Bankhead Presents Program | January 2026
STOP MAKING SENSE:
A Film by Jonathan Demme and Talking Heads
Live Event Hosted by Jerry Harrison
FRI JAN 9 @ 8 PM
Newly restored in 4K to coincide with its 40th anniversary, the 1984 film was directed by renowned filmmaker Jonathan Demme and is considered by critics as the greatest concert film of all time. Starring band members David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison and Tina Weymouth (along with their incredible touring musicians), the live performance was shot at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater and features Talking Heads’ most memorable songs. The live event will feature a public screening of the re-release and hosted by co-star Jerry Harrison who will deliver introductory remarks, post screening comments and audience Q&A.
TOP OF THE WORLD – A Carpenters Tribute
SAT JAN 10 @ 8 PM
Top Of The World is The World’s Premiere Tribute to The Carpenters! Fronted by singer Debbie Taylor, her Karen Carpenter vocal resemblance is absolutely astonishing. She is backed by a seven piece band consisting of top-notch, professional industry musicians who have had amazing careers in their own right. The band members are all multi-instrumentalists and at times use 3 keyboards to recreate the incredibly complex arrangements created by Richard Carpenter. The attention to detail paired with saxophone, trumpet, flute and many more instruments complete every song to perfection!
This show does not use tracks or pick up musicians like other shows. This is an 8 piece band that travels and performs all shows together. Additionally, they have a multi-media slideshow which can be seen on their “Live Video” below. Who can forget the incomparable music of the Carpenters? The popular brother/sister duo of the 70’s and early 80’s gave us some of the most unforgettable ballads and melodic pop songs of all time.
This Carpenters Tribute Band brings the most authentic versions of the Carpenters music to the stage. No doubt, you will be singing along as they perform hits like; “Close To You”, “We’ve Only Just Begun”, “Rainy Days And Mondays”, “Please Mr. Postman” and “Yesterday Once More”, to name a few. Debbie captures the warm tones and contralto range that made Karen’s voice so unique. Sit back and enjoy as Debbie and her band take you on a nostalgic journey through the Carpenters greatest hits while sharing some of the backstories behind the music.
Sponsored in part by Jean King and
Paleoanthropologist Louise Leakey
Digging for Humanity’s Origins
THU JAN 29 @ 7:30 PM
Born and raised in East Africa, Louise Leakey (officially, Princess Louise de Merode) was destined to carry on her family’s legacy—searching for human origins in the fossil-rich Turkana Basin that stretches from Kenya into southern Ethiopia. The daughter of Meave and Richard Leakey, and granddaughter of Louis and Mary Leakey, at age five, Louise became the youngest documented person to find a hominid fossil—a tooth from a 17-million-year-old primate. By age 12, Louise was driving the family’s Land Rover to pick up water for the team. At age 18, she learned how to fly a single-engine plane – a skill that would prove useful later. While Louise was away at college in England, her father lost his legs below the knee due to complications from a plane crash. At that time, Louise returned to Africa to join her mother in running the field camp. Six years later, launching her career, the mother-daughter team discovered a 3.5-million-year-old skull believed to be a branch of very early humans.
Louise currently directs Kenya’s paleo-anthropological expeditions of the Koobi Fora Research Project. A true conservation family, Louise is married to Prince Emmanuel de Merode, who directs the Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, home to endangered mountain gorillas. Louise earned a PhD in Biology from University College London. In addition to field work, she also serves as a Research Professor in Anthropology at SUNY Stony Brook (the academic partner of the Turkana Basin Institute) and a Research Associate at the National Museums of Kenya.
LVA Sponsor
LVA Sponsor
LVA Sponsor
UNCLE Credit Union Art Gallery at the Bankhead Theater
MODERN CURRENTS: Contemporary Asian Voices
Art at the confluence of memory, tradition, and transformation.
Thru March 8, 2026
New Hours Thursdays — Saturdays, 12 pm — 5 pm*
FREE & OPEN to the Public
*PLEASE NOTE: The Art Gallery is CLOSED Sundays through Wednesdays, as well as on Saturdays when matinee performances take place at The Bankhead.
