Band 'Saving Abel' will return
home for Crossroads Festival
Published Sunday, March 9
By Mark Boehler
Executive Editor
The band Saving Abel is returning home -- this time with some fanfare.
The group with three of five members from Alcorn County releases its national debut album with Virgin Records on Tuesday, then makes its hometown proud with a performance at the Crossroads Festival and Mississippi Regional Chili Cookoff on Saturday, March 15.
"We haven't played in Corinth in awhile," said 25-year-old lead singer Jared Weeks, a 2001 Alcorn Central High School graduate, where he played basketball and tennis. "I think you guys will be really proud."
The son of Joey and Cindy Weeks was referring to their self-titled major label, as the national release of "Saving Abel" has some high expectations.
"We've been anticipating it for quite awhile," added Weeks via a cell phone last week on a traveling day between Madison, Wis. and Debuque, Iowa. about the national release. "Especially the hometown crowd. They've been expecting it for some time."
The second song of the CD, "Addicted," is getting radio air time on rock stations across the country while the group recently received Top New Artist kudos from Clear Channel Radio.
The band has played to a packed historic Coliseum twice and once performed at the Slugburger Festival. Guitarist Jason Null is from the Theo community and graduated from Kossuth High School, while drummer Blake Dixon is also a native of Alcorn County and graduated from Alcorn Central.
Bass player Eric Taylor is from Tishomingo County, while guitarist Scott Bartlett is from Memphis, Tenn. The musicians are part of the afternoon entertainment at the local festival and first ever chili cookoff, an International Chili Society sanctioned event. Saving Abel takes the stage last from 4-5 p.m. Iguana Party begins the afternoon of rock from 1:30 -- 2:30 p.m., followed by Frankie Marlar from 2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Crossroads Arena General Manager Reggie Churchwell serves as entertainment chairman for the festival and cookoff. The committee's goal was to appeal to a wide variety of musical tastes.
The Courthouse Pickers and Heartland will take the stage from 9-11 a.m., followed by a couple of gospel groups from 11:15 a.m. until 1:15 p.m. -- an African American a cappella female group called 4 Christ and a quartet from Oakland Baptist Church called Oakland's Heartsong Quartet.
Marlar is a talented Corinth musician who stays in demand, while Iguana Party is a popular band from the nearby Shoals area in Alabama, noted Churchwell.
Weeks said Saving Abel has been busy on a national tour with another band which began Nov. 1. Another tour began this year with a band called Sick Puppies of Australia, but they'll break away for a few days to be at the local cookoff.
Following the Corinth appearance, the band heads to Memphis for a promotional CD signing and appearance.
"It's been pretty hectic," admitted Weeks.
Influenced at young ages by blues, bluegrass and Southern rock, Weeks and Null formed the group in 2004. Saving Abel gradually came together with the final electric lineup it has today with influences of hard rock and mainstream alternative.
They named the band for the Biblical sibling of Cain.
Admission to the festival and cookoff is $5 for adults and kids 13 and over, or $10 per family. Kids under 13 will be admitted free. The tourism Web site -- www.corinth.net -- features information about the festival and cookoff competition.
The Magnolia Antique Car Club of Corinth will host a cruise-in at the arena the day of the festival with expectations of 75 vehicles to be on display.
Major sponsors of the festival and related cookoff are WXRZ, Magnolia Regional Health Center, Crossroads Arena and the Daily Corinthian. The festival committee picked the March 15 date because it marks the end of spring break for area school systems and the evening will feature a monster truck show at the arena -- usually one of the more popular events at the arena.
And since the cookoff will be under the covered barn area at the Crossroads Arena, it will be held no matter the weather conditions, noted the chairman.
The monster truck show -- Magnum Monster Mania -- will feature monster trucks, hot rod pullers and tuff trucks. The cookoff and festival will offer a $1 admission discount for those who show a Friday night ticket stub or a Saturday ticket from the monster truck show.
Thirty-one teams from nine states -- some from as far away as Illinois and Texas -- are signed up for the chili cookoff. Three winners from the Corinth event will qualify for the ICS World Championship.
There are also many local teams entered, noted Steve Knight, cookoff chairman. "The response has been overwhelming," he said.
(Mark Boehler serves on the chili cookoff committee as marketing and public relations specialist. For more information, go to www.corinth.net or call the tourism office at 662-287-8300.)

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