May 29, 2008 issue
4th Annual Boone Pride Festival Set For June 13 to 15
Event Features Live Music, Workshops, a DJ Dance and More
Boone Pride Inc, a local nonprofit, officially announces Pride 2008, the High Country’s 4th annual GLBTIQA (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Allies) event, Friday to Sunday, June 13 to 15. In keeping with the national Pride theme, “Live, Love, Be,” the organizers invite everyone to help fulfill the local mission to celebrate, unite and support the growing GLBTIQA community.
The celebration begins Friday with the event’s first-ever live music event from 8:00 p.m. to midnight on the patio at the Broyhill Inn & Conference Center. The concert will feature Boone-based singer-songwriter Crys Matthews, Atlanta-based trio The Melinda Kingsley Band and local music legend Melissa Reaves.
Offering an eclectic blend of funk, blues and jazz, Matthews brings a refreshing new sub-genre to neo-soul. With influences ranging from Otis Redding to Ani DiFranco, Matthews has been compared to artists as diverse in sound and style as Jill Scott and Tracey Chapman.
A self-proclaimed old soul, the southeastern North Carolina native first popped onto the local music scene in Boone in 1999 as a vocalist and keyboardist with the band Half & Half before breaking out with her own solo career.
The Melinda Kingsley Band is a folk rock trio comprised of Kingsley on vocals and guitar, Becca Mashburn on drums and Katie Bitner on bass. The Melinda Kingsley Band’s murky ballads and southern-influenced rock showcase their song stories in a subliminally accessible, yet easily swallowed musical form.
Kingsley is a singer-songwriter who grew up in the foothills of northwest Georgia but moved to Atlanta to pursue singing in a more serious venue.
“I feel that singing is my strongest thing and I really just started playing guitar because I needed a vehicle for my songs,” said Melinda. “I have a day job, so I can just perform for the love of it.”
Reaves has been delighting audiences throughout the U.S. for more than a decade with her rock, funk and R&B-based sound. A powerful vocalist and guitar player, her style ranges from driving rock to a funk and groove sound that lends itself to a diverse repertoire of originals. Performing more than 200 shows per year, Reaves spends most of her time touring with her eclectic solo show as well as with the four talented musicians from her band. Reaves’ fire-driven approach is truly a unique musical amalgam.
Saturday’s events will include workshops at the Watauga Public Library from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. including Living in the Community, Loving: Sexual Health and Being and Personal Coming Out Stories. As with previous Boone Pride celebrations, there will be a DJ dance with a cash bar from 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. at the Broyhill Inn & Conference Center.
Sunday’s events will begin at noon at Junaluska Park in Boone and will include a family picnic and cookout hosted by High Country United Church of Christ, softball games, a “Really, Really Free Market,” and plenty of spontaneous, festive family fun.
Proceeds from Boone Pride 2008 will be used to fund a scholarship for a deserving area student; pay for the organization’s website, future Pride events and community projects; and maintain the nonprofit’s ongoing commitment to providing GLBTIQ literature to public libraries.
Tickets are $10 and include all events. Purchase tickets at Beanstalk coffee shop in Boone or at the door. For more info and a complete schedule, click to www.boonepride.org.
Want To Go?
Date: Friday to Sunday, June 13 to 15
Time: See story
Location: Broyhill Inn & Conference Center/Watauga Library/Junaluska Park
Cost: $10
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