Come April, the musically-inclined cast of the Stephen King/John Mellencamp musical “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County” will be seen nightly on the Alliance Theatre stage.
But starting next week – and nearly every Tuesday leading up to the April 4 debut of the show – members of the ensemble will take to a smaller stage to perform a different type of musical.
“Darkland County Tuesdays” will hold court at Eddie’s Attic (and, on March 17, the new Red Clay Theatre in Duluth) with a carousel of artists from the play, ranging from Justin Guarini to Jake La Botz to Dale Watson.
The acts will also sometimes bring along other musician friends not associated with “Ghost Brothers” (such as Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck joining Lori Beth Edgeman), and the music they play won’t be selections from the musical, but, rather, their own compositions or cover songs.
For the most part, though, the weekly gatherings are structured to be as loose as possible.
“It looks like it’s just going to be a big guitar pull,” said Watson, who plays a character in the show he calls “a Wolfman Jack of the South-type.”
For a regularly touring musician such as Watson, the ability to maintain any type of live playing during the run-up to “Ghost Brothers” is heartily welcomed.
Watson joked that even though he’s never played Eddie’s Attic, “Any place I play, I turn it into a honky-tonk. I tell my band, the number one rule is to have fun. I get the feeling that’s what everybody in this company would like, too. Just have fun. And for me, I’ve gotta be able to sing or I’ll go crazy.”
The Texas-based singer/guitarist also plans to line up a weekly Monday gig on his own at his usual Atlanta haunt, Smith’s Olde Bar.
But while “Darkland County Tuesdays” will serve as an outlet for the musicians in the cast to keep their playing muscles limber, it’s also a novel way of publicizing the King/Mellencamp production.
“It’s a great way to not only promote the show to the Eddie’s crowd, but to let [the crowd] be exposed to other musicians and see that these singers are also actors in the show,” said Caroline Tanner, brand manager at the Alliance.
The affable Watson is particularly looking forward to jamming with his castmates and having what he calls a “musical vacation.”
“This cast is full of really great musicians and singers,” he said. “You’ll get a taste of what the talent is, but it’s also as much for the cast to blow off some steam and have fun.”
If you go
“Darkland County Tuesdays”
8 p.m. Tuesdays. Feb. 28 with Lori Beth Edgeman, Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck and Jake La Botz; March 6 with Gwen Hughes, Jeremy Aggers and Joe Jung; March 13 with Justin Guarini, Kate Ferber, Peter Albrink and Lucas Lucas Kavner; March 20 with Dale Watson and Travis Smith with Dave Onorato; and Joe Knezevich, Ryan Wotherspoon, and Rob Lawhon with Kylie Brown and John Driskell Hopkins from Zac Brown Band; March 27 with Russell Cook with Cameron Cook and Stephanie Laubscher with Josh Fletcher. $10 (advance), $12 (at the door), $50 (table for four reserved). Eddie’s Attic, 515-B N. McDonough Road, Decatur. 1-877-725-8849, www.alliancetheatre.org/darklandcountytuesdays.
Also, 8 p.m. March 17 at Red Clay Theatre. Artists TBA. $15 (advance), $17 (at the door). 3116 Main St., Duluth. 404-478-2749, www.eddieowenpresents.com/
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