Editor’s Note: The Arts/Entertain-ment calendar is printed as space permits. To place an item call 428-0748, ext. 2119, or email editor@themountainpress.com.

■ Area EntertainmentKnoxville Children’s Theatre: Harriet The Spy

Through May 17, 109 E. Churchwell Ave.Encore Theatrical Company: Doubt

May 8-17, Walters State Community College, MorristownMaryville College Theatre De-partment, Alpha Psi Omega: Almost, Maine

May 8-10, Clayton Center, MaryvilleThe Rat Pack is Back

May 8 (8 p.m.) & 9 (8 p.m.), Ten-nessee Theatre, KnoxvilleCanary in the Coalmine

May 8, 7 p.m., Sugarlands Distilling, GatlinburgRedleg Husky

May 9, 1 p.m., Sugarlands Distilling, GatlinburgJason Isbell

May 9, 6 p.m., the Shed, MaryvilleDiamond Rio

May 9, 7:30 p.m., Niswonger Per-forming Arts Center, GreenevilleThe Black Jacket Symphony Per-forms Eagles’ Hotel California

May 9, 8 p.m., Bijou Theatre, Knox-villeKSO Pops: A Tribute to Elvis Presley

May 9, 8 p.m., Civic Auditorium, KnoxvilleRhythmic Circus: Feet Don’t Fail Me Now

May 9, 8 p.m., Clayton Center, MaryvilleJenny Lewis

May 12, 8 p.m., Bijou Theatre, KnoxvilleHootin Hallers

May 13, 7 p.m., Sugarlands Distill-ing, GatlinburgKnoxville Symphony Orchestra: Lucas Richman’s Finale

May 14 & 15, 7:30 p.m., Tennessee Theatre, KnoxvilleLeigh Glass and the Hazards

May 15, 7 p.m., Sugarlands Distill-ing, GatlinburgShooter Jennings

May 16, 6 p.m., the Shed, MaryvilleThe Train Wrecks/Casey Red-mond

May 16, 7 p.m., Sugarlands Distill-ing, GatlinburgThe Steeldrivers & Suzy Bogguss

May 16, 7:30 p.m., Niswonger Per-forming Arts Center, GreenevilleMy Morning Jacket

May 16, 8 p.m., Tennessee Theatre, KnoxvilleCalamity Cubes

May 17, 2 p.m., Sugarlands Distill-ing, GatlinburgThe Appleseed Collective

May 18, 7 p.m., Sugarlands Distill-ing, GatlinburgJeff Daniels and the Ben Daniels Band

May 19, 7:30 p.m., Bijou Theatre, KnoxvilleGaslight Street

May 21, 7 p.m., Sugarlands Distill-ing, GatlinburgDrew Kohl

May 22, noon, Sugarlands Distill-ing, Gatlinburg

■ Local Festivals/EventsLumberjack Feud DockDogs Wild Card Challenge

May 8-10, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Mc-Carter Farm, 4068 Wears Valley RoadSevierville’s Bloomin’ BBQ & Bluegrass

May 15-16, downtown Sevierville

■ Regional Festivals/EventsInternational Biscuit Festival

May 14-15, Market Square, Knox-villeSmoky Mountain Quilters Quilt Show

May 22-24, Cooper Athletic Center, Maryville College

■ Local Arts ExhibitsArtists-in-residence: A Naturally Picked Stacked Attraction of Glitz

Through May 9, Arrowmont School for Arts and Crafts

■ Regional Arts ExhibitsEvan Roth: Intellectual Property Donor

Through Aug. 2, Knoxville Museum of Art

Mountain Life■ The Mountain Press ■ B Section ■ Friday, May 8, 2015

Arts & Entertainment

BY KENNETH BURNSCommunity News Editor

GATLINBURG — Where do songwriters fi nd inspira-tion? Rachel Gibson and Jon Ives, the married couple otherwise known as the Pea Pickin’ Hearts, found theirs in Townsend.

“We had been toying with songs, but we hadn’t been able to solidify a direction,” Gibson recalled. “So we decided, last April, to take a few days off, leave town, stay in a rental cabin and spend our time doing nothing but songwriting.”

