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠

𝐁𝐲: 𝐃𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡 - 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞

For one night, the clock rolled backward in Central Illinois. Old friends packed into The Bowling Alley, the amplifiers lit up again, and Einstein’s Baby returned to the stage for a reunion show that felt less like a concert and more like a hometown time capsule cracked wide open. According to local event listings, “Einstein’s Baby and Friends, The Reunion Show” took place Saturday night in Eureka, drawing longtime fans back together one more time.

And now, just like that, it’s over again.

That’s the cruel little trick of reunion shows. They remind everyone how much something mattered right before the lights go dark. Humans really invented nostalgia as an emotional hostage situation. Impressive species behavior.

For longtime followers of the Central Illinois music scene, Einstein’s Baby was never just another weekend cover band. They were part of the soundtrack of local nightlife for years. The kind of group that could walk into a packed bar and immediately own the room without pyrotechnics, backing tracks, or twenty-dollar beers named after forests. Just musicians, songs people loved, and a crowd ready to scream every chorus like it still meant something.

Saturday’s reunion carried all of that weight.

The room reportedly filled with familiar faces, old stories, and the strange electricity that only happens when a band with history steps back onto a stage together. It wasn’t about perfection. It was about memory. Every song became a snapshot of another era in Central Illinois nightlife. People weren’t just hearing music. They were remembering who they were the last time they heard it live.

That’s the thing outsiders never understand about local bands.

National acts give fans escape. Local bands give communities identity.

Einstein’s Baby earned that identity the hard way over years of late nights, hauling gear through Midwest winters, grinding through bar gigs, county festivals, parking lot parties, and smoke-filled rooms where the stage was barely bigger than the drum kit. They became one of those names woven into the local scene itself. If you grew up around Central Illinois live music, chances are you crossed paths with them somewhere along the line.

And even though the band is no longer active, Saturday proved something important: the music never fully leaves town.

You could feel it in the crowd reactions. The laughter between songs. The conversations at the bar. The way people sang along without hesitation, like no time had passed at all. For a few hours, the years collapsed into one giant shared memory.

That’s why reunion shows hit differently.

They aren’t just performances. They’re reminders that local music scenes matter. That cover bands matter. That the musicians grinding it out in small-town America leave fingerprints on people’s lives whether the industry notices or not. Long after the posters come down and the gear gets sold off, the songs remain attached to birthdays, breakups, friendships, first dates, bad decisions, and the best nights people can barely remember clearly anymore.

Einstein’s Baby may be finished as a band, but Saturday night in Eureka showed their legacy still has a pulse.

And honestly, in a world that burns through attention spans faster than guitar strings, that kind of staying power deserves respect.

Band: Einstein's Baby
Venue: The Bowling Alley
Photos By: Xplicit Impressions - S25 Ultra

Bill Cameron
William Shoemaker
Doug Nooden

05/24/2026

𝐒𝐎𝐢𝐋 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐇𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐝

𝐁𝐲: 𝐃𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡 - 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞

There are bands that play heavy music, and then there’s SOiL, a band that sounds like it was built in a garage with a case of beer, a blown speaker, and pure Midwestern spite. Somehow, two decades later, they still hit stages like they’ve got something to prove. Which, honestly, is probably why their live shows still work so damn well.

When SOiL rolled through The Castle Theatre in Bloomington, Illinois, the room instantly turned into one of those nights where nostalgia and aggression shook hands and decided to start a pit together. The Castle has become one of the Midwest’s better live venues for rock and metal tours, known for pulling national acts into an intimate downtown setting that keeps fans practically on top of the stage.

The second the band launched into “Breaking Me Down,” the crowd snapped awake like somebody kicked over a hornet’s nest. Frontman Ryan McCombs still commands a stage with that unmistakable gravel-filled voice that helped define early 2000s hard rock radio. Some singers mellow with age. McCombs sounds like he gargles concrete before soundcheck. Human biology remains deeply confusing.

SOiL’s set balanced the classics with newer material, proving they’re far from becoming a nostalgia act living off one song. Tracks from later releases fit naturally beside staples like “Halo,” “Unreal,” and “Redefine.” Guitarist Adam Zadel kept the riffs thick and punishing while bassist Tim King and drummer TJ Taylor locked everything down with the kind of groove-heavy rhythm section that made SOiL stand out from the nu-metal crowd in the first place.