This exhibition brings together contemporary artists with Asian backgrounds whose works explore the layered intersections of heritage and modernity. Through painting, sculpture, and mixed media, these artists reflect on ancient traditions, personal and collective memory, and the rapidly shifting landscapes of their homelands. Modern Currents also opens space for dialogue with neighboring cultures across Asia—highlighting shared histories, spiritual motifs, and evolving identities in a globally connected world. The Reception for “MODERN CURRENTS,” also free and open to the public at the UNCLE Credit Union Art Gallery, is on Saturday, January 17, from 1 pm to 3 pm. Learn More …
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Earlier This Month
Sponsored in part
Andy McKee at The Stage Door Lounge
FRI JAN 2 @ 8 PM
Andy McKee is one of the world’s finest acoustic guitarists and it’s evident from the accolades he’s received throughout his career. It’s his youthful energy, attention to song structure and melodic content that elevates him above the rest. After nearly a decade without releasing new studio recordings, McKee returns with his six-track EP, Symbol, out Friday, September 17 on Mythmaker Records in conjunction with Cruzen Street Records.
“These are my interpretations of tunes that really inspired me,” says McKee. “I wanted to give listeners a chance to hear what I hear when I listen to this music. I also wanted to branch out a bit and include music that isn’t originally for acoustic guitar.”
While Symbol is a collection of inspired renditions, they are important song choices; artists that deeply influence McKee and song’s that connect to his musical past. He pulls from the catalogues of greats like Michael Hedges, Preston Reed, Billy McLaughlin, and Prince. There’s “Ragamuffin,” the EP’s lead single, which is a nod to one of McKee’s biggest influences, Michael Hedges.
McKee notes that “Michael was not only a revolutionary guitarist on the technical side, his ability to compose for solo guitar was also genius. Most importantly though, he was able to search inside of himself and consistently pull up very human and evocative themes that made him a true artist. I’ll always be grateful for his music.”
One track that might catch fans by surprise on Symbol is McKee’s gorgeous rendition of Prince’s “Purple Rain.” In 2012, McKee played alongside Prince in his band on the “Welcome 2 Australia” tour with the song being one of the setlist highlights.
“I had originally come up with the ‘Purple Rain’ arrangement to open the shows with while I was on tour with Prince in Australia,” recalls McKee. “I have played it occasionally since then while touring and figured I should finally get a recording of it down. One thing that I learned from Prince while we were on the road is that we both really admire Joni Mitchell. I used that as a reference when trying to describe what I do. Although some of what I do on the guitar is technically demanding, I don’t ever really want that to overshadow the music.”
Another standout from Symbol is Mckee’s take on “Chattanooga” by acclaimed guitarist Preston Reed. “In my opinion, ‘Chattanooga’ by Preston Reed is one of the finest fingerstyle guitar pieces ever written,” says McKee. “It’s just loaded with texture, harmony, percussion, and melody. I love the key changes and chromaticism between some of the chords. This tune really inspired me a lot.”
McKee, like many, was infatuated with the Rocky IV soundtrack, specifically the Vince DiCola compositions “War” and “Training Montage.” For Symbol, McKee and DiCola joined forces to craft “Rocky IV Medley.”
“That was about as surreal as it gets for me,” says McKee. “I became a fan of Vince’s work when I was six years old and I bought the soundtrack to the film on cassette. I used to listen to it all the time on my Sony Walkman and I really found that my favorite tunes were the instrumental tracks which were “War” and “Training Montage” from Vince. Those tunes awakened my mind to the possibility of being moved by music with no words. To be able to recreate those tunes with the electric guitar and play with Vince is really something I could never have dreamed of.”
Andy McKee entertains both the eye and the ear as he magically transforms the steel string guitar into a full orchestra via his use of altered tunings, tapping, partial capos, percussive hits and a signature two-handed technique.