The result was several tracks on “Creekwood Crow,” the Americana duo’s 2014 release.

“We started with ‘Magpie Mary,’ and the idea of a magpie being at-tracted to shiny stuff,” Gibson said, naming the album’s fi rst track. “It’s kind of a joke between Jon and me. He thinks I can spot a rhinestone at 100 yards.”

The Pea Pickin’ Hearts will play Friday, May 15 (7 p.m.), and Satur-day, May 16 (6 p.m.), on the Sound Biscuit Productions Stage at the Bloomin’ BBQ & Bluegrass festival in downtown Sevierville.

The lovely, lilting songs on “Creekwood Crow” feature Gib-son’s singing, with vocal harmo-nies and guitar by Ives. Like “Mag-pie Mary,” many of the album’s tracks are bird-related.

“Grouse, crow, swallow – it took on its own life,” said Gibson of the project. She writes the duo’s lyrics, and Ives composes the music.

“We wrote over half the CD at the cabin,” Gibson said. “Some of the songs shocked us at how quickly they came.”

The album is more folk-themed than fans might have expected, Gibson said. “I think most people don’t see us that way. We’re more upbeat. The lyrics are a little more dense than what people usually think of for us. It took a lot of people by surprise.”

The Pea Pickin’ Hearts have planned a release date of Aug. 11 for their next album, which they are set to begin recording this month. The focus of the release will be fam-ily, Gibson said.

Gibson and Ives have played as the Pea Pickin’ Hearts for six years. The live in Cobbly Nob, and they have been mar-ried almost 17 years.

Some of the couple’s earliest performances were for a small audience – of one.

“We have a nearly 16-year-old child, and we sang to him every night when he went to sleep,” Gibson said. “The sing-ing was for him, and the harmony was to amuse ourselves.”

Now the two work as full-time touring musicians. As the Pea Pickin’ Hearts, they play sets of original music, as well as material from the 1930s through the 1950s, including songs by Patsy Cline, Hank Williams Sr. and Jimmie Rodg-ers.

The duo’s name was inspired by a catch phrase of coun-try legend Tennessee Ernie Ford: “Bless your pea-pickin’ heart!”

“Lots of local bands play bluegrass or string band music, and there’s blues and classic rock bands,” Gibson said. “We fi t that weird middle ground in between. We’re doing original music that’s Appalachian-inspired, with touches of

bluegrass.”Over the summer, the Pea Pickin’ Hearts’ itinerary will

take them from Asheville, N.C., to Charleston, W.Va.; Eliza-bethtown, Ky.; Adrian, Mich.; and Toledo, Ohio.

“This year, we will end up with about 200 gigs,” said Gibson.

“We play everything from listening rooms, which are everyone’s favorite, to sports bars, which are no one’s fa-vorite,” Gibson said, laughing. “We play bars, restaurants, theaters. If you can think of a venue, we’ve probably played it, or something like it.”

Gibson noted that the duo typically is busy with Sevier County shows during the busy tourist months of July and October.

Besides Bloomin’ BBQ & Bluegrass, the Pea Pickin’ Hearts’ upcoming local appearances include Sunday, May 10 at the Jewelry Spot at Covered Bridge (1:30 p.m.), and a series at Loco Burro Fresh-Mex Cantina: Friday, May 22 (6 p.m.), Sunday, May 24 (6 p.m.) and Friday, June 5 (5 p.m.).

Gibson and Ives moved to Gatlinburg eight years ago from Winnsboro, S.C., after considering relocating to Nash-ville or Paducah, Ky.

“The stereotype is, you see the Smokies, and you never want to leave,” Gibson said. “That’s what happened.”

kburns@themountainpress.com

The Pea Pickin’ Hearts are slated to play Sevierville’s Bloomin’ BBQ & Bluegrass on Friday, May 15 (7 p.m.), and Sat-urday, May 16 (6 p.m.).

Family harmony

Gatlinburg’s Pea Pickin’ Hearts are a busy musical

— and married — duo

t

on its own life,”A married couple, Rachel Gibson and Jon Ives have

performed as the Pea Pickin’ Hearts for six years. They expect to play 200 shows this year, at local

and touring venues.