As the Ozarks head into a Hazy Shade of Winter, a new show is breaking through the Sound of Silence at Hamner’s Variety Theater. The new “Sound of Simon & Garfunkel” show aims to take their audience down to the schoolyard of their youth with folk classics from the title artists and other artists of their era, so they can be Homeward Bound with a great memory of Branson.
The show stars James Allen and Stephen Odom with additional help from award-winning Branson musicians Jacob Nelson and Josh Carroll.
The cast of the Sound of Simon & Garfunkel: Josh Carroll, Jacob Nelson, James Allen, and Stephen Odom
“We realized that there hadn’t been many new shows in Branson for a while that catered to the people coming into the fall season,” Allen told Branson Tri-Lakes News. “A lot of people come to watch the leaves change. You know, they go down to Dogwood Canyon, and a lot of the more seasoned, the older generation, like something to do in the mornings. So, we wrote this morning show. It’s kind of an easy laid back kind of trip down memory lane type of show.”
He said the show is more than just music of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame duo.
“We do the hits of Simon and Garfunkel,” Allen said. “We throw in some James Taylor, John Denver, a few other folk artists in there. It’s kind of just a trip down memory lane, really, for people who lived through all this great music and it stands the test of time.”
Allen says the show will be just the four musicians on stage playing live, and a departure from what the artists have usually done on Branson stages.
“There’s just the four of us here on stage, and it’s a live music show,” he said. “Everything’s all plugged in, and we’re all excited for it to happen. And we had some success with the ‘Back to the Bee Gees,’ which is the other show we produce here at Hamner’s Variety. And so we wanted to do something completely different.”
Allen said he and his partner Odom wanted something no one else has really done in Branson in terms of the musical sound.
“The show is called the sound of Simon and Garfunkel, and we say in the show, it’s not the sound of only Simon and Garfunkel, so it’s, it’s really just that folk sound from the 60s and 70s, kind of the iconic songs that have become part of American music culture. So many number one hits and just iconic songs that everyone will instantly recognize all of this music and it’s and it’s something new for Branson as well. So that’s a bonus, too.”
It’s not just new for Branson in terms of music. It’s also new to the musicians themselves, and it’s a challenge they sought out.
The cast of the Sound of Simon & Garfunkel: Josh Carroll, Jacob Nelson, James Allen, and Stephen Odom
“We’re ready to do something new. Bee Gees is five years old now, so we decided, and we’re having so much fun with that show, we thought, what else can we bring to Branson?” Allen said. “Let’s do something completely different. Let’s get the rock guy over here to do some picking and plucking in the morning. And this is what we ended up doing.”
Carroll said he joined the show because of the variety of music.
“This is what we do,” Carroll said. “That’s that. When they called me for this, I’m like, ‘that is something I never get to do’. It absolutely stretches us as players. That’s what makes us better. And as if you’re a real musician, you’re never happy with what you do. You always want to do more. Always want to do more. So this is just a way to expand your vocabulary.”
Nelson, who has won awards for his rock guitar work in Anthems of Rock at the King’s Castle Theater, said he has been challenged by the James Taylor songs in the show.
Allen says he and Odom have some other ideas for shows in the works if the Simon & Garfunkel show proves to be a hit in Branson. The duo own the Back to the Bee Gees show, and also perform in other shows at the Hamner theater including Beach Boys’ California Dreamin’ and Thank You For The Music tribute to Abba, so they admit it would be hard to find time for more shows.
“We have families here in Branson, we’re here long term,” Allen said. “So as long as Branson and people like what we’re putting out into the community, we’re going to keep creating and producing great, family friendly entertainment for the town.”
The Sound of Simon & Garfunkel will perform on Monday and Friday at the Hamner’s Variety Theater at 10 a.m. through December 20. More details at thesoundofsimonandgarfunkel.com.