Music with Friends

I’m thinking that either Ronny Cox has a real bad sense of direction, or there’s something going on in Brown County that needs lookin’-into.

The actor (Deliverance, Robocop, et cetera) will be bringing his singer-songwriter chops to the rural county for an afternoon concert at the historic Ohio Brown County Inn on Sunday, April 13, at 3 p.m. If you’re a fan of Cox and his trio  (he tours with Radoslave Lorkavic and Bruce Bowers), and if you’d like to hear ‘em in downhome comfort, you’re invited. Bring a snack.

Here’s how all this came to be. Julie and James Lynch, owners of the venue, hold monthly house concerts where up-and-coming musicians play for a small (their capacity is about 80) gathering and collect the donated dough. Admittedly, the Ronny Cox Trio hardly falls into the starving artist category. “This isn’t a typical house concert,” says Julie. But the performers’ agent was looking for a setting where the trio could play an intimate strum-and-chat concert—sort of a busman’s holiday for musicians on tour—and the Lynch place was recommended.

Just to clarify, the Ohio Brown County Inn is not really an inn: it’s the Lynch home, which the couple has been restoring since 2009. They host private events (weddings, reunions, that sort of thing) in the 170-plus-year-old former boarding house. And they don’t charge for the concerts; the suggested donation is $20 and all the receipts go to the performers. House concerts aren’t a business, Julie says. “It’s more like a fundraiser for musicians.”

Space is limited, so if you’d like to go, call Julie to let her know: (513) 377-1805. And plan to stick around afterward to mix with the artists. The custom is for concert-goers to bring a snack to share. It’s that downhome.