Charleston Gazette

The Secret's Out in Clay

In 1837, Solomon and Seaberry Osborne fled their home in the Cherokee Nation to escape the Trail of Tears. More than 150 years later, their offspring wrote a play to remember the low-profile life Solomon and Seaberry created in the woods of Clay County. "Solomon's Secret," the outdoor drama Osborne descendants stage every year, runs Friday and Saturday and Sept. 16 and 17 at Dundon Hill near Clay.

East Meets West Music

Folk singer Abigail Washburn may never have become a musician if it weren't for a trip to China. There, she fell in love with the culture and decided to reconnect with her own Appalachian heritage. She bought a banjo, but first let it collect dust for several years while working as a lobbyist. In 2002, her friends The Cleary Brothers needed an emergency banjo player when they lost theirs. Washburn stepped up to the mic, and so began her music career. In addition to her solo career, she is als...

At the Walker

Quietly over the past several years, Ron Sowell has produced an impressive series of concerts at the Unity building in North Charleston. Starting Saturday, his lineup of national-calibre performing songwriters earns prime-time exposure in downtown Charleston with a move to the Clay Center's Walker Theater space. The Woody Hawley Concert Series marks a strong debut with a show 7:30 p.m. Saturday featuring acclaimed singer-songwriter Susan Werner, with opening act Jon Wikstrom. The concert seri...

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

A meteor allegedly carrying an extraterrestrial visitor scared the bejeezus out of everyone in Flatwoods when it crash-landed in September 1952 - but at least whatever it was put the Braxton County town on the map. See for yourself from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday when the Flatwoods Factory Outlet Stores host the Braxton County Monster Fest. Things kick off at noon with a debut of the new play "The Legend of the Phantom of Flatwoods" by the Landmark Studio's Youth Theatre Project. A Braxton Count...

To Sir with Love

Rocket Man meets the people who normally play Rachmaninoff as the symphony takes on the music of Sir Elton John IF YOU GO WHAT: Madmen Across the Water The Music of Elton John with the West Virginia Symphony and Jeans n Classics.

Appalachian Corridors: ; Juror Looked for Passion, Power in Choosing Work for Exhibit

IF YOU GO The Appalachian Corridors Juried Exhibition runs Saturday through Nov. 13. Faith Ringgold speaks at 6 p.m. today. bobschwarz@wvgazette.com

Paisley, Womack Lead Cma Award Nominees

NEW YORK - Brad Paisley and Lee Ann Womack led the nominees Wednesday for the Country Music Association Awards, snaring six apiece, including single of the year for their hits "Alcohol" and "I May Hate Myself in the Morning." Other multiple nominees were Keith Urban and Toby Keith, who had four each. Gretchen Wilson, Sugarland, Rascal Flatts and George Strait each had three.

Phd in the Key of G

Rapid Release

Calendar

IN CONCERT * KANAWHA VALLEY JAMBOREE: Dave Evans and River Bend (bluegrass) perform along with John and Marvine Loving (traditional country), 7 p.m. Saturday. 8902 MacCorkle Ave., Marmet. Adults $10, senior citizens $8, children $3. Call 949-6770 or 545-2693.

P.S.: ; One Man, Lots of Art

Around the Mound

Spotlight

In Memoriam: ; Doug Goebel's Visual Historic Record

bobschwarz@wvgazette.com Charleston lost a unique blend of artist and historian when Doug Goebel died recently of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 54.

Film Clips

* "THE BROTHERS GRIMM": Grade: C plus. Marquee Cinemas, Park Place Stadium Cinemas. For the last 30 years, Terry Gilliam's job has been making a mess out of his characters, his audience and the studio system. Here, however, he's made a mess not in but out of his movie. Rated PG-13. - Ry Rivard * "THE CAVE": Grade: D minus. MC, PPSC The scariest part of this derivative monster movie is the likelihood of a sequel. Rated PG- 13. - Dave Gustafson

'Transporter' All Style and Little Substance

REVIEW "Transporter 2" Grade: C Rated PG-13 (intense sequences of violent action, sexual content, partial nudity and brief language) Directed by Louis Leterrier Starring Jason Statham, Matthew Modine Marquee Cinemas, Park Place Stadium Cinemas A new Bond? Who cares? Who needs Bond? We've got "The Transporter."

Gazznotes

An extended online version of gazz goes online at thegazz.com at noon today. Here's some of the added content you'll find online: New and Old Music: We've added new writers to this review- centered blog of new and old music on CD, with Morgan Kelly and Bill Lynch joining Paul Gartner. See recent reviews of CDs by: Will Hoge, The Slow Poisoner, The Plimsouls, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, "100 Years of Jazz Guitar" and more.

Next Week

'Underclassman' Lacks Class

REVIEW "Underclassman" Grade: D Rated PG-13 (violence, sexual references, drug material and some teen drinking) Directed by Marcos Siega Starring Nick CannonMarquee Cinemas, Park Place Stadium Cinemas "Underclassman" is a cop/teen movie so derivative it could have been written by a computer.

Sound of Blunder More Likely

REVIEW "A Sound of Thunder" Grade: C minus Rated PG-13 (violence, partial nudity and language) Directed by Peter Hyams Starring Edward Burns, Catherine McCormack Marquee Cinemas rustymarks@wvgazette.com