With Texas twin fiddles and boogie piano, great vocals and sizzling guitars, Ray Benson's Asleep at the Wheel is a 10-time Grammy winning band serving up the very best in western swing and distinctive Wheel favorites, plus a program full of tunes from their all new Christmas collection, Lone Star Christmas Night. Expect melodies like "Christmas in Cowtown," "Baby It's Cold Outside," "Deck the Halls Boogie," "What Child Is This" and "Merry Texas Christmas Y'all," - all with group founder and lead Ray Bensen's inimitable talent and twinkling spirit and the enormous talents of his eight-member band, including the fresh styles of Katie Shore (fiddle, vocals), Dennis Ludiker (fiddle, mandolin) and Connor Forsyth (keyboard, vocals).
Between those Texas Twin Fiddles and Boogie Piano, patrons will be swingin' all night long. Tickets to the Thursday, December 22 concert start at just $39. Visit www.spencertheater.com or call the box office at 575.336.4800. A pre-show bourbon glazed ham buffet ($20) is also available in the lobby at 5 p.m.
Next up:
• PAVLO, Mediterranean guitar sensation - Sunday, January 29 at 2 p.m. ($39-$59). Fusing music flamenco, Greek, Latin, Balkan and classical into an utterly mesmerizing sound, Pavlo's "Mediterranean" guitar and his band on bouzouki, bass & percussion makes for an intoxicating night of original music. Pre-show Mediterranean pizza & salad lobby buffet ($20) at 12 p.m. (noon).
• THE CARPENTERS TRIBUTE featuring Michelle Whited
- Saturday, February 11 at 7 p.m. ($39-$79). This singer's spot-on phrasing of Karen Carpenter's sound and soothing, sultry voice is remarkable! She shares this beauty with her five-piece backing band for a night of easy-listening and soulful intensity:" We've Only Just Begun," "Top of the World, "Close To You" and more. Pre-show baked tilapia filet lobby buffet ($20) at 5 p.m.
• THE FIVE IRISH TENORS "Voices of Ireland" - Saturday, February 25 at 7 p.m. ($39-$89). Singing in combinations of tenor solos, duets, trios, quartets and quintets these lads fuse Irish wit and boisterous charm with lyricism and operatic style: "Toora-Loora-Loora," "Danny Boy," My Wild Rose," and folk rock favorites like "Bridge Over Troubled Waters." Pre-show grilled thin-cut pork chops lobby buffet ($20) at 5 p.m.
• IN THE MOOD, A 1940'S MUSICAL REVUE - Friday, March 10 at 7 p.m. ($39-$79). A jazzy, sentimental, rhythmic, and deeply nostalgic musical revue with lush arrangements, era-perfect costumes, a 13-piece orchestra and the fabulous In The Mood singers and dancers. Sponsored in-part by Ronald & Sandra Carroll. Pre-show fried chicken lobby buffet ($20) at 5 p.m.
• ALTAN - Saturday, March 18 at 7 p.m. ($39-$79).• GREATER TUNA - Tuesday, April 11 at 7 p.m. (($39-$79). This multi-act spoof on small town Texas life features 2 actors, 20 characters and 20 million laughs! Timeless skits with unforgettable characters. Directed at the Spencer by Tuna original Jaston Williams, the comedy's co-creator and award-winning co-star.
Pre-show deep fried catfish filet lobby buffet ($20) at 5 p.m.
• DREW THOMAS MAGIC - Friday, April 21 at 7 p.m. ($39-$89). This architect of grand illusions and electrifying entertainment uses ordinary objects like power tools and spray paint in fresh, electrifying magic. A finalist on "America's Got Talent," Drew and his crew of angels have entertained more than 100 million+ worldwide, always delivering the impossible and making believers out of skeptics. Pre-show pan roasted airline chicken buffet ($20) at 5 p.m.
• THE NEW MEXICHORDS with special guests Blue Steele - Saturday, May 13 at 2 p.m. ($25-$39). More than 30 men compose this award-winning barbershop chorus and chapter quartets that sing four-part, close-cropped, a capella harmonies including "76 Trombones" and "Love Me, and the World is Mine." These boys are New Mexico true! Pre-show green chile shrimp or chicken pasta ($20) lobby buffet at 12 p.m. (noon).
Sponsored in-part by New Mexico Arts.
The Spencer Theater is at 108 Spencer Road, Airport Highway 220, Alto, NM. Business hours are 9 a.m-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For tickets or information call (575) 336-4800 or toll free at 888.818.7872. Visit www.spencertheater.com.
Fall-Winter-Spring Season 2016 is sponsored in part by The Hugh Bancroft Jr. Foundation, Eleganté Lodge & Suites, KOBR Channel 8, MTD Media, Walton Stations of New Mexico with additional season support from, Inn of the Mountain Gods, Ruidoso Ford-Lincoln, R.D. & Joan Dale Hubbard Foundation, Su Casa Magazine, Rainmakers Golf & Lifestyle Community, Comcast Spotlight, KEDU 102.3 FM Big Oldies, Burt Broadcasting, Carlsbad Radio, Majestic Communications, Ruidoso.net, and First National Bank of Ruidoso.
Spencer Theater is a world-class performance hall located in the Sacramento Mountain settlement of Alto, about 12 miles north of downtown Ruidoso. Unique architecture, outstanding acoustics, intimate seating, and excellent artistry are the Spencer's celebrated features. The elegant, award-winning hall, which first raised its curtains in 1997, seats 514, with no seats farther than 67 feet from the 4,770 square-foot stage. The Spencer also has a 964 square-foot outdoor stage that can seat 1,500. From its Spanish mica-flecked limestone face to the crystal lobby, the building itself is a work of art. Free public tours are offered at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the year. Donations are accepted!
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