ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Liberal Memorial Library’s summer reading program activities will be wrapping up in the next couple weeks, and one of the last activities will be musical and fun.
Musician Thad Beach will be bringing his show to Liberal Memorial Library Tuesday, July 9, with the show starting at 1 p.m. As Beach tells it, he has been involved in music for a long time.
“I've been performing full time since the 1980s, and before that, I was working different jobs like everyone else while doing music on the side. I worked a lot with children and arts councils and music groups, and I was also a member of some bands,” Beach said. “I worked for a long time in arts and education, and I also spent some time in the mountains of North Carolina traveling around and performing in schools and doing some songwriting workshops and things like that. I've been in Kansas for about 20 years and I've worked with different arts organizations and worked with school programs and library programs while also performing at festivals and other concerts.”
Beach added his interest in music came from his family.
“My grandfather and father had played guitar and ukulele and some other stringed instruments, but I didn't really pick that up until I got older and more excited about playing music,” Beach said. “I taught myself how to play and picked up some other instrument skills, and it all progressed from there. I learned a lot of different styles of music and picked up a lot of other skills. When I was in college, I had the opportunity to work with the local arts council doing some outreach programs and visited senior homes and after-school programs and some other similar gigs. I discovered I really liked performing by myself and putting on a show, so that really kicked that off, and when I got the chance to do music full time, I took it, and I've been going since then. When you're up on the stage by yourself, it's a lot different than if you have a big band backing you up, so the challenge is keeping everything simple and understandable and easy to connect with. Music today can be really complicated and overproduced, so this should be simple and a lot of fun for everyone who comes out, and there's also some humor involved, which just adds to the whole experience.”
Beach has visited the Southwest Kansas area for previous shows, and he said he is excited to make his way back.
“I've actually done some programs in Garden City and Liberal and other towns in that area, and I've also performed at the Tumbleweed Festival and other similar events, and there have also been a couple Kansas Day programs I remember from Liberal,” Beach said. “I've also done the Grasslands Heritage Festival in Elkhart a few times, and I've also performed at some other libraries in that part of the state. My program is called 'All Aboard Musical Adventures,' and it's just a really fun program with lots of songs, audience participation for the children, and just a lot of fun. There will also be some stories told, and the audience will get to see a lot of different instruments and hear a lot of different musical styles. Overall, it should be just a good time.”
The show should be fun, and Beach said he hopes to see a big crowd for his show at the library.
“The show will be fun for the entire family, so there will be something for everyone as the show goes on that afternoon. Whether you're a toddler or a teenager or a parent, there will be something for everyone to enjoy, and there will be a lot of jokes and funny stories told, so it should be a great family outing for everyone,” Beach said. “I like the challenge of performing for all the different ages in the audience, and the crowds are typically fairly big, which makes me really happy. It's great seeing that interaction among the audience and having that audience participation, because it feels like you really get to know everyone as the show goes on.”
Overall, Beach said, he is looking forward to his upcoming stop in Liberal.
“I'm really excited to make my way to Liberal and perform at the library, and I hope to see a big crowd that has a lot of fun throughout the afternoon,” Beach said. “There'll be music and humor throughout the afternoon, and it should be fun for everyone. I hope to see a lot of people from the community at the library and participating in the show. I'm excited to come to Liberal, and I look forward to meeting everyone who comes out!”
