NOVEMBER 2-8 , 2017 FACEBOOK.COM/WHATZUPFTWAYNE • WWW.WHATZUP.COM Musicians: Create your own web pages on whatzup.com with a description of your act, band photo, videos, booking contact info, list of band members, links to web and social media sites, music sam- Special Guest Angelica Sweeting, creator of Naturally Perfect Dolls, ples, a calendar of your as seen on ABC’s Shark Tank upcoming gigs and links Tickets are $15 per person. Visit fwmoa.org/event/hair to any whatzup feature stories on you or your band. Art by Stephanie Woodson But that’s just the start: • Make unlimited posts to whatzup.com – in- cluding photos, videos and music samples – both in real time and scheduled in advance. SATURDAY, • Easily submit changes NOVEMBER 11 to your page as often as COLT you like and upload pho- tos and videos in real time. FORD SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18 • Live links in whatzup.com’s calendars take users directly to your musiConnect page. CHRIS JANSON WSG BEN GALLAGHER • Your shows are included in whatzup2nite, what- THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23 zup’s email blast sent to over 2,000 subscribers daily. JACKYL Advance tickets available at Rusty Spur or ticketweb.com 10350 LEO RD. (LEO CROSSING) Fort Wayne • 260.755.3465 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- www.whatzup.com ------------------------------------------------------------November 2, 2017 whatzup Volume 22, Number 14 nd so we enter into the next phase of the Fort Wayne area’s arts and entertain- ment scene. The summer and Halloween seasons behind us, we head towards the holiday season – with barely a break (or just as likely, no break at all) before ChristmasA goods line the store shelves and carols saturate the radio waves. EMBASSYFESTIVALOFTREES To the extent that we’re able (though not entirely; we have Becky Niccum’s director’s notes for the Civic’s production of White Christmas on page 18 of this issue), we’re ignoring all that this week and putting our focus on country music, comedy and rock n’ roll. We start our cover story on country music singer-songwriter Colt Ford who spoke with NOVEMBER 22-29 our writer (and bestselling author) Deborah Kennedy prior to his November 11 show at Beautifully decorated trees and youth performances the Rusty Spur Saloon. Read Deb’s story on page 4, and you might find that injecting rap into country music might make a little bit of sense after all. wrapped in the splendor of the Embassy Theatre Next we offer, on page 5, Steve Penhollow’s piece on Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, now back in top form and ready to make good on his postponed March 5, 2017 appearance at the Embassy with not one, but two shows November 9 and 10. The Friday night show is all but sold out, but good seats are available for Thursday, Nov. 9. TICKETS $8 for adults, $4 for children 12 and under Penhollow also delivers this week’s musician feature – IPFW’s director of music technol- ogy and huge Kiss fan John Fishell – on page 6. You’ll also want to check out the page 10 Available at STAR Bank box ofce at the Embassy, whatzup Pick on The Yawpers who will be bringing their infectious brand of Americana to Ticketmaster.com or call 800.745.3000 the Rail on Thursday, the ninth. If you’re a member of the whatzup Dining Club, you’ll want to check your mail, as your special “renewal rate” order form should be arriving any day now. The rest of you will want to check out next week’s print issue in order to take advantage of “early bird” pric- HOURS AND EVENTS ing on the program that will save you money whenever you go out to eat at any of the 20 Night of Lights Friday, Saturday, Sunday participating Fort Wayne-area restaurants. Sponsored by Broadway Nov. 24, 25, 26, Noon-8 p.m Till then, make plans, have fun and remember to tell ’em whatzup sent you! at the Embassy Nov. 22, 6-9 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday inside the issue Nov. 27, 28, 29, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Thanksgiving Day • features FLIX ................................................. 16 Nov. 23, 4-8 p.m. Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House New in 2017: Irving Berlin’s COMMUNITY SING-ALONG SCREENTIME ................................. 16 Fort Wayne Children’s Choir COLT FORD ...................................................4 The Sorry State of Moviemaking “White Christmas” movie Rapping Out Country Hits Nov. 27, 5-9 p.m. ON BOOKS ...................................... 17 screening, 5 p.m. GABRIEL IGLESIAS ....................................5 New People with performance from ‘Fluffy’ Is Keeping It Real 6:30-7:30 p.m. DIRECTOR’S NOTES ....................... 