Thomasville Center for the Arts, in partnership with First Commerce Credit Union, announces Bishop Gunn as the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival’s concert headliner. Recently dubbed “Southern Rock’s Must-See New Band” by Rolling Stones Country, Bishop Gunn will take the stage at the Afternoon in the Field event on Sunday, Nov. 10 to celebrate the festival’s 24th anniversary.

Bishop Gunn hails from Natchez, Mississippi and respectfully titled their debut album “Natchez.” Drummer Burne Sharp shares their first album, recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals and FAME studios, is a “representation of where we are from and the culture we grew up in.” This sense of place and home is one that should echo well in the Thomasville community — a sense of pride for their small hometown, swelling up in energetic notes and gritty lyrics.

Singer Travis McCready’s hopes for Bishop Gunn’s future is to “preserve music from Mississippi, in its somewhat primitive form of blues, rock n roll, and country aspects.” According to media group Culture Collide they have done just that, and credits Bishop Gunn as the “torchbearers” who are bringing a “new wave” of Mississippi Delta blues to light.

This sound has grabbed the attention of Kid Rock and they joined him on his “Chillin the Most” Cruise and were voted best band on the boat by party goers. They have played at SXSW, the Laid Back Festival with The Greg Allman Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Pilgrimage Festival alongside Justin Timberlake, Eddie Vedder, Mavis Staples and Gary Clark Jr. They are on tour this year and will be coming to Thomasville on Sunday, Nov. 10.

“We are stoked to bring Bishop Gunn to Thomasville,” said Mariam Mirabzadeh with the Center for the Arts. “Where else can you go to hear great tunes in a gorgeous setting like Pebble Hill? Giving families a way to experience the arts and land rolled into one event is the best of both worlds, and really what Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival is all about.”

Afternoon in the Field is a day the whole family can enjoy, a day that has become a fall tradition in the Red Hills region. Food trucks and local bites will be onsite — think everything from beignets to fried seasonal favorites. It is a rare opportunity to kick back and take in the rolling hills and historic grounds of Pebble Hill, all while listening to the latest must-see in southern rock. 

Afternoon in the Field is presented by First Commerce Credit Union and doors will open at 4 p.m. Tickets are $30 and are available now at pwaf.org. This evening kicks off a multitude of events with the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival — stay tuned for what is to come. The festival runs from Nov. 9-17 and sponsorship opportunities are available. 

Visit pwaf.org for more information or call the center at (229) 226-0588.