Kiefer Sutherland (AKA Jack Bauer), Guitar Slinger Fires Up the Revelry

  • Thursday, May 5, 2016
  • Mark A. Herndon

One of Chattanooga’s Live Music venues on the south side of town was packed on a Sunday night. Only a few weeks of promoting this event with Kiefer Sutherland by Revelry Room and AC Entertainment was all it took to fill it to capacity, with much thanks to social media through various pipelines, broadband to Gig optics, (i.e. venue site web pages, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook).  

Many people are already familiar with the household name of Kiefer Sutherland from television and big screens since the 1980’s and his family (actors) parents Shirley and Donald Sutherland.   Kiefer Sutherland is a British-born Canadian actor, film producer, and film director. He has won an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Satellite Awards for his portrayal of Jack Bauer on the Fox series 24. Since 2001 Sutherland has been associated most widely with the role of Bauer.  

He also starred as Martin Bohm in the Fox drama Touch and provided the facial motion capture and English voices of Big Boss and Venom Snake in the video games Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Sutherland has also had a successful movie career and starred in films such as Stand by Me (1986), The Lost Boys (1987), Young Guns (1988) and its sequel, Young Guns II (1990), A Few Good Men (1992), The Three Musketeers (1993), A Time to Kill (1996), Dark City (1998), Phone Booth (2003), Mirrors (2008), Melancholia (2011), and Pompeii (2014).(*Wikipedia)

What was interesting to me and a room full of music fans, was his ability to draw a full house of near 500 in the Revelry Room to share his own written music, Kiefer Sutherland Band and a few cover songs. We saw a talented, gifted singer/songwriter with a solid band. His songs portray some life experiences and observations as most songwriters relate in their music added his love and trust in western and country music influences.  

One of his official video releases, “Not Enough Whiskey”, released in March and has already been view by nearly 500K fans on the YouTube channel.  What was apparent is he has not let his success and wealth put him out of touch with his fans.  His humble existence is in his approach to people he works with stage to stage and city to city, sharing his western country music both in his song and personality of who he is.  This man, whose popularity around the world since the 80’s on the big screen to Broadway, has turned to his creativity side with music and his love for it at a very early age.  What struck me the most is being on the front stage line and talking to people around me, some drove hours, extended miles, planned their whole weekend at the Chattanooga Choo Choo, leaving kids with relatives, all for visiting scenic Chattanooga and a Sunday night concert in the Chattanooga Live Music scene. I engaged several people in conversation with the same mission to be in Chattanooga enjoying the quality of entertainment brought to the Choo Choo campus. 

One lady and her husband told me their son was named Kiefer and they stood in line in order to reach the front of the stage first. They did their research on the venue and saw reviews early on of sound, lighting and parking issues, but with more recent information they discovered those issues were corrected or resolved, and the street in repair after completing the installation of underground utilities. The couple told me their mission was to check out the venue, hear the concert, but to see Kiefer and meet him.  The stars were lined up perfect and they were part of the crowd on the rear deck who called out to him as he approached his bus preparing to leave.  This couple and others were patient, respectful and all who gathered were given equal time to meet and greet Kiefer.    

The stage opener was sweet, young lady Kelsey Waters, a singer/songwriter from Nashville, accompanied by Greylan James, a singer/songwriter from Knoxville, who was elated to have the opening spot for Kiefer.  They both have solid voices, creative lyrics, make beautiful music and write very personal and meaningful lyrics, which is the most important part about music.  Kelsey is currently working towards a first album,  She has a vision of how artistry is developing. She says, "I want my music to be relevant, honest and come straight from the heart. My hope is to make a record full of songs that sound just as true as they do when they're first recorded as a work-tape on my phone. That raw, crazy energy, when you know you've written something fine, when you think you've nailed it? That's what I'm out to capture.” 

The music talent procurement of Monica and Adam Kinsey, Mike Dougher and management at AC Entertainment have been extraordinary. The Revelry Room is still marking its course during the first year, bringing local artists and bands, regional and national artists, to the stages of Track 29 and Revelry Room.  The event schedules for Chattanooga Choo Choo’s Track 29 and Revelry Room are posted on their respected social media sites.  

* * * 

Mark A Herndon, certified professional geologist and professional photographer grew up in Chattanooga area, graduated from the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga.  He is the Entertainment and Chattanooga cityscape landscape /event photographer affiliated with Chattanoogan.com and contributor to magazines, venues and various festivals including Riverbend Festival, Nightfall Music Series, Road To Nightfall, Riverfront Nights, Southern Brewery Festival, Roof Top Hop, Wine Over Water, Tivoli Theatre Foundation, AC Entertainment, benefits and events. Media affiliation with www.chattanoogan.com Check out more at www.facebook.com/chattanoogalivemusic  Email at MAHerndon@ChattanoogaLiveMusic.com

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