The Americana Community Music Association welcomes The Rough and Tumble in concert on Saturday, March 18 at 7 p.m. at the ACMA listening room in Fort Myers.
Writing and performing together since 2007, Mallory Graham and Scott Tyler inevitably formed The Rough & Tumble in 2011 as the friends turned into bandmates. In 2015, after a bad Nashville landlord left them without heat for 12 days during an ice storm, the bandmates turning spouses decided to hit the road.
They sold everything they could, bought a 16 foot camper (despite the warning of their families and the lot salesman), packed up their instruments, their dog, and a couple of small trinkets shaped like elephants and mice that they couldn’t part with, and hit the road.
On Feb. 19, 2021, The Rough & Tumble dug into the severed branch of their family tree, bringing their newest work, We’re Only Family If You Say So, a full length record about what it takes to be family– and what it means to lose it.
We’re Only Family If You Say So follows on the 2019 release of Howling Back at the Wounded Dog, a 10-song album wherein response was audible, with audiences literally howling back at performances coast-to-coast. The opening track “The Hardest Part” won the Independent Music Award’s Best Americana Song of 2019.
Opening the March 18 show is ACMA singer-songwriter David Hintz.
Richard Smith
Richard Smith will be in concert Saturday, March 25 at 7 p.m. at the ACMA listening room. Born in Beckenham, England, Richard started early and first picked up the guitar at the age of 5 with his father teaching him his first chords and songs.
After some early solo performances and six years of working as a trio with two of his brothers, Rob and Sam in the 90’s, Richard moved to Nashville in January 2000,
In 2001, he won the national finger picking championship and has since forged a career as a solo artist, performing all over the U.S., Canada, UK, Europe, Australia and Brazil, releasing solo records, duet and ensemble records.
Constantly touring with a repertoire of finger picking classics, originals, fiddle tunes, blues, Joplin rags, jazz standards, classical repertoire and everything from pop to Sousa marches.
Richard has also performed or recorded along the way with Chet Atkins, Les Paul, Tommy Emmanuel, Suzy Bogguss and a host of others.
Opening the March 25 show is ACMA member and singer-songwriter Karen Cohen.
Admission for each concert is $12 for members and $18 for non-members.
The ACMA listening room is located at All Faiths Unitarian Congregation, 2756 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers.
For more details and schedules, visit online www.americanacma.org
