Believe it or not, musicians Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, Jo Carol Pierce, and Kimmie Rhodes are all from the same Texas town, Lubbock. And actor and storyteller Jaston Williams, while not born in Lubbock, spent much of his formative years there, and still visits often. As he says, "I've got Lubbock in the blood. We've tried to do something about it, but once you've got it, you've got it."
That shared connection is the basis of the new show "Is There Life After Lubbock?", a free-form, loosely structured evening of humor, stories, and music taking the stage of the Stateside at the Paramount Theater this weekend.
As Jaston describes it, the show is a pretty fair approximation of what it's like to attend a party at the home of one of the artists. There are a handful of comfortable chairs, a rug, and a coffee table, and Jaston and the musicians gather around, trade stories and songs, and entertain questions from the audience.
On Friday night, Jaston will be joined by Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Jo Carol Pierce. On Saturday, he'll have Joe Ely and Kimmie Rhodes. Neither show is scripted, so it should be a different experience each night. Jaston encourages the wearing of house shoes and the drinking of longnecks during the show.
Is There Life After Lubbock? At Stateside at the Paramount Theater Friday 2/21 and Saturday 2/22 at 8:00
