The United States Air National Guard Band of the South will be performing at two separate events in Owensboro. On Friday, the rock band components of the band, Sound Barrier and Space A, will both be performing as part of the Friday After 5 series, and on Saturday, the Concert Band and Blue Groove Jazz Ensemble will perform a concert inside RiverPark Center. The concerts are family-friendly and open to the public, free of charge.
The 40-member Band of the South has been in Owensboro this week as part of their two-week summer tour and Commander Roger Mills, who leads the band, said they try to schedule the tour around the 4th of July.
Air National Bands are the active duty bands’ counterpart in the Air National Guard Band. The Air National Guard Band of the South is headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., and is the official musical ambassador for the Tennessee Air National Guard.
Mills said the mission of the band is to support the mission of the military and offer support as well as provide troop morale to fellow airmen.
“We also want to pay honor to those who have served or are serving and increase the public’s awareness of what is going on,” Mills said. “We are a homegrown group.”
Members of the Band of the South have performed in almost every state in the union as well as being deployed to Germany, Kandahar, Afghanistan and more. The Air National Guard Band of the South supports the total Air Force and Air National Guard mission in war and peace by inspiring patriotism and fostering a deep appreciation of the rich history and legacy of the Air Force, according to the media release.
On Friday night, the two rock bands will share the Jagoe Homes Patio Stage. Space A is a popular music ensemble that performs classic and current rock and country hits, as well as patriotic favorites, whereas Sound Barrier is an “old-school” soul band, performing music ranging from classic rock to funk and from Motown to today’s greatest hits. These are the bands that typically travel overseas, Mills said.
The band tours as an entire ensemble, but they try to reach different audiences with the components, according to Mills.
The Band of the South’s Concert Band is the oldest and largest of the Band of the South’s seven performing components and will play during the concert at the RiverPark Center as will the Blue Groove Jazz Ensemble.
For more information about the band, visit their website or find them on Facebook.