McKee’s crossover success has helped him to achieve millions upon millions of YouTube viewers, underscoring his emergence as one of today’s most unique and influential artists. His song “Drifting” became one of the first YouTube viral videos with almost 60 million views. He has been featured as a cover story in both Acoustic Guitar Magazine in the U.S. and Acoustic Magazine in the UK. He also curates his own annual guitar retreat called Musicarium. McKee’s tour dates have taken him through Europe, Asia, Australia and North America, including tours with legendary acts from Dream Theater to Tommy Emmanuel.
100 Years of Hank Williams
SUN JAN 4 @ 3 PM
Jason Petty has always been a country soul. Born and raised in the small middle Tennessee town of Manchester, he began spending a lot of time on his grandparents’ farm in Hickman County, TN, after his Mother’s sudden passing when he was only 7. On this farm, he began tending fields and helping raise and take care of the livestock. This is where he learned what was important in life…family. He attended church with his grandparents where the entire membership numbered 18. These people were earthly, grounded, faithful people who loved music as part of their lives. Gospel and country music became a part of the fabric of their lives and it became deeply important to Jason as well. His Grandmother, Fannie Mayberry, would swing on the front porch and shell peas while singing ‘Blessed Assurance.’ His Grandfather, Dan, let him ride on the tractor with him while plowing and would sing Hank Williams’ songs to him.
The very first song Jason remembers hearing is when his Dad, James Petty, sang ‘Hey Good Lookin’ to him on a car ride back home from visiting his grandparents house. Jason was hooked. After high school graduation from Coffee County Central High in Manchester, Jason attended and graduated from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He began his career in business, working for a pharmaceutical company for 3 years…until the music bug bit him. He had been singing in church choir when one of his fellow choir members told him he should audition for Opryland in Nashville. Jason did and the rest, they say, is history.
While at Opryland, Jason was asked to perform on the Grand Ole Opry and was first introduced onto that hallowed stage by the King Of Country Music, Roy Acuff. In the fall of 1995, Jason was asked to do a reading of a play about Hank Williams for the Ryman Auditorium. Jason had been portraying Williams at Opryland in a show called ‘Country Music USA.’ After the reading, the executives hired Jason on the spot and ‘Lost Highway’ ran for 2 years at the Ryman Auditorium, which is the former home of the Grand Ole Opry. During this two year run, Jason met and became friends with many of Williams old musicians and friends. It was while at the Ryman that Jason would meet and fall in love with his wife, Hope.
After a national tour and a few regional theatre productions of ‘Lost Highway’, Jason connected with Randy Myler, original co-writer of ‘Lost Highway’ and they became friends. Myler was ready for ‘Lost Highway’ to go to New York City and in 2002, it began a 6 week run Off Broadway. The reviews were off the charts and the run was extended for another 7 months. Jason won the coveted Obie Award for his portrayal of Hank. The Obie is the Off Broadway equivalent of the Tony Award.
After completing 7 straight years of touring with ‘Lost Highway’, Jason decided to write a show based upon all the people he met and befriended who knew Hank. Some of those included Grand Ole Opry stars, musicians and friends and family of Williams. That first show was ‘Hank and My Honky Tonk Heroes.’ Jason has gathered many stories and was asked to write a book…but decided to write shows honoring those grand legends of country music and their songs. It has become his life’s calling to do so and will continue until they drag him off the stage. Jason currently has seven shows touring about the history of country music and he believes that the stories behind the artists and songs are just as important as the songs themselves. He believes it gives the audience a greater appreciation and admiration for the artists and their impact on people’s lives. He harkens back to his grandparents farm in his memory while on stage and tries to bring that sense of family to all his shows.
Jason and Hope now reside back in Jason’s hometown of Manchester, TN, where they are raising 2 children…a daughter, Loralei, and a son, James. They often travel to Daddy’s shows and are sometimes even coaxed onto the stage so Jason can show them off. Jason’s grandparents and Dad have gone on to be with the Father of Creation, but are still very much a part of his daily life and his onstage performances.
