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Micah Smith

Stories by Micah

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Building Up As Cities Burn

To longtime fans, a phoenix may seem like an apt metaphor for Louisiana-native post-hardcore act As Cities Burn, which has returned with a new album after 10 years. However, to vocalist T.J. Bonnette, the band's revival isn't as dramatic as it sounds.

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Shenandoah: Ready & ‘Reloaded’

When the Dixie National Livestock Show & Rodeo returns to Jackson from Feb. 7 through Feb. 13, another southern institution will be returning with it: Grammy Award-winning country act Shenandoah.

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The Magical Music of Harry Potter

For Ron Spigelman, there is just as much magic in a conductor's baton as the wand of any witch or wizard. "Music, in my opinion," he says, "is the true third dimension in film."

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Resolve to Make a Difference, Support Local

Instead of centering my New Year’s resolution on things that just benefit me, I decided to focus on shopping and eating locally as often as possible to help bolster the Jackson businesses I want to support, such as Offbeat in midtown.

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The Mississippi Sound—2018 Edition

Mississippi has some incredible musical roots, but the state often does not get enough attention for its current crop of original music, oddly.

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The Wonders of 'Wonderland'

Thalia Mara Hall in downtown Jackson has featured plenty of orchestral events over the years, but the latest concert from touring act Cirque Musica plans to do something a little different with the space.

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Armory Sessions, Unlocked

Layoffs ended up paving the way for Clinton resident Kody Gautier to combine his love of music with his skills as a videographer.

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Yayo the Drummer: Making the One-Man Band

Jackson-native musician Matthew Mayberry, better known as Yayo the Drummer, has been performing with Lil Wayne for about two years, but he says that he has worked to promote live instrumentation in hip-hop shows for a long time.

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Cathead’s New Bourbon, Frock Fashions Opens and Lemuria’s ‘Photos with Paddington’

Cathead Distillery’s new bourbon line, Old Soul bourbon whiskey, went on sale in liquor stores statewide on Friday, Nov. 16. Cathead produced 500 cases of Old Soul for this initial batch, which it will only sell within Mississippi.

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Myranda Cozad

Since its debut in 2013, the Scooby Doo truck has become something of an icon at Monster Jam, thanks in part to Myranda Cozad, who has been one of its drivers for almost three years.

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The Man with the Horn and a Brush

Jackson State University is the first university in the United States to host a gallery of Miles Davis' visual artwork, with more than a dozen of his paintings and personal photographs 
appearing in the exhibit.

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James Patterson

The passing of influential artists often inspires outpourings of gratitude and respect from fans, colleagues and loved ones, but Jackson photographer James Patterson was one of the few who got to see that celebration of his life while he was living.

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The Heart in Hilarity

The members of the Mississippi Opera are clearly fans of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, and as the legendary duo's music has been performed across the globe for more than a century, they should be in good company.

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Be Active & Help Beat Breast Cancer

You may already be aware that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but you might not know just how much people in the Jackson metro area show out to help put an end to the disease.

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Collective Soul at 25 Years

Bassist Will Turpin describes the 25th anniversary of Collective Soul with one word in particular: "surreal."

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A Look Inside Jeffrey Gibson's 'Like A Hammer'

A small group of reporters stepped into the Mississippi Museum of Art's Barksdale Galleries for Changing Exhibitions in early September, and immediately came face to face with a colorful collection of familiar objects made unfamiliar.

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Rae Nelsen

Rae Nelsen has not yet turned her love of cartoons, comic books and almost every aspect of nerd culture into a career, but it has become an "intense hobby," she says.

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New Delays for 'One Lake' Likely as Bipartisan Concerns in Congress Grow

One U.S. Senate bill currently waiting on President Donald Trump's signature could have major ramifications for the long-planned and controversial "One Lake" development and flood-control project along the Pearl River in Jackson.

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Cindy Wilson

Cindy Wilson never planned on being an author, but she had always planned on telling her story. A Jackson couple adopted her as a baby from her birthplace of Seoul, South Korea, in 1975, and she grew up in Mississippi as the child of an African American family.

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SILAS: Hope, Hops & Hokage

Silas Stapleton III, better known to fans as SILAS, is blending hip-hop and hops for his upcoming album, "The Last Cherry Blossom."

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Artists to Watch

Jackson officially earned the nickname of the "City with Soul" back during Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr.'s administration, and it's fitting. If you pick up any issue of the Jackson Free Press, you are bound to find more soulful music than you could shake a drumstick at.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Breaking the ‘Bucket List’

If I cared to make a bucket list, then Oct. 1 would have checked off one item for me. I got to lead my first workshop, "Making the Most of Music Media," thanks to BlueSky Studio and owner Casey Combest, who offered to host the event.

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SIKA Digs into ‘The Meal Plan’

Jessica Noxolo's solo debut, "The Meal Plan" EP, may feature a song titled "The Appetizer," but the Jackson neo-soul artist, who performs as SIKA, says she sees the recording project itself as a teaser of things to come.

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American Aquarium

Change has long been the status quo for singer-songwriter BJ Barham of alternative-country act American Aquarium, but rarely has so much happened in such a short span of time.

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A Look Inside Luke Audio

Flora, Miss., native Allen Luke turned his years of tinkering with musical equipment into a full-time career as the founder of Luke Audio in Nashville, Tenn.

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Liza Anne: Moving Forward to ‘Fine’

When singer-songwriter Liza Odachowski, whom fans know as Liza Anne, selected a studio for her third album, "Fine But Dying," her choice revolved around atmosphere rather than equipment.

