Tim Peacock’s foray into the music business emerged somewhat unexpectedly, yet with a natural, rhythmic ease, like that of the humble drone of a frailing banjo in an Appalachian folk tune.
Small treasures found in Tim’s rustic country farmhouse symbolize various chapters in his musical voyage. Stacks of old records rest dutifully near wooden instruments — an upright bass, a banjo, a guitar, and a watercolor by his long-time folk hero Michael Hurley hangs from his wall. Tim is reminded of the first time he picked up his brother’s records back in Toledo where he grew up — the smell of vintage vinyl and the “stuff” on the back covers. Tim was hooked. But it wasn’t until decades later that he realized music as his life pursuit.
Tim arrived in Athens County in the early 1990s to study forestry at Hocking College in the historic coalmining town of Nelsonville. The pace and landscape along the Hocking was more his style, he says. After graduation, he decided southeast Ohio was home. “It just turns out my people are here,” he says.
The Art of Promotion
Inspired by regional music “elders” — J.D. Hutchison, Ethan Greene, Chris Biester — Tim became immersed in the local music scene, going to shows and playing tunes until his fingers bled. As a member of the now-defunct old-time string-band Mountaintop Removal, he got his first taste of the music business, booking the band at Ohio folk festivals.
Then in 2000, hearing that Michael Hurley was living in nearby Portsmouth, Ohio, he booked the singer for a packed show at Casa Cantina in uptown Athens. He promoted the show, a story was published, the word was out — “Snock” was coming to town. The success of the show was a turning point in Tim’s music business career. “I kind of blame Michael Hurley for what I do today,” he says, smiling.
Under the moniker Peacock Productions, Tim booked more shows at Casa, some at the legendary rock n’ roll dive The Union, and then at the celebrated Stuart’s Opera House in Nelsonville where he brought in musicians Norman Blake and Ralph Stanley.
Keeping the Opera House Afloat
In November 2002, the board of directors at Stuart’s Opera House commissioned Tim to be executive director. “I reminded them that I didn’t know anything about running an opera house or nonprofits,” he says modestly. But that small detail hasn’t mattered one bit.
Since then, Tim has hired hundreds of renowned musicians to play amid the glowing, wooden floors and velvet curtains of the opera house. Popular musicians to grace Stuart’s stage include: Andrew Bird, Lucinda Williams, Arcade Fire, Gillian Welch, Vieux Farka Toure’, Wayne “The Train” Hancock, Burning Spear and many others.
Although Stuart’s main audience represents what Peacock calls “30- to 60-year-old NPR listeners,” the range of musical style is wide, inclusive and “real.” “You could have a professor from the university sitting next to a retired coalminer, enjoying the same thing,” he says.
It’s this engaged audience that has helped keep the opera house afloat since its inception in 1879, making it one of the oldest playhouses in the Midwest. “What makes Stuart’s so unique is the history,” Tim says, recalling how a coterie of devotees kept it alive way before his time.
Nelsonville Music Festival
In addition to bringing events to the opera house, Stuart’s has hosted the annual Nelsonville Music Festival each spring since 2005. With a mission to celebrate music, art and life, the festival has evolved to a three-day event held at the scenic Historic Village of Robbins Crossing at Hocking College. As headliner in 2009, Tim brought in country star Willie Nelson who serenaded the crowd with such classics as “Hello Walls” and “Crazy.”
Other nationwide artists to play the festival include: Mudhoney, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Jolie Holland, T-Model Ford, Alela Diane, Avett Brothers and Michael Hurley. Local musicians such as Rattletrap, The Royales, Wheels on Fire, Hoover Administration, Sad Bastards, Jess Kauffman, The McGovern Brothers, Never Evers, Liz Pahl, The Spikedrivers and J.D. Hutchison spread the spirit of the region.
