Schedule - Tuesday, January 14, 2002
Jan 7 | Jan 14 | Jan 21 | Jan 28
Billy Block's Western Beat is EVERY Tuesday Night at Exit/In 2208 Elliston Place

Mercy Creek

 Mercy Creek- 8 pm
Three years after forming, Virginia band Mercy Creek will release their sophomore album entitled "Dirty Water". Working with producer Paul Mahern in Bloomington, Indiana, the band has now recorded two exceptional independent albums. Singer/guitarist Cheryl Nystrom and songwriting partner and drummer Jim Ball play effortlessly together, weaving tribal drum patterns with lightning fast guitar rhythms. The sound has been hardened by the road, but finds musical balance in Nystrom's beautiful and expressive vocals. Lyrics are intelligent, the melodies catchy, and Mercy Creek songs have become favorites for fans both on disc and at shows. Performing as a two piece, Mercy Creek has found success playing a diverse range of stages, from large festivals and auditoriums, to coffee houses and bars. Producer Mahern described the sound of Mercy Creek's music as "hippie-hop", and "a gritty, rock and roll John Cale blues experience".


Ronnie Reno
& Reno Tradition
 Ronnie Reno & Reno Tradition - 8:30 pm
Born in Buffalo, South Carolina as the eldest son of the late bluegrass great Don Reno, Ronnie first performed professionally at the age of eight. Debuting with his father's band playing guitar and mandolin, Ronnie remained a feature performer with the Don Reno Band for ten years. He left to work with the Osborne Brothers and recorded five albums with the group. Ronnie hooked up with Merle Haggard in 1973, and soon began opening concerts for him as well as picking and singing as a member of Merle's band. Ronnie is featured on ten albums from his tenure with Haggard. Many of his songs appear on those albums, including the hit single "I've Got A Darling". Ronnie also recorded a solo album during this period. Titled "For The First Time", the album was released on MCA Records. He also appears on albums by Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Johnny Paycheck, as well as a variety of bluegrass albums. Ronnie has released five chart singles, and legends from Conway Twitty to Merle

Larry Cordle
& Lonesome Standard Time

Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time - 9:00 pm
"I think we're a bluegrass band with a rock 'n' roll attitude," says Larry Cordle, whose songs have been recorded by everyone from George Strait, to the Osborne Brothers, to Trisha Yearwood. He and Lonesome Standard Time have just released their second Shell Point album, "Songs From the Workbench", boasting a diverse collection of Cordle originals and well-selected cover tunes. "’Songs From the Workbench’ is a band-produced album," Cordle says. Bassist Terry Eldredge spent a decade performing with the Osborne Brothers, and he has recorded with Dolly Parton, George Jones, and Earl Scruggs to name just a few. The band’s sound is also driven by guitarist Booie Beach and banjo ace David Talbot. "They are just some of the finest players I've ever heard," says Cordle. Players of that caliber open up all sorts of musical possibilities. "I don't want anybody to take this the wrong way, but just the term 'bluegrass' is so limiting," he continues. "Yeah, we're a bluegrass band, but there's just so much that can be done within the realm of acoustic music."

Jennifer Hicks

Jennifer Hicks - 9:30 pm
The daughter of steel guitarist Russ Hicks of 70's country-rock icons Barefoot Jerry, Jennifer Hicks grew up in the heart of Music City. She is a truly unique blend of Nashville old school sensibilities and the more lyrically open 70's styles of airy California pop. After easily securing a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell, Jennifer set out to define her own recording style. Jennifer's well thought out yet revealing lyrics make her an open book. This is something that country music has somehow forgotten in recent years, but Jennifer feels that it’s the only real way to tell a story. With some of Music City's biggest names as true believers, it won't be long before Jennifer herself becomes the next Hicks to make their mark on country music.


Virgil Monroe
Virgil Monroe - 10:00 pm
Founded in early 1999, Virgil Monroe has been wowing audiences and gaining fans from stages all across Middle Tennessee. Fronted by hit Nashville songwriter Matt Hendrix (Montgomery-Gentry/Lila McCann) the band is made up of some of the areas top sidemen who have played for an array of artists from Trace Atkins and Mindy McCready to Alice Cooper. Virgil Monroe focuses on making real music for real people. Therefore, being labeled "Rock with a twang" is a compliment. Matt Hendrix is on lead vocals and guitar, Mario Torrico on Guitar, Bobby Smith on Bass, Tony Mack on drums and vocals, Billy Welsh on keyboards and vocals, and Bryan Campbell on guitar and vocals.
©2002 Western Beat Entertainment