If you love edgy heartfelt Americana music, you love Gram Parsons, even if you've never heard his name.

Tomorrow, Cloverdale is the place to be, especially if you love the music of the late Gram Parsons, who was born on November 5, 1946.

Doug Jayne has once again pulled together a birthday tribute concert, an evening of Cosmic American Music, which, decades after Parsons’ death in 1973, continues to exert an extraordinary influence.

An entire generation may not have discovered the honky tonk if it weren’t for Parsons. At the time he came to national prominence, country music was considered the domain of Republican war mongers, racists and those gung-ho supporters of the Vietnam War. Parsons recordings with The Byrds, his influence on the Stones and his gorgeously heart wrenching duets with Emmylou Harris changed the musical landscape forever.

The band Laughing Gravy, formed at the first Gram Parsons Birthday Tribute, perform Parsons songs at the new Cloverdale Performing Arts Center on both Saturday evening at 7 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. If you love this music but have never been to one of the shows, you owe it to yourself to go! The music is absolutely wonderful and it is punctuated with special guests adding details about Parsons’ too-short life.

On Saturday night, Antje Duvekot opens the show.

Advance tickets, which you can buy here, are $20 for Saturday night and $15 for Sunday afternoon. If you pay at the door, it’s $25 for Saturday night and $20 for Sunday.

If you opt for the Saturday show, you  might want to head up to Cloverdale early and hit one of the season’s first holiday crafts fairs. It’s taking place at St. Peter’s Hall (491 South Franklin St., behind the Owl Cafe) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The sale, a project of four Cloverdale chapters of Beta Sigma Phi, features handcrafts, art and a raffle of gift basket. Refreshments and lunch are available, too. There is no admission charge.

 

 

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