Get Off The Couch: Riverfront Nights ready to roll

photo Lisa Denton and Barry Courter

BARRY COURTER: Lisa, remember when Nightfall was about the only music series we had going and the only reason you'd ever go down to Ross's Landing was to throw a dead body into the river? Wait, did I say that last part out loud?

LISA DENTON: I didn't think anyone saw that.

BARRY: Well, there is a better reason to head down there this time of year, and that would be the Riverfront Nights Summer Music Series. It kicks off Saturday with Jacob Powell, a young country-rock performer. Local fans will see something special also with The Communicators, the rambling all-star outfit that performs entire classic albums or live shows. For this, they will be stepping out of their normal rock comfort zone and doing a classic country set. I don't know what yet, but I reckon it'll be good.

LISA: It's always fun when musicians step out of the box and give you a song - or in this case, a whole show - you're not expecting. But I think these guys and gals are up to the task: Davey Smith, T.J. Greever, Bexy Ribeiro, Amber Fults, Jonathan Susman, Brett Nolan and Brandon Townsend.

BARRY: I bet we'll hear songs about low places, thunder rolling and the Chattahoochee River. My money says we don't hear anything about hearts being achy or breaky.

LISA: We can only hope. I don't know much about the headliner yet, but I suspect we'll hear more of Jacob Powell. The Country Music Association named him one of the New Artists to Watch for 2014, and he's joining Florida Georgia Line on a four-day "This Is How We Cruise" trip through the Bahamas in November. And he has a song called "Koozie," one of my favorite words.

BARRY: It is a good one. One of those "sounds-dirty-but-isn't" words. Like angina, or Lisa.

LISA: Hee hee. That's funny. And sorta true.

BARRY: And you know there will be some cool vendors showing off outdoor stuff. It's part of the mission of Riverfront Nights, so to speak. McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center will have folks in The Dog Pound for dog lovers who want a place to hang out. L2 Boards will be down there with kayaks and paddleboards for rent, and new this year will be a shuttle bus that will take you up to Chickamauga Dam, so you can float back down to the site.

Pretty cool.

LISA: I don't have a kayak, but I might try that float downstream. I'll be the one in the SpongeBob SquarePants swim ring.

BARRY: And I just heard from Drew Sterchi. He's doing a show Wednesday at Rhythm & Brews. It will feature an acoustic set, some of brother David's old songs and some songs with Virginia Sterchi helping out on vocals.

Don't forget, too, that Art.a.ma.jig, the Southern Lit Alliance fundraiser, is Thursday at the Church on Main, and Music & Madness with Mark Lowry, The Martins and Jason Crabb is the same night at the Tivoli Theatre.

Get event details 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.

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