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Scianna Challenge at USM, UM Medgar Evers Scholarship and Millsaps Arts & Lecture Series

Kenny and Vicki Scianna, Madison residents who attended the University of Southern Mississippi, recently established an endowment for the university's Children's Center for Communication and Development.

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Rock Eupora

Clayton Waller says he knew that he wanted to be in the music industry but was on the fence as to whether that would be on the artist side or the business side.

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Lyle Lovett

Singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett has been a constant presence in the international music scene since his second single, "Cowboy Man," made its way into the top 10 on the country charts in 1986.

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Robert Randolph & the Family Band

The City with Soul will once again welcome the man behind "Got Soul" this month. New Jersey outfit Robert Randolph & the Family Band will return to Jackson on Aug. 11 to play for the 14th annual Bright Lights Belhaven Nights.

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From Mississippi with Love

The Moscow mule is a simple, yet delicious drink made with vodka, ginger beer and lime juice. So why reinvent the wheel? Well, because sometimes the wheel tastes better with creme.

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Black, White and Orange: Piper Kerman on Prison Reform

The Jackson Free Press recently got on the phone with Piper Kerman, who will be the guest speaker for the Greater Jackson Arts Council's 2018 Creative Impact 
Luncheon on Aug. 23, to talk about the reality in "Orange Is the New Black" and the role of the arts in prison reform.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Finding Community in a Calendar

It is next to impossible to spread the word about every single interesting 
activity going on in Jackson in any 
given week, but we are sure trying to put a dent in them with the JFP events calendar.

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Reinventing the Release Plan

Without the financial support and connections of a record label, getting the word out about a new recording project is no easy task. We at the JFP decided to put together some tips for local artists and bands looking to maximize the reach of their next new release.

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Malaco’s Gospel Milestone

Darrell Luster, a native of Durham, N.C., has held his current position at Malaco Music Group for about six years, but his connection to the Jackson record label began with him as a fan.

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Maximus Wright, ‘Lola’ and the Future of Local Film

Maximus Wright’s entry into the entertainment world began with a question: Why can’t Mississippi be a destination for film and TV? About six years ago, his daughter, Jaime Wright, approached him and said she wanted to begin trying out for parts in Disney productions. To Jaime, then 14 years old, that meant eventually moving away from their home state.

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Chris Moore Talks Comedy and Terror in 'Triggered'

Jackson filmmaker Chris Moore's latest movie, "Triggered," came from pairing an old idea with some new inspiration.

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Arts on the (Drum) Line

The Mississippi Alumni All-star Band is preparing for the Independence Showdown, an annual competition featuring marching bands from states such as Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia, Ohio and Michigan.

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Amanda Shires: The Road to ‘Sunset’

Amanda Shires' fifth album, "To the Sunset," probably features a few more effects and synthesizers than fans anticipated—mostly because they likely were not expecting any.

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Voice & Growth in ‘Treeborne’

The path to author Caleb Johnson's much-praised debut novel, "Treeborne" (Picador, 2018, $26), was a winding one. For starters, the idea for the book initially spurred not from the titular family of peach farmers but rather from the fruit that they grow.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Lessons in Stepping up from ‘Friday Night Lights’

It may be the peak of the baseball season, but my clear eyes and full heart have been fully set on football, thanks to my latest TV nostalgic kick. For those that don't speak outdated pop-culture references, I've been re-watching all of the show "Friday Night Lights."

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Panorama Jazz Band

As a child, Ben Schenck stood outside his home in Annapolis, Md., as a parade came down the block, a drum line and bugle corps leading the charge. Even then, there was something in the music that struck him.

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Jacksonian Carvena Jones Fights for 'The Four'

The reality-TV singing competition has long been an entertainment staple, but not every entry in the genre has stood above the crowd. In January of this year, FOX launched its latest foray into the format with "The Four: Battle for Stardom."

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Cathead's Headliners

Local music festival Cathead Jam is returning for a third installment in celebration of the Cathead Distillery’s eighth year in Jackson. While plenty of the performers are Ardenland alumni who have played in the Capital City in past years, we at the Jackson Free Press decided to create a rundown as a helpful refresher for the familiar and a friendly introduction to the uninitiated.

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Spacewolf & the DIY Ethos

It's a simple mathematic principle: Three comes after two. It doesn't exactly tell you when, though. For Spacewolf, the "when" was about five years later.

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Brandon Mitchell and S.W.A.P.'s "Amazing" Return

For Jackson gospel group Brandon Mitchell & S.W.A.P., a little discouragement has helped pave the way for a greater source of encouragement on their sophomore album, "Amazing."

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Celebrating, Not Submitting to Mississippi Food

Mississippi has so much great, healthy food already, and I'd love for the rest of the world to realize that we're not just cupcakes, sugar water, grits and danger.

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Mr. Fluid: Fighting Conformity

While he would rather be on a stage or in the studio, Mississippi rapper and producer Mr. Fluid's past work experiences are part of the inspiration behind his third album, "When Conformity Is Not Comfortable," also stylized as "WC INC."

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Matt Maher

Singer-songwriter Matt Maher has been a significant presence in the world of contemporary Christian music since the early 2000s, but before he was introduced to religion, he says that he was running away, at least at some level.

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Michael Kardos

Author Michael Kardos has always been drawn to the art of illusion. As a teenager, the New Jersey native got into doing magic, and as an adult, he wanted to tackle the topic in his writing.

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