SPRING 2014 SCHEDULE
Our performances are always on the third Saturdays in the Spring and Fall in the months of March, April, and May, September, October, November. The show is from 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM.
March 15, 2014
Steve Anderson Group: Steve Anderson has become one of the favorite and most beloved performers on our stage. He has a very soulful sound and can interpret greats like Hank Williams and Jimmie Rodgers better than most performers. Steve is a life long local resident who cut his teeth on the greats and taught himself to offer masterful renditions of the country classics. He is often joined by Jan Biggs on harmonies, and she can belt them out with style.
Driskill Mountain Boys: Bluegrass fans love these guys. The band's leader, Adolphus Warren has a very unique voice that gives credit to treat form of music. He is always accompanied by more than capable backup. The Driskill Mountain Boys are perennial favorites among Bluegrass lovers in this area.
The Long Time Goners: These people are part of the dynamic group of young musicians who have ventured into New Orleans and performed on the streets, but are now securing gigs in places like the clubs on Frenchmen Street. Their contribution is some of that great "Honky-Tonk" country music.
Waylon Thibodeaux: If you are guessing that a guy with a name like that is a Cajun musician, you are correct. He is one of the best known performers of that uniquely Louisiana music form in our state. We are fortunate to have a musician of his caliber perform at our show.
April 19, 2014
The Petty Bones: Anne and Jerry Crowell continue as one of our house bands. They offer a delightful mix of eclectic songs accompanied by a variety of instruments. Anne has a wonderful voice that can range from sweet ballads to belting out some soulful blues. Jerry's voice has a unique raspy quality that blends beautifully with Anne's clear sweet tones.
Big Shine: Mike Pace, Hutson Brock and Charlie Harrison. Mike is a long time Opry regular. His virtuosity on the fiddle has given him the opportunity to perform with different groups. Hutson is very well known among local musicians. We have attempted to book him for the show for years, and now he will appear alongside Mike. This will approve to be a real treat.
Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue: Vanessa Neiman AKA Gal Holiday is very well known inn the New Orleans music Scene. She and her group are in high demand in the club and festival scene in the big easy. We consider ourselves fortunate to get her to perform on our stage, and she will bring some strong honky tonk country songs.
Shotgun Jazz Band: Marla Dixon can play a horn as well as anyone. This is one of those great groups that can please audiences in the New Orleans Clubs on the streets of that musically infused city. The New Orleans streets provide one of the greatest incubators for many stellar musicians ranging from Louis Armstrong to Jimmy Buffet. The contemporary street performers bring a special energy and drive to our stage, and our audience loves them.
May 17, 2014
Pot Luck String Band: Our third house band focuses on traditional Americana with an emphasis on bluegrass. Besides strong instrumentation and vocals, the band's leader Van Glynn always offers some fine historical notes on the songs.
Hanalena: These two sisters have developed a wonderful blend of bluegrass, and country music. They are currently based in Nashville, but are well traveled and have performed in some prestigious venues. They offer a great stage presence and their harmonies blend perfectly. They follow in the footsteps of singing sibling duets that possess the genetic blending that can only come from siblings.
Lost in the Holler: If you are a fan of very traditional American music, these people will be a real treat. They are yet another group who have displayed their talents on the streets of New Orleans. When they contacted us, and we listened to their music, it was an easy decision to invite them to perform at the Opry.
The Dapper Dandies: This is a returning group to our stage. They performed at our annual Music and Arts Festival in the past and were well received by the crowds. If you are a fan of traditional New Orleans Jazz, you will love this group.
Please don’t forget that following every show, many of our musicians gather at the Abita Brew Pub to jam. Some of the best music performed on Opry nights has been at this after-the-show jam. It allows a blending of some really great musicians to play in an informal atmosphere, and some really great and unique stuff has come out of those jams.
THERE'S MORE MUSIC IN ABITA SPRINGS
Besides the shows we put on at the Abita Opry, we are very active in the community that is our home. You may notice all of the improvements to the Town Hall when you get there for the show. This comes at a significant cost to the Town. The Opry has contributed financially to the repairs. We are grateful to the town for its support and the old Town Hall is the perfect location for what we do.
In addition to helping to keep the hall in good shape, the Abita Opry provides musical talent for outdoor festivals in Abita. The Trail Head has turned out to be a wonderful venue for musical presentations and a nice place to visit on the beautiful afternoons the approaching spring season will bring. You might want to mark your calendars for our annual Earth Day Festival on March 16 and the Abita Opry "Busker" Festival on March 30.
