Behind The Music Lineup
The Huntsville Traditional Music Association is pleased to announce the kick-off of our “Behind the Music” series. Each month, HTMA is planning a presentation of casual conversation and songs with some of our favorite musical artists hosted by our current HTMA President Mike Ball. We hope this series will provide an environment conducive to developing a deeper understanding among us of the power of music to promote connections to one another. The Behind The Music Series will be held at the new HTMA studio #1038 inside Lowe Mill.
Wednesday, OCTOBER 9TH, 2024 - 6:30 PM - HTMA Studio #1038 at Lowe Mill
Featured Performance: Jim Parker
Jim Parker will play a little music and discuss the role music plays in connecting people and community. This is a new series for HTMA and should prove very interesting - there is more behind the music than what you hear. We will be passing the hat.
Wednesday, NOVEMBER 13TH, 2024 - 6:30 PM - HTMA Studio #1038 at Lowe Mill
Featured Performance: Tim Cannon
Tim Cannon is a soulful singer/songwriter/musician frequently seen at various venues throughout the Tennessee Valley playing his originals and a broad variety of covers that include the soulful music recorded at Muscle Shoals and many other classic rock and country favorites.
Throughout the years he has written, played, and recorded with members of Shennandoah, Heartland, Steppenwolf, the SteelDrivers and many others.
Featured Performance: Ricky j Taylor
Wednesday, DECEMBER 4TH, 2024 - 6:30 PM - HTMA Studio #1038 at Lowe Mill
Ricky j Taylor grew up in Kentucky as part of a musical family greatly influenced by his father JB Taylor, a master of traditional bluegrass. Ricky’s heartfelt original songs reflect the best of traditional Southern style music.
In addition to his own original music, Ricky has also recorded with several noted Nashville and local artists. He has also performed at many regional and local events individually, as well as a member of several traditional roots style bands with a variety of artists including Claire Lynch and Grand Old Opry member Mike Snider.
Featured Performance: Kirk Jones
Wednesday, JANUARY 8TH, 2025 - 6:30 PM - HTMA Studio #1038 at Lowe Mill
Kirk Jones is a semi-professional “FUNsician” who teaches beginner to intermediate ukulele lessons and performs in and around the Huntsville, Alabama area as well as around the United States. While Kirk is a talented musician and vocalist, his greatest gift is the joyful and entertaining way that he connects with his audience. He sometimes refers to himself as “Orangutan” or “Lion” because he loves being goofy but also recognizes that it is sometimes important to muster up to the courage of a lion to pull on the heartstrings.
He is the founder of Ukulele Gatherings of North Alabama Ukulele group and helps to book traveling Ukulele artists for performances and workshops when they come through town. He gives in-person and virtual ukulele lessons, as well as 3 weekly group workshops at the Fret Shop. Kirk is a Kala Ukulele Ambassador and has performed or taught at ukelele festivals throughout the Eastern United States.
Featured Performance: Kelly Abraham Joyner
Wednesday, FEBRUARY 5TH, 2025 - 6:30 PM - HTMA Studio #1038 at Lowe Mill
“Ethereal and haunting” are two adjectives often used to describe the vocals of Singer/songwriter Kelly Abraham Joyner who has recently been performing throughout the Tennessee Valley region and beyond as the lead singer for the Americana Band Luna Koi.
Kelly’s gift goes much deeper than her beautiful voice and writing great songs. She is also passionate about encouraging other songwriters and performers to use their music as a conduit to encourage personal connections through unified moments of collective vulnerability.
Featured Performance: Mike Roberts
Wednesday, MARCH 5TH, 2025 - 6:30 PM - HTMA Studio #1038 at Lowe Mill
Although Mike Roberts is one Huntsville's favorite singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, he has also been prominent across the Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida music scene for decades. Influenced by everything he heard, he began singing and making up jingles at an early age. The authenticity of Southern raising is prevalent in Mike's writing, performance, and the neighborly spirit that accompanies him everywhere he goes.
Mike has performed his Americana-Southern songs in writer rounds for sold out shows at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, TN as well as shows at Commodore and Bobby's Idle Hour on Music Row.
