Think it’s life in the slow lane for fall on the Outer Banks?
Think again.
There are plenty of things happening, including a benefit rock concert, the Outer Banks Marathon, a wild and wacky musical, a celebration of new music by a popular ‘90s college-rock band and a tribute to The Beatles. Here’s what you need to know.
North Carolina Rock Autism Music Festival
Headlined by the Rockville, Maryland-based band O.A.R., the all-day, non-stop event takes place Saturday at Morris Farm Market in Barco, NC.
The lineup also includes Tropidelic, Channing Wilson, Saliva, DJ Logic, the Daniel Jordan Band, the Ashley LaRue Band and Kash’d Out.
O.A.R. (Of a Revolution) formed in 1996 and found early success with the jam-band crowd. “That Was a Crazy Game of Poker,” released in 1997, remains a staple of the band’s live shows, with audience members often tossing playing cards in the air. Over the years, the group has tightened up in favor of melodic four-and-five-minute tunes with traces of reggae, roots-rock and indie-rock.
The band’s 2008 single “Shattered (Turn the Car Around)” was a major radio hit. But their concerts are still freewheeling affairs, with a repertoire that includes originals and inventive remakes of songs like “Atlantic City” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” A portion of the proceeds from the festival will go to Grass Roots 252, a local organization that supports families affected by autism. Gates open at 11:30 a,m., with music starting at noon. It’s lawn seating, so bring a chair or blanket.
Morris Farm Market is at 3784 Caratoke Highway in Barco, about 45 minutes south of Norfolk.Tickets are $65 to $85. For more information, visit morrisfarmmarket.com.
Theatre of Dare: “The Rocky Horror Show”
The local troupe’s production of the cult classic opens Friday — on Halloween — and runs through Nov. 9 at Theatre of Dare in Kitty Hawk.
For the few people who haven’t seen the play or the 1975 film “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” here are the gory details.
AJ Watson, playing the role of Frank-N-Furter, during a performance of the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Naro Theater in Norfolk in 2021.
The plot centers on a newly-engaged couple (Janet and Brad) who are traveling in a storm when their car has a flat tire.
They stop for help at a mansion owned by Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a scientist conducting secretive experiments in his laboratory. The other occupants are, to borrow a couple of words from “The Addams Family” TV theme song, spooky and creepy. It’s the proverbial madhouse, which according to director Damon Horak, makes for a rollicking good time. “It’s a big campy play with B-movie-style dialogue and ‘70s-meets-’50s-style music,” Horak said.
The soundtrack includes such ditties as “What Ever Happened to Saturday Night?,” “I Can Make You a Man” and the great singalong “Time Warp.” There’s plenty of dancing and singing by the 22-member cast. “The Horror Show” is known as the ultimate audience-participation musical. Prop bags with such items as newspapers, sponges, confetti and noisemakers will be on sale in the lobby. There will be an instruction sheet on when and how to use them.
Theatre of Dare is at 3848 North Croatan Highway (milepost 4.5 on U.S. 158 bypass) in Kitty Hawk.
The play runs at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 6, 7 and 8, and at 2 p.m. Nov. 2 and 9.Tickets are $25. For more information, visit theatreofdareobx.com.
Liverpool Legends
The Beatles-tribute band travels the long and winding road from their home in Branson, Missouri on Nov. 1 for a performance at First Flight High School in Kill Devil Hills as part of
the Outer Banks Forum for Lively Arts’ season. And, shameless lyric drop intended, the group will get back to where they once belonged. They last rocked the house in 2022.
Formed in 2005, the band has some serious street cred. Louise Harrison, the sister of the late Beatle George Harrison, championed the tribute band (her narration accompanies videos used during performance set changes). “She was a dear friend who I met when I lived in Chicago,” explains Marty Scott, who is the “George” in the tribute band. “We put the group together.”
The Legends lineup also includes Kevin Mantegna (John Lennon), Dave Tanner (Paul McCartney), Richard Lewis (Ringo Starr) and keyboardist Bob Dobro, who adds the strings and horns that are part of The Beatles’ mid-and-late-period material. Using vintage equipment and dressed in era-appropriate clothes, the band explores the richest catalog in rock and roll.
“We try to play songs note for note, as close as we can to the originals,” Scott said, adding “We’re fans, too.”
About three-dozen tunes are featured in the two-and-a-half hour show. The uncanny recreations include “She Loves You,” “Love Me Do,” “Yesterday,” “Help,” “In My Life,” “Day Tripper,” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” “Penny Lane,” “Come Together,” “Something,” “Here Comes the Sun’ and, for the encore, “Hey Jude.”
First Flight High School is at 100 Veterans Drive in Kill Devil Hills. The show starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are $50 for adults and $25 for students. For more information, visit outerbanksforum.org.
Outer Banks Marathon
The weekend event kicks off Nov. 7 with a Fitness and Health Expo and registration from 1 to 7 p.m. at Ramada Plaza in Nags Head.
And then it’s ladies and gentlemen start your feet with a “fun run” and 5K and 8K races Nov. 8 at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills.
On Nov. 9, the Outer Banks Half-Marathon (13.1 miles) and Marathon (26.2 miles), which both debuted in 2006, get underway at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in Manteo.
The course takes the runners on flat surfaces from the site on the north end of Roanoke Island along U.S. 64 across the William B. Umstead Bridge to Manns Harbor and back. Spectators are welcome. There will be a after-party for runners and non-runners at Fort Raleigh starting at 9:30 a.m. with music, food and beverages.
The site is at 1401 National Park Drive. Registration ends Nov. 7 for the short races and Nov. 8 for the half-and-full marathons. For more information, go to obxse.com.
An Evening with Everything
The alternative-rock band Everything shot to fame in 1998 with the impossibly catchy tune “Hooch” from the album “Super Natural.” Not only did it induce hands-in-the-air-like-you-don’t-care at parties, the infectious jam was a major hit in several radio formats and was on the soundtrack of the Adam Sandler movie “The Waterboy.” The band, which formed in 1989 at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, has performed sporadically over the last two decades but hasn’t released an album of original material since 2006. But they’re back with a pair of EPs (10 songs total) titled “Motion Emotion, Volumes 1 and 2.”
On Nov. 7, the group, which features founding members Craig Honeycutt (guitar and vocals), Nathan Brown (drums and vocals) and Steve Van Dam (guitar, saxophone, clarinet and vocals) along with guest musicians, will hold a release party and performance at Pioneer Theater in downtown Manteo. “It will be part-acoustic, part-storytelling and part-band-that-loves-to-get-funky-and- have-fun,” said the Nags Head-based Honeycutt of the celebration. The new material, which he describes as a “mixed-bag,” ranges from atmospheric (“All of You”) to melodic pop-rock (“Lay Low”) to “80s synth-pop (“Tune the Machine”).
“Hours Into Days” is another standout track with close harmonies bringing to mind The Beach Boys infused with brass instruments.
“It was a rolling experiment,” Honeycuttt said of the recording process. “We used different studios and settings and other musicians.”
The Pioneer Theater is at 109 Budleigh St. in downtown Manteo. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $19.89. For more information, visit thepioneertheater.com.
