Tahlsound Concert Series to kick off on April 23, featuring Darrin Hacquard, Abe Partridge and Buffalo Wabs
What started in 2017 as a full-day outdoor festival celebrating Lexington music has evolved to a new format in recent years: a series of smaller-scale concerts featuring local and regional acts, taking place on select Sundays throughout the warm-weather season.
Organized by a small collective of longtime friends and local musicians who live near Southland Drive, the event has always focused heavily on Southland Drive. (The name Tahlsound is an anagram for “Southland.”) During the pandemic, when organizers pivoted their model to create pandemic-friendly, socially distant events, venues rotated between various parking lots and other outdoor venues along the popular business corridor. The event has now returned to its original home: the grassy field behind Oleika Shriners’ Temple, which features a permanent stage and plenty of room for kids and dogs to roam in a contained, fenced-in space.
The 2023 series kicks off this month on April 23, with performances by Abe Partridge, a heralded musician, singer/songwriter, visual artist and podcaster based in Mobile, Ala., and Darrin Hacquard, a native of the Hocking Hills of Ohio region who turns to his appreciation of folklore traditions and the truth of country music to deliver authentic life experiences through his songwriting. They’ll be joined by headliners Buffalo Wabs & the Price Hill Hustle, a lively four-piece act out of Cincinnati that pairs fast-paced, foot-stomping anthems with harmony-laden ballads and traditional dirges of spirit and labor.
The full Tahlsound season line-up will also include performances by Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Mama Said String Band and the New Beckham County Ramblers (May 28); a partnership with Lexington Reggae Fest featuring Mighty Mystic, Rob Dread & The KMA, Club Dub and more (July 23); and Senora May, Ancient Warfare and Englishman (Aug. 28). Tahlsound organizers will also curate the music for the Southland Street Fair (June 10) and present a Tahlsound season finale event on Sept. 28 (lineup to be announced).
The series operates on a “pay what you can” model and is designed to be a relaxing outing for all ages. Food and beer is available for purchase, and a kid’s corner provides activities for the youngin’s.
This month's event takes place April 23 at 6 p.m. at the Oleika Temple Great Lawn, 302 Southland Drive. More details can be found at www.tahlsound.com.