The end has come for the monthly Hometown Artists’ Rodeo at the Cove. Ken Little hangs up his bedazzled cowboy shirts and boot scoots his way to a life without manning the monthly talent show (don’t fret though, Little will still be involved with his band Rodeo Ho Ho). On April 8, Ken and the Mark Little Jazz Trio (comprising Lloyd Walsh, Nate Cassie, and Gary Sweeney) will perform one last time at 7 p.m.
The Rodeo has been a fixture at the Cove since November 2006, when Little first wrangled his crew of artists to the stage, creating a contemporary variety show ranging from novelty acts to poetry readings to performance art.
“I have other pressing musical projects that I need to focus on,” Little says, and his fans would agree. With Ken hard at work collaborating with his brother Mark on a CD of original songs written by Ken, and his studio commitments as a sculptor with exhibitions this year in Minnesota and California, he’s got his work cut out for him.
But Little promises that Tuesday’s last performance will be worth attending, calling it a “sort of Greatest Hits of the Hometown Artists’ Rodeo.” The show is also open to past performers. Here’s hoping to catch Hyperbubble and Bunnyphonic back on the stage again for one last hurrah.
