Thacker Mountain Radio Hour will host a show as part of the annual Juke Joint Festival this weekend deep in the Delta, promoting the program’s ongoing tradition of remote live shows around both Mississippi and Memphis.
Thacker Mountain Radio began in 1997 as a nonprofit program to showcase the talents of authors and musicians from the American South and beyond. Since its inception, Thacker has become an outlet for both Oxford locals and Ole Miss students to be involved in promoting local artists and Southern culture.
Hosting live shows at remote locations is a unique aspect to Thacker’s scheduling and is used to bring free programming to communities that have rich artistic and cultural backgrounds but lack outlets for live performances.
Thacker’s host Jim Dees said he hopes that out-of-town shows remind audiences of Mississippi’s standing and growing contribution to music and literature.
Although setting up for remote programming requires more time commitments for the band and Thacker staffing, it’s essential to keep the show running and on Mississippi’s arts radar. Kate Teague, the show’s executive director and producer, knows the importance of giving Thacker another outlet to seek out new listeners.
“Basically, it’s a way for us to expand our reach and really promote ourselves to an audience that may not know us,” Teague said. “Currently, the only ways to showcase the program is live and on the radio, but that’s only two opportunities to reach a new audience.”
Remote Thacker shows also present new opportunities for the program’s house band, the Yalobushwhackers. A staple of the regular Thacker programming, the band performs both original compositions and covers that have connections with the area it’s playing in.
“I’m always really surprised at how many people know the show in the further regions outside of Oxford,” pianist and Yalobushwhacker pianist Mark Yacovone said. “Before any audience shows up, you have no idea if anyone has listened to the program, much less if they know who you are. But our presence on MPB radio has really solidified a devoted following outside our Oxford community.”
Thacker’s presence on Mississippi Public Broadcasting has amassed a following statewide and regularly contributes to the program’s growing audience.
“Last year, I performed in a show for a different band at Mississippi’s Parchman Prison during Christmas,” Yacovone said. “The surprising thing was, when they introduced me, a lot of the inmates already recognized me through MPB. It speaks to how far-reaching the show really is.”
Thacker Mountain’s program relies heavily on student interns to help execute Oxford shows, especially those on the road. They may be tasked with anything from handling artists’ merchandise, to assisting with stage setup and breakdown, to photographing and documenting the shows for the program’s growing social media platform.
Anna Gibbs, a Thacker intern alumna, remembers the constant preparedness the radio show’s interns had to assume while on the road.
“As an intern, you need to be prepared for anything,” Gibbs said. “My job was usually to help set up the green room, which was often the backstage or ramshackle tent, unload gear and make sure things were running smoothly, all while photographing things for social media.”
Ole Miss junior and Thacker intern Lucy Burnam recently experienced her first traveling show at the American Booksellers Association Winter Institute 12 in Memphis, an organization that juxtaposes the radio’s work in featuring both renowned and rising authors. The radio program often tries to highlight different aspects of Southern and national literature in its regional shows, and it spotlighted writer and poet Liz Acevedo during its set.
“A lot of the authors and people involved were curious about what Thacker was, and when they learned what we did, all they wanted to do was find out how they could tune in,” Lucy said. “We are currently working on making it into a podcast format, which would help people from all over be able to listen to it.”
Student interns also participate in Thacker’s remote shows to experience different locales and histories that make up the South and its culture.
“My favorite part about Thacker is its celebration of history,” Thacker intern alumna Abbey Veith said. “Some of the lesser-income areas Thacker’s gotten to travel to, such as the shows hosted in the Delta, have rich histories that you’re normally not exposed to as a student. These programs provide an outlet for those areas to talk about and put their histories on the map.”
Thacker Mountain often uses distinctive venue settings and set lists to emphasize the cultural heritage in an area.
“My favorite show to travel with was our Ocean Springs, Mississippi, show this past August at the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center,” Thacker videographer intern Jennifer Lauriello said. “The venue is a repurposed school auditorium, and it was packed with this high-energy crowd that we felt we really connected with. Every road show is amazing, though, because you get to meet and bond with people from all over who share the same passion for witnessing live art.”
This article was submitted to The Daily Mississippian from an advanced reporting class.
