Spring Concert series continues with Keys vs. Strings on April 27
By Sherry Lucas
Keys vs. Strings started out as a dueling piano show, but time, talents and their deft skill at request-driven performance built the duo of Marvin Curtis and Topher Brown into much more.
Keys vs. Strings performs at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at Lions Club Park in Clinton, as part of the Spring Concert Series. It’s a return gig for the band, which was a hit with concertgoers when they last performed in Clinton.
“People loved them,” said Main Street Clinton Director Tara Lytal. “They were definitely a great fit for Clinton.”
Curtis and Brown first crossed paths at a music store in Brookhaven, united by a shared goal to play secular music and make money doing it. They had backgrounds as worship leaders in common, as well as music skills that could go broader.
“It wasn’t like we were going after the party band lifestyle,” Curtis said. “We didn’t want to play the dives, as much as play family events and weddings.… Even though we did play some late-night bars, we lean more toward festivals and restaurants and things of that nature.”
“We try to stay family-oriented, because we have families,” said Curtis, now of Byram, where he and his wife, Alexandria, own Dockery Grill. Brown, of Wesson, is the worship leader at CenterPoint Church in Brookhaven.
“We were doing really well, taking requests from the audience and doing this off the cuff,” Curtis said, “and it kind of evolved from there.” Local venues, private events, weddings and events led to bigger gigs at festivals, casinos and more. Now, they primarily play across the South, including Florida, Alabama and Louisiana, as well as Mississippi.
Both play piano, but with Brown more of a guitarist, the show turned into Keys vs. Strings — piano keys vs. guitar strings.
“We just kind of never left that,” Curtis said. And they can expand to a full band if the situation calls for it, as the Clinton concert will. They’ll be joined by drummer Nathan Spears of Philadelphia and bassist Jonathan Blankenship of Clinton.
The set list? “It’s more about the crowd” than a prepared list of songs, Curtis said.
“We can play any genre of music, and that’s what’s made us unique from other bands. You can have a country band, a ‘90s band, an ‘80s band. We like to shock people with the variety we bring to a show,” said Curtis.
Their diverse lineup could include blues, country, rock and hip hop.
“It could be Earth Wind and Fire one song and Chris Stapleton the next. We like to keep people on their toes.”
Curtis praises Brown as not only “a heckuva guitar player” (he formerly played guitar with The Band Perry) but also “an incredible vocalist” and “pretty much a walking songbook.”
Curtis, son of a pastor, grew up playing gospel, and has been a music director and played for churches nearly all his life. With their shared faith background, they’re not afraid to slip some gospel into the mix, too, and singalong songs that get the crowd even more engaged.
That huge set list is what keeps fans, friends and family coming back again and again to enjoy the music.
“Every time you see us, you get something different.”
The Spring Concert Series will have two more installments. Mike Rob and the 601 Band will perform on May 11, with classic Motown, soul and funk music of the past, plus today’s pop dance hits. May 25 will bring Dr. Zarr’s Amazing Funk Monster, the Memphis party band, to the stage.
Each concert is free. Concert-goers are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets to sit on, and a food truck will be set up for dinner and snack options. Meals can also be brought from other Olde Towne eateries or elsewhere.
Lions Club Park is located at 251 East Leake Street.
