Music in the Grove

Ole Miss students as well as members of the Oxford-University community can expect a musical June in the Grove.

Children dance along as the Holy Ghost Electric Show plays on Sunday, June 5, 2016. Photo by Timothy Steenwyk

The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council is hosting its annual Summer Sunset Series, and the name of the event speaks for itself. A series of concerts will be performed throughout the month of June in the Grove, and each will be held at around sunset at 6 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is free for the entirety of the series.

The folk rock band Holy Ghost Electric Show performed Sunday, June 5. The Oxford-based group just released their new EP “Sinai” in March. The band boasts great lyrical talent and complements it with chaotic rock, including instruments like banjos and trombones, to create a one-of-a-kind gorgeous sound. The Ole Miss Student Union presented the Holy Ghost Electric Show’s performance.

Popsy of Tupelo, MS, sells popsicles in the Grove during the Holy Ghost Electric Show, Sunday, June 5, 2016. Photo by: Timothy Steenwyk

The next performer will be Alphonso Sanders, a soulful jazz and blues musician, on June 12. Sanders is the Chair of Fine Arts and Director of the B.B. King Recording Studio at Mississippi Valley State University. He is a regular performer at festivals throughout the Southeast United States, as well as international festivals such as the Netherlands North Sea Jazz Festival. Among his numerous achievements and accolades, he was a recipient of the 2011 Mississippi Humanities award and was selected as the 2013 Blues Musician of the Year.

Sanders often performs with the “Yalobushwackers” on Thacker Mountain Radio right here in Oxford. The Center for the Study of Southern Culture will present Sanders’ performance.

Luke Fisher Band will follow on June 19, lighting up the Grove with their Americana-bluegrass music. The band is hopeful about releasing an album soon. The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council will present this performance.

Finally, the acoustic Black Water Trio will perform June 26 and will be presented by the University Museum. Two guitars and a violin make up their group, and that’s all they need. The Mississippi natives bring a definitively Southern sound to the table that is altogether unforgettable.

So bring your family and friends out to the Grove for a variety of free concerts throughout the month of June. Visit Oxford, the Oxford-Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, University and Public Events and University Communications also sponsor the event.