And then came “Halo.”

You could feel the entire venue shift. Every voice in the building screamed the chorus back at the stage, beer cups flying, fists in the air, people suddenly transported back to burned CD binders, JNCO jeans, and questionable tribal tattoos. The early 2000s were a strange time. Humanity collectively decided frosted tips and chain wallets represented evolution.

What’s impressive about SOiL in 2026 is that they haven’t softened their edge trying to chase trends. They still sound unapologetically blue-collar and heavy. Their music carries that raw Midwest hard rock grit that bands from Illinois seem to naturally produce, like cornfields somehow generate distortion pedals.

Formed in Chicago in the late 1990s, SOiL broke into the mainstream with their 2001 album Scars, powered by the massive success of “Halo.” The album eventually went platinum and cemented the band into the era’s hard rock explosion alongside acts like Nonpoint, Static-X, and Drowning Pool. Over the years, lineup changes and hiatuses came and went, but Ryan McCombs’ return helped reignite the band and reconnect them with longtime fans.

At The Castle Theatre, SOiL proved they still belong on these stages. No gimmicks. No backing tracks drowning out the performance. Just loud amps, pounding drums, and songs built to be played in sweaty clubs full of people screaming every word back at them. Sometimes rock music doesn’t need reinvention. Sometimes it just needs volume.

Band: Soil
Venue: The Castle Theatre
Photos by: Xplicit Impressions

05/22/2026

𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐦𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐬: 𝐁𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰
𝐁𝐲: 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐧 -𝐒𝐦𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐞

𝖬𝖺𝗒 𝟣𝟧𝗍𝗁 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟨, 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝖾𝖼𝗈𝗇𝖽 𝗇𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝖺 𝟥-𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗐 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝖼𝖾𝗋𝗍 𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖡𝗅𝖺𝖼𝗄𝖻𝖾𝗋𝗋𝗒 𝖲𝗆𝗈𝗄𝖾, 𝗁𝗈𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝗒 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖲𝗁𝖾𝖽 𝖲𝗆𝗈𝗄𝖾𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗌𝖾 & 𝖩𝗎𝗄𝖾 𝖩𝗈𝗂𝗇𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝖬𝖺𝗋𝗒𝗏𝗂𝗅𝗅𝖾 𝖳𝖾𝗇𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗌𝖾𝖾. 𝖮𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝟤𝗇𝖽 𝗇𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖯𝖺𝗋𝗄𝖾𝗋 𝖡𝖺𝗋𝗋𝗈𝗐, 𝖺 𝖻𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝖭𝖺𝗌𝗁𝗏𝗂𝗅𝗅𝖾 𝖳𝖾𝗇𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗌𝖾𝖾 𝗁𝗂𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗀𝖾 (𝗈𝗉𝖾𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗇𝗈 𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖻𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖨 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗌𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗅𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗅𝗒), 𝗅𝖾𝗍𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗋𝗈𝗐𝖽 𝗄𝗇𝗈𝗐 𝗐𝗁𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾.