Featured Performance: Microwave Dave Gallaher
Wednesday, APRIL 2nd, 2025 - 6:30 PM - HTMA Studio #1038 at Lowe Mill
HTMA is honored to welcome Huntsville’s own inimitable blues icon Dave Gallaher to the April edition of our “Behind the Music” series. He has been playing guitar before appreciative audiences since he was a teenager in the ‘60’s and hasn’t stopped. Each year, Huntsville celebrates Microwave Dave Day to raise funds to support the Microwave Dave Music Education Foundation in its efforts to promote music education in local schools. His fans include the acclaimed author Steven King, who wrote the foreword for his book, “I’m a Road-Runner.”
Although Microwave Dave has shared the stage with a number of major acts throughout the country, he is also content to play smaller because he plays for the sake of the music. He is an incredibly talented, yet unpretentious performer who genuinely loves to bring joy to others by entertaining with heartfelt music.
Featured Performance: Amber Schmidt
Wednesday, May 7th, 2025 - 6:30 PM - HTMA Studio #1038 at Lowe Mill
HTMA President Mike Ball is honored to host Amber Schmidt for an evening of conversation, music, and fellowship at the home of the Huntsville Traditional Music Association, located at Lowe Mill Studio 1038.
Amber is an indie-folk songwriter based in Huntsville, Alabama, known for her raw lyricism and intimate soundscapes. Her music blends delicate melodies with poetic honesty, drawing listeners into stories that are both deeply personal and universally relatable.
Featured Performance: Sylvia Dean
Wednesday, June 4th, 2025 - 6:30 PM - HTMA Studio #1038 at Lowe Mill
HTMA President Mike Ball is honored to host Sylvia Dean for an evening of conversation, music, and fellowship at the home of the Huntsville Traditional Music Association, located at Lowe Mill Studio 1038.
Sylvia Dean is a fiddler, singer, and songwriter who has been a part of the Huntsville music scene since childhood when she was a featured performer on Huntsville cable TV. She played with several bands at a variety of venues while earning her Ph.D. and teaching.
In 2014, she retired to be a caregiver for her parents and focus on songwriting and musical performance. Sylvia recognizes that music can touch the soul of those around her and draws particular satisfaction sharing her music with various senior residents in the Huntsville area.
Although her roots were originally bluegrass and country fiddle, she is a versatile musician also playing guitar and ukulele solo and with many different musicians. Even though Sylvia's repertoire has expanded to several more contemporary genres of music, she hasn't forgotten how to yodel to a country classic.
Enter Lowe Mill through Door #4 on the North side of the building and take a right at the 2nd hallway. Admission is free, but a donation to HTMA will be greatly appreciated to help pay the rent and compensate our guest. See you there!
Behind the Music of Sylvia Dean
Wednesday, June 4th, 2025, 6:30 PM
Recent Highlights
HTMA will host Amber Schmidt for an evening of conversation, music, and fellowship at the home of the Huntsville Traditional Music Association at Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment.
Huntsville’s own inimitable blues icon Dave Gallaher was the featured artist at the April edition of the “Behind the Music” series.
Mike Roberts will joined HTMA President Mike Ball for the Behind the Music series at the NEW HTMA studio space at Lowe Mill on March 5th, 2025.
February 6th, 2025 Behind the Music - Kelly Abraham Joyner at the NEW HTMA studio space at Lowe Mill.
Kirk Jones joined HTMA President Mike Ball for the Behind the Music series at the NEW HTMA studio space at Lowe Mill on January 8th, 2025.
Ricky j Taylor performed during the Behind the Music series at the NEW HTMA studio space at Lowe Mill on December 4th, 2024.
Tim Cannon was the featured artist for the Behind the Music series at the NEW HTMA studio space at Lowe Mill on November 13th, 2024.
Jim Parler kicked off the Behind the Music series at the NEW HTMA studio space at Lowe Mill on October 9th, 2024
This program has been made possible by a 2025 Arts & Cultural Grant from Arts Huntsville funded by the City of Huntsville.
501C Ruling: The IRS has recognized the Huntsville Traditional Music Association as a tax exempt non-profit corporation, under section 501.c3 of Internal Revenue Code, effective August 25, 2006. Your charitable donations to help us continue our mission of maintaining a folk and traditional music presence in the Tennessee Valley are both appreciated and tax deductible.
Copyright 2025 Huntsville Traditional Music Association All Rights Reserved.