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Posted by Stephen Centanni | May 24, 2017 | Music Briefs | 0 |

Band: Alabama with Charlie Daniels Band
Date: Saturday, May 27, 8 p.m.
Venue: The Amphitheater at The Wharf, 23101 Canal Road (Orange Beach), www.alwharf.com
Tickets: $27-$79.50, available through Ticketmaster

Memorial Day marks the official beginning of the summer beach season. Hundreds of thousands of people will flock to the Alabama Gulf Coast until Labor Day brings seaside travel to an end. With its reputation for hosting country music’s hottest acts, the Amphitheater at The Wharf is starting summer with two legendary country bands.

With his trademark cowboy hat and fiery fiddle work, Charlie Daniels emerged from the ‘70s country scene with a little help from his spoken-word anthem “Uneasy Rider.” Daniels and his crew will set the evening’s tone from a catalog including such hits as “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” and “Long Haired Country Boy.”

Since reuniting, Alabama has made the Gulf Coast a regular stop. Alabama’s country music legacy began in 1980 with its first No. 1 single, “Tennessee River.” In the following decade, this band from Fort Payne rarely released a single that did not make it to the top spot on Billboard’s “U.S. Country” chart.

Alabama will entertain fans with classic hits as well as perform tracks from its latest release, “Southern Drawl,” an album filled with the band’s trademark country rock sound mingled with warm dirt-road love ballads.

About The Author

Stephen Centanni

With the exception of two years spent at Auburn University, Steve Centanni has spent his life in Mobile County while focusing on his two passions: music and the written word. As soon as he was issued his driver’s license, Centanni began to explore the local music scene in the early ‘90s. He filled his weekend with visits classic local venues such as the Four Strong Winds Coffee House, Vincent Van Go-Go’s and Culture Shock, all of which welcomed those who had yet to reach 18. After high school, Centanni traded Mobile for Auburn to complete his B.A. in English with an emphasis on general writing. While at Auburn, he had the honor of studying under the Pulitzer-winning poet Natasha Trethewey, who served as the nation’s Poet Laureate in 2012 and 2014. After receiving his diploma, Centanni quickly moved back to Mobile and completed the University of South Alabama’s graduate program with a M.Ed. Eventually, he was tapped by the nationally distributed Volume Entertainment Magazine to serve as the magazine’s managing editor/senior writer. His time with Volume allowed him to exercise his love for both music and writing. As Volume began to fade, Lagniappe recruited Centanni as their Music Writer and later their Music Editor, where he has remained for a little over a decade. As far as his involvement in the local music scene, Centanni organized Cess Fest at the Langan Park, which was a mini-festival focused on original local music in a time when original local music was veritably taboo in Downtown Mobile. For a short time, he brought original music to Downtown Mobile as the in-house promoter for the now deceased venue Cell Block. He managed local underground powerhouse Fry Cook, until the members parted ways. Centanni has lent his bass to bands such as Keychain Pistol and The F’n A-Holes, and he toured nationally as a member of Abstract Artimus & the Torture Children. Currently, he provides vocals for the garage blues rock outfit Johnny No. Ultimately, Centanni’s experience in the local music scene as both a participant and an observer has allowed him to witness the ever-changing persona of Mobile’s enigmatic music scene, which continues to leave him with more questions than answers.