𝖠 𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗍𝗅𝖾 𝖻𝗂𝗍 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝖯𝖺𝗋𝗄𝖾𝗋 𝖡𝖺𝗋𝗋𝗈𝗐 (𝗇𝖺𝗆𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗇𝗈𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗂𝗈𝗎𝗌 𝗈𝗎𝗍𝗅𝖺𝗐𝗌 𝖡𝗈𝗇𝗇𝗂𝖾 𝖯𝖺𝗋𝗄𝖾𝗋 & 𝖢𝗅𝗒𝖽𝖾 𝖡𝖺𝗋𝗋𝗈𝗐) 𝗂𝗌 𝗅𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝗒 𝖬𝖾𝗀𝖺𝗇 𝖪𝖺𝗇𝖾 𝗈𝗇 𝗏𝗈𝖼𝖺𝗅𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗁𝗎𝗌𝖻𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖣𝗒𝗅𝖺𝗇 𝖳𝗎𝗋𝗇𝖾𝗋 𝗈𝗇 𝖽𝗋𝗎𝗆𝗌, 𝖤𝗋𝗂𝗄 𝖲𝖺𝖿𝗄𝖺 𝗈𝗇 𝗄𝖾𝗒𝖻𝗈𝖺𝗋𝖽, 𝖻𝖺𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗌𝗍 𝖪𝗒𝗅𝖾 𝖯𝗋𝗂𝖻𝖾𝗋, 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝗂𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝗅𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗀𝗎𝗂𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗌𝗍 𝖠𝗅𝖾𝗑 𝖡𝖾𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀𝗌𝗂𝖽𝖾 𝗀𝗎𝗂𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗌𝗍 𝖶𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝖳𝗂𝗉𝗍𝗈𝗇 𝗆𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝗎𝗉 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝟨-𝗉𝗂𝖾𝖼𝖾 𝖻𝖺𝗇𝖽. 𝖯𝖺𝗋𝗄𝖾𝗋 𝖡𝖺𝗋𝗋𝗈𝗐 𝖻𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝖺 𝗌𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖿𝗎𝗅, 𝖻𝗅𝗎𝖾𝗌𝗒 𝗌𝗈𝗎𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗇 𝗋𝗈𝖼𝗄, 𝗁𝗂𝗀𝗁 𝖾𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗀𝗒 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗀𝖾 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗒𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗐𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖴𝖲 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖴𝖪.

𝖶𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝖯𝖺𝗋𝗄𝖾𝗋 𝖡𝖺𝗋𝗋𝗈𝗐 𝗁𝗂𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗀𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝖽𝖾 𝗈𝗉𝖾𝗇 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝗌𝗈𝗇𝗀 𝖬𝖠𝖪𝖤 𝖨𝖳 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝖤𝖯 𝖧𝖮𝖫𝖣 𝖳𝖧𝖤 𝖬𝖠𝖲𝖧, 𝖨 𝗄𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝖺𝗌 𝖺 𝗉𝗁𝗈𝗍𝗈𝗀𝗋𝖺𝗉𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗐 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝖿𝗂𝗑𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝖺 𝖲𝖫𝖮𝖡𝖡𝖤𝖱 𝖪𝖭𝖮𝖢𝖪𝖤𝖱!

𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝖾𝗍 𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗌𝗈𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝖭𝗈𝗏𝗈𝖼𝖺𝗂𝗇𝖾, 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖧𝖾𝖺𝗅𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝗇𝖾𝗐𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗅𝖾 𝖡𝖫𝖨𝖭𝖣𝖤𝖣 𝖺𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀𝗌𝗂𝖽𝖾 𝖺 𝖼𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗈𝖿 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖡𝗅𝖺𝖼𝗄 𝖢𝗋𝗈𝗐𝖾𝗌, 𝖬𝗒 𝖬𝗈𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖲𝗈𝗇𝗀 𝗅𝖾𝖿𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗋𝗈𝗐𝖽 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝟦𝟧-𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗎𝗍𝖾 𝗌𝖾𝗍. 𝖠𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝗌𝖾𝗍, 𝖿𝖺𝗇𝗌 𝖺𝖽𝗈𝗋𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖾𝗋𝖼𝗁 𝗍𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝗐𝗁𝗂𝗅𝖾 𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗁 𝗆𝖾𝗆𝖻𝖾𝗋 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗀𝗋𝖾𝖾𝗍𝖾𝖽, 𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗇𝖾𝖽, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝖺𝗅𝗄𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗎𝗉𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗐𝗌. 𝖶𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗋𝗈𝗐𝖽 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗉𝗈𝗇𝗌𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗆𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾, 𝗂𝗍 𝗈𝗇𝗅𝗒 𝗆𝖺𝖽𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗇𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝗆𝖾𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾.

𝖯𝖺𝗋𝗄𝖾𝗋 𝖡𝖺𝗋𝗋𝗈𝗐 𝖼𝖺𝗇 𝖻𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝗇 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗌𝗈𝖼𝗂𝖺𝗅 𝗆𝖾𝖽𝗂𝖺 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝗎𝗌𝗂𝖼 𝗈𝗎𝗍𝗅𝖾𝗍𝗌 𝗁𝗂𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆 𝗎𝗉 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗀𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆 𝖺 𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝖻𝖾 𝖽𝗂𝗌𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗈𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽.

Photos by: T. Dean Images
The Shed Smokehouse & Juke Joint
Parker Barrow
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