BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE AUTAUGA NEWS
SELMA – If live music and all you can eat ribs appeals to you, consider adding this upcoming event in nearby Selma to your calendar. The Rockin’ Rib-Off Festival will be held June 1 featuring a lot of both for your enjoyment.
Selma native and Nashville Recording Artist Ben Brooks is scheduled to play the downtown Rockin’ Rib-off Festival on Saturday June 1st.
The event will take place from 1 to 10 p.m. at 1122 Water Avenue in Selma.
Brooks will be accompanied on stage by fellow founding members of “The Big Nekkid” including Roger Jones and Will Sommerville, as well as producer Alex Ruth. Ben will be performing a mix of songs from his debut album, his latest single “Long Hard Winter” and several new and unreleased songs.
About the Festival:
The Rockin’ Rib-off and Rick Carter Songwriter Festival is an event held in downtown Selma. There will be a rib competition. Attendees can enjoy all you can eat ribs and appetizers with the purchase of a $20 ticket.
Two stages will feature singer-songwriter blues, and rock music by friends of the Blackbelt Benefit Group and Rick Carter. There will also be a Kid Zone with family-friendly fun for the little ones.
The purpose of the event is to raise funds for All Things Are Possible CDC (ATAP), supporting the Winston Williams Homeless Shelter and housing improvements since the tornado of 2023. ATAP also provides food through Sonlight Ministries and runs the local theater, The Walton Theater.
Kids under 5 get in free!
*Get Tickets Here:
As for the artist Ben Brooks, he reached out to the EAN about his excitement for the upcoming event.
He released his album “Jean on Jean” in late 2019. But then came the pandemic, which sent him and the rest of the music industry into an unfamiliar dark hole.
Ben says he spent much of that downtime reflecting and writing, before returning to the stage with a number of landmark shows. His most notable post-pandemic performance was at Nashville’s iconic Exit/In. He followed that show, opening for Mike Cooley of the Drive by Truckers, at the historic Walton Theater in Alabama. Ben Brooks’ latest release is a single titled “Long Hard Winter”, which he co-wrote with fellow Nashville recording artist E.G. Vines.
Written during the seemingly never-ending, dark, and uncertain first winter of the pandemic, “Long Hard Winter” is a song that reminisces on the summers of our youth. It reflects on the nostalgic experiences, music, and television from that period and the peace those provided. “Long Hard Winter” is out now and available on all major music platforms.
Give the song a listen here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p6Y-YiTIro
