Ellington

Nestled within Deville Plaza off Interstate 55 lies a new and little-known music venue that is ripe for discovery. Appropriately named The Hideaway, owner Pete Suthar opened the doors about four months ago with the hope of bringing great music to Jackson "with a new twist," he says.

For starters, Suthar installed a state-of-the-art sound system into The Hideaway's recently renovated performance area, creating opportunities for diverse entertainment offerings. Local karaoke broker Angela Pittman hosts karaoke every Thursday night on The Hideaway's huge stage. On Friday and Saturday nights, visitors party to some of Mississippi's finest southern-rock and progressive-country bands.

But one new twist in the lineup happens every Sunday night from 4 to 8 p.m., when Mike and Marty with Ruckus take the stage for Sunday Jam.

For more than 17 years, singer and frontman Mike Thum, guitarist extraordinaire Marty Smith and drummer Robert Whitley played in the Jackson-Vicksburg area as The Mike and Marty Band. The original name stayed in place even after keyboardist and vocalist Jan Wimberly and bassist and vocalist Carlton Rush, joined the band about five years ago.

The expanded M & M Band was a "players" group for several years, hosting a jam session every Sunday evening, first at The Warehouse in Jackson and then at Hot Shots, a club and sports bar in Byram. The jam outgrew that venue as the band hosted many visiting musicians and expanded its local fan base, so it moved the session to The Hideaway in January.

"We needed more visibility, a wider audience and a much bigger stage to permit more jammers to play and interact simultaneously. The Hideaway ... seemed (like) the perfect venue to take us to the next level," Rush says.

The M & M Band changed its name to Mike and Marty with Ruckus—Wimberly's clever idea—because the original group regularly brings in a number of skilled players. Past shows have included slide-guitar player Doug Frank, rhythm guitarist and background vocalist Doyle Trent, electric violin and flute player Mike McClary, guitarist and vocalist Ralph Miller, five-string bass player Ben Milan, vocalist Melinda Bell, and rotating drummers Jay Herring, T.J. Hall and Jay Johnson.

As the band's new name implies, there's little order to the ruckus. A mixture of open-mic and full-band concert, the Sunday Jam is like a musician's pick-up baseball game, complete with one or two strikeouts, many hits and more than a few home runs (The 4th and Goal Sports Bar at the entrance to The Hideaway even sells hot dogs). Everyone is welcome to listen, dance, cheer or even step onto the big stage to show off his or her talents.

"As a jam group, that flexibility is terribly important because the music and the players change from minute to minute," Wimberly says.

The Sunday Jam has yet to receive the exposure that its organizers anticipated, due in part to its newness and its well-hidden home between the Deville Plaza Steinmart and YMCA. But thanks to the loyal players who come out each week to support the event, Suthar, Thum, Smith and company expect that the jam will gain momentum.

Meanwhile, The Hideaway turns on Sunday's game in the background, keeps the beer cold and awaits the next home-run hitter to join the Ruckus.

The Sunday Jam is 4 to 8 p.m. every Sunday at The Hideaway (5100 Interstate 55 N., 769-208-8283). Admission is free. For more information, visit hideawayms.com.