18 BREAKFAST WITH SANTA JOHN FISHELL .............................................6 White Christmas The Rock n’ Roll Professor Sponsored by McDonald’s & 3Rivers Federal Credit Union • calendars Nov. 24, 25, 26, 9:30-11 a.m. • columns & reviews Tickets: $15 per person LIVE MUSIC & COMEDY ....................8 SPINS ................................................7 Beck, Metz, Wand MUSIC/ON THE ROAD .................... 12 BACKTRACKS ...................................7 ROAD TRIPZ ................................... 15 Bob Dylan, Shot of Love (1981) ART & ARTIFACTS .......................... 17 OUT AND ABOUT ...............................8 STAGE & DANCE ............................ 18 Wrestling Returns to the Coliseum THINGS TO DO ............................... 19 PICKS ............................................. 10 The Yawpers Cover by Brandon Jordan ROAD NOTEZ .................................. 12 The Yawpers photo on page 10 by Paul Beaty MADE POSSIBLE WITH SUPPORT FROM FORT WAYNE METALS | I & M SDI | SWEETWATER SOUND A GOODWILL COMMUNITY EVENT A fundraiser for the Embassy Theatre Foundation, Inc. November 2, 2017 ------------------------------------------------------------- www.whatzup.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------3 BROUGHT TO YOU BY: -------------------------------- Feature • Colt Ford -------------------------------- all for One Productions/Sense and Sensibility ...................18 C2G Live .................................................................................15 C2G Music Hall.........................................................................5 Calhoun Street Soups, Salads, Spirits ............................10 Columbia Street West .........................................................15 Rapping Out Country Hits Cute By Nature .....................................................................10 By Deborah Kennedy “and I’m not the one who really pioneered in 2012 he scored a No. 1 on the country The CW ....................................................................................16 it. It’s funny how I’m the one who always album charts with Declaration of Indepen- There are more paths to country stardom gets the credit for bringing rap into country, dence, propelled mainly by the red hot hit, Dupont Bar & Grill....................................................................8 than roads that lead to Rome. For singer- but a lot of artists were doing spoken word “Back,” a duet with Jake Owen. Embassy Theatre/Festival of Trees .....................................3 songwriter Colt Ford, his journey began before I was born. Think about it. ‘Hot Rod Ford loves to collaborate with other when he was a toddler, trading words with Lincoln,’ ‘The Devil Went Down to Geor- artists, and he credits good friend and golf Embassy Theatre .....................................................................6 his mother. gia.’ What are they if not recitation? I don’t buddy Toby Keith with helping him navigate Fort Wayne Children’s Choir/3 Rivers Concert ................19 “She’d say a word and I’d come back deserve the credit, and I don’t want it. I just successfully the tricky world of Nashville. with one that rhymed with it,” he said in make the best songs I can.” “Toby is someone I’ve always admired Fort Wayne Children’s Choir/Harvest Concert ................19 a recent phone interview from the road in The two qualities that define Colt Ford and respected,” Ford said. “It’s so cool now Fort Wayne Civic Theatre/White Christmas ......................18 Branson, Missouri. “In the car, I’d drive my are humility and a love of music in all its to say he’s a friend of mine. As a younger parents nuts, drumming on the dash. When forms. He grew up listening to old school artist I wasn’t afraid to ask questions of Fort Wayne Dance Collective ..............................................11 I was five or six, they got me some bon- country, but he also listened to rock and rap, people who’d come before me. I think that’s Fort Wayne Museum of Art/The Art of Hair .......................2 gos. By the time I was 10, important. Don’t act like, I’d graduated to a full drum just because you have a hit Fort Wayne Musicians Association ...................................11 set.” song, you know everything. Hamilton House Bar & Grill ....................................................9 Ford, born Jason Farris Be humble. Ask for help. Brown in 1970 in Athens, That’s my advice for up- Honeywell Center .....................................................................9 Georgia, can’t remember a and-comers. It worked well IPFW Dept. of Music ................................................................8 time when music wasn’t a for me because I had people part of his life. He was sur- like Toby to guide me.” Latch String Bar & Grill ..........................................................9 rounded by it. He surround- In May, Ford put out Mitchell’s Sports