From dive-bar childhood to Nashville road miles, Zac Young is still making music with the people and places that raised him. By Monica Jones Zac did not know he was being interviewed. We had been meaning to do this for years. Columbus is like that. Everybody knows everybody, everybody means to catch up, and then suddenly eight years have passed, three venues have changed names, six bands have evolved, and somebody’s phone is full. So…
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Decades after “Watching Airplanes,” Gary Allan continues to connect with audiences by remaining unmistakably himself. By Monica Jones You know that feeling when a song finds you? The kind that settles into your life and stays there. Years later, you may not remember exactly when you first heard it, but you remember the feeling it left behind. For me, it’s “Watching Airplanes.” Like many of Gary Allan’s songs, it lingered. It became attached to memories,…
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By Monica Jones Memorial Day weekend in Columbus doesn’t always win the pull over the beach—but for those who stay, there’s still plenty happening close to home. For 15 years, Bugs on the Hooch has brought Volkswagen enthusiasts, families, and curious wanderers together—now hosted at the National Civil War Naval Museum—for a weekend of classic cars, camping, and community along the riverfront. Amid all of it, there’s a moment that shifts the tone. On Saturday,…
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Cover Image: B.B. Palmer and Sammie Saxon- Image by Charley Windham By Monica Jones On May 9, Rose Hill Heights Park will be a little louder, a little brighter, a little stranger—in the best way. The second annual Crossroads Folk Art Festival isn’t designed to be explained. It’s designed to be experienced—where people aren’t just viewing art, but becoming part of it. Whether you show up knowing exactly what folk art is or whether you…
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By Monica JonesContributor: Josh, Columbus Georgia Eats Let’s just go ahead and say it. Some of y’all have been driving past Lemongrass for years and still haven’t tried it. And that’s fine… until it’s not. Because at some point, you realize you’ve been missing something that’s been sitting right here the whole time. Lemongrass Thai & Sushi has been part of Columbus for years now. The food is fresh, balanced, and authentically Thai. The kind…
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By Monica Jones There are plenty of ways to throw a music festival, and Columbus is about to try one of the most charming. On Saturday, May 2, Uptown Columbus will debut the inaugural Columbus Porchfest, a day-long, free, family-friendly music festival that turns the Historic District into a walkable celebration of live music, neighborhood pride, and community connection. From noon to 6 p.m., front porches along Broadway and throughout the district will become stages…
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At Home, On Stage, Still Loving It By Monica Jones In a recent phone call, Foxworthy talked about the work, the writing, and where it all began. After more than four decades on the road, Jeff Foxworthy is headed to Columbus. Best known for his stand-up and the kind of observational humor that made him a household name, Foxworthy has built a career around material drawn from everyday life, the kind audiences recognize immediately. On…
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Ahead of the band’s May 3 stop at RiverCenter, bassist Tad Kinchla talks groove, road miles, brotherhood, and why Blues Traveler still hits. Cover Image: left → right:Chan Kinchla – Tad Kinchla – Brendan Hill – John Popper – Ben Wilson. Credit: TMC By Monica Jones Blues Traveler didn’t come and go. They stuck. Their songs are tattooed into the collective brain of America — the kind you don’t realize you remember until they’re already…
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Neal Lucas returns to Talbotton for an intimate full-band performance inside one of the region’s most remarkable historic spaces. By Monica Jones On Saturday, April 18 at 6 p.m., songwriter Neal Lucas will take the stage inside Historic Zion Church in Talbotton, Georgia for an evening that feels less like a typical concert and more like the start of something powerful and new. For Lucas, the night carries a personal significance. “Getting to play in…
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By Andy Carpenter In 2022, just as I was beginning to take screenwriting seriously, I saw my first locally shot feature film: The Greatest Inheritance. I was invited to the premiere by a friend, and at the time, I knew nothing about the film or its cast. After the screening, a heartfelt story of a family learning to accept one another, forgive, love, and embrace their differences following their mother’s death, several actors and the…
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