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July 1, 2009

ENTERTAINMENT | Concert planned to kick off summer music in the park series

By James Beaty The McAlester News-Capital Wed Jul 01, 2009, 10:19 AM CDT

A McAlester-area band called Time Machine came by its name naturally.

“The kind of music we play are classics — they’ll take you back,” said lead singer Ralph Cox.

A new summer musical series called Thursday in the Park is set to kick off —fittingly enough — on this Thursday at Rotary Park. The inaugural concert features Time Machine, which performs mostly country, rock and pop music from the 1950s and 1960s.

“We’ll also sing a folk song or two and every once in awhile we’ll sing a gospel song,” Cox said.

Concerts are set to begin at 7:30 p.m. and continue until 9 p.m. in the amphitheater at Rotary Park, said Kathy Brod, secretary of the McAlester Arts & Humanities Council, which is sponsoring the concerts.

“A lot of other cities are doing this,” Brod said. “It’s something we wanted to add and we’re trying to make this an annual summer occurrence.”

No admission is charged to attend the concerts. Seating is available on the concrete bleachers at the amphitheater. Those who’d rather sit on the ground can bring blankets, Brod said.

Thursday’s concert opener will include a presentation of the colors by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1098 and welcoming remarks by Mayor Kevin Priddle, said Brod.

Time Machine is a trio consisting of Ralph Cox, and the father and son team of Steve White and Steven White. Ralph Cox does the vocals and plays rhythm guitar, while Steven White picks the electric lead and Steve White plays acoustic rhythm guitar.

Because of a job-related conflict, Mike Ross will be filling the lead guitar slot usually covered by Steven White, Cox said.

The group’s been playing together for about 10 years.

“Mike and I go back farther than that, to the 1970s,” Cox said.

The Arts & Humanities Council is presenting the concerts series as a family event.

“We’ll sell water and soft drinks,” Brod said. Those who’ll want something to eat during the concerts will have to bring their own snacks. Concert-goers can even have a picnic if they want.

Asked to name just a few of the songs the group plans to perform during the 90-minute concert, Cox cited five titles from Time Machine’s vast repertoire.

“We’ll do ‘Thank God I’m A Country Boy,” the old Everly Brothers tune “Dream,” “Tennessee Stud,” “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and the Lenny Welch tune “Since I Fell For You.”

The lineup for the remainder of the Thursday night July concerts at Rotary Park, which is adjacent to the J.I. Stipe Center at Ninth Street and Monroe Avenue, includes:

• July 9: Lee McWaters, a blues man and one man band, who performances includes songs by timeless blues artists, such as Muddy Waters.

July 16: The Balcony Brass. The well-known brass ensemble, which performs at a number of events throughout the city, will have an opportunity to perform a full-blown concert.

• July 23: The Christian group R Darkest Hour will perform.

• July 30: Not yet booked.

The Arts & Humanities Council is hoping for an enthusiastic response to the summer concert series.

“I hope the community supports this because it’s for the community,” Brod said.

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