The Earth Day Festival is sponsored by the Abita Springs Friends of the Park. It is dedicated to the environment and the "green" things that so highly valued in Abita that happens to have earned the designation of "Tree City USA" by the National Arbor Day society. This is a great event and a lot of activities for the kids. We will also have a full afternoon of music including the Abita Springs Middle School String Group, the North shore Irish Dance Academy in honor of St Patrick's Day, The Covington High Jazz Band, Christian Serpas and Ghost Town, and the Fontainebleau High Jazz Band. Of course, food and drinks will be available,
March 30 is a definite don't miss. The Abita Springs Museum Committee sponsors our annual Abita Springs "Busker" Festival. For those of you who do not know, Buskers are traveling musicians who often perform on street corners. There is an amazing wealth of street musicians currently performing in New Orleans. Just about all of the musical groups at this event have or are still performing on street corners in the Big Easy. Some of them can also be seen and heard in the clubs in places like Frenchmen Street where some of the best music currently being performed in the city can be heard
Most of the performers at the Busker Fest are young people who perform traditional forms of music. These are very accomplished musicians who play with a drive and passion that touches the audiences who hear them. These youngsters are following in the footsteps of greats like Louis Armstrong who got started on New Orleans streets. The line up this year includes the Long Time Goners, St. Louis Slim and the Frenchmen Street Jug Band, The Drunken Catfish Ramblers, The Deslondes, The Smoking Time Jazz Club, and our perennial close out, Tuba Skinny. You will not be sorry you went to this one. There will be the usual good food and visiting artists. Admission is free. You will want to bring your lawn chairs.
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 LISTEN TO PAST PERFORMANCES
Hi Opry Fans, Here we are again, ready for another season. As usual, we are always grateful for loyal fans like you who make our show possible and assure its continued success. We are always interested in feedback from you about what you see and hear at the Opry. We are open to criticism, and always ready to hear compliments.
Our continuing mission is the "Preservation and Presentation of Louisiana Roots Music." Of course, what constitutes Louisiana "roots music" is sometimes hard to define, we always want to keep it traditional while presenting an entertaining variety of music for our fans and a great environment for our musicians.
Our audience is very important to us, and our musicians always tell us that you are the best audience around. If we continue to show them the love, they will send it back to us. The energy and exchange between the musicians and the audience at the Opry is real.
The vibe that exists in that hundred plus year old building packed to the gills with a great audience listening and appreciating traditional music from some of the best musicians around gives us a musical gumbo that really cooks!
Get your tickets
If you want to get a big serving of our musical gumbo, tickets are presently on sale. We offer season packages as well as single show tickets. The season ticket holders from the previous season get first dibs, but as of August 1, they are sold on a first-come-first served basis. By the day before the show, we are usually close to selling out. We are always trying to make sure that we have as many seats as possible, and very seldom turn away folks who show up the night of the show.
If you happen to make a last minute decision to come to the Opry, The worst case scenario is the big screen closed circuit TV on our front porch. We also have outside seating available. Also keep in mind, that we have a live act on the front porch for an hour or so before the show.
For ticket information, please contact Kathy Armand at 985-892-0711. All tickets are $18. We have not raised our prices for several years, and intend to keep them at that price. Please keep in mind that the choicest seats go first. Nothing pains us more than to turn folks away because of a sell-out. We always try to find a way to get people in.
The Petty Bones
We believe this is another season of great traditional music. Please remember that we sell tickets on a first-come-first served basis. All seats are $18.00. We have not raised our prices for several years, and have no plans to do so any time soon. To purchase tickets call Kathy at 985-892-2342 or drop by the Abita Springs Town Hall during working hours.
Y'all Come! See you at the Opry
Anytime Access to the Opry
We always want to remind our fans that most of our past performances are downloaded and can be enjoyed anytime on your computer. All you have to do is visit our home page at www.abitaopry.org. Locate the words;
"LISTEN TO PAST PERFORMANCES"
click on it and the listing of downloaded shows will appear on your screen. From there, you can scroll to any show or pick out any particular act that may appeal to you and enjoy.
We provide the web service and cover the cost of video taping and provide the shows to St Tammany Parish Government access TV channel 10 and Southeastern Louisiana University, channel 18. The channels mentioned are available to Charter Cable TV subscribers in several surrounding parishes.
Our mission to "Preserve and Present Louisiana Roots Music" is taken seriously. Making the Abita Springs Opry available to as many people as possible is a way of fulfilling our mission and gives that much more exposure to these great musicians. We have a valuable musical cultural tradition, and it is worth keeping alive.
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