By Jay Brakefield
Community radio station KEOS will cap a busy month with the Lone Star Music Jam on October 2 at the Lakeside Icehouse at Lake Bryan. The annual fundraiser, formerly the Volunteer Jam, is now part of the station’s Lone Star Music Series, which in June brought Walt Wilkins and Tina Mitchell Wilkins to the Grand Stafford Theater in downtown Bryan for a rousing performance.
The music will get underway at 1pm with a performance by singer-songwriter John Prihoda of College Station, a perennial Jam favorite. At 2pm, local song stylist Ciarra Marcel, accompanied by guitarist Ralph Martinez, will take the stage. Marcel, who has appeared at the Bryan Blues Festival, doesn’t like to label her music, which ranges from blues to jazz and R&B, all with her own distinctive stamp. At 3pm, Eugene Smith and his band Eugene Eugene, a local institution for decades, will perform a high-powered and soulful set.
At 4pm, businessman and former Bryan Mayor Lloyd Joyce will conduct a live auction, which will replace the silent auction of previous years. Local businesses and individuals have contributed everything from tattoos to a couples getaway.
Music will continue at 5pm. with Brooke Graham, a singer-songwriter from just down the road in Milano. The high-energy Brazos Valley All Star Band, which includes longtime KEOS supporter Brian Lippman, will close the show from 6-7pm.
The Jam is a major fundraiser for the all-volunteer station, which is supported by listeners, underwriters, grants and, in the case of the Jam, hotel occupancy tax funds. This year’s event comes on the last day of the fall fund drive, which will begin September 16.
Visit www.keos.org for information on other Jam-related interviews and performances.
Jay Brakefield is a retired journalist and longtime KEOS volunteer who hosts “Brazos Valley Beat,” a talk show at 6pm each Wednesday that covers a range of local and regional issues.
Gettin’ to the Jam
The Lone Star Jam will take place from noon to 7pm. on Sunday, October 2, at the Lakeside Icehouse at Lake Bryan, 8200 Sandy Point Road. Suggested donation is $25 at the door. All funds support KEOS, 89.1 FM, an all-volunteer station that presents a rich selection of music and news, an alternative to the mainstream media. For more information, visit www.keos.org or www.lakebryan.com.
