With the semester winding down, final exams nearing, stress skyrocketing and coffee finding its way into intravenous drip bags, consistent opportunities to hear live music of any style are peppered throughout Starkville and surrounding cities on both sides of state lines.
 
A handful of shows are being played within a three-hour radius of Mississippi State University through the end of the semester prior to the beginning of final exams.
 
Minglewood Hall in Memphis will host Old Crow Medicine Show’s return to the South to pluck banjos and entice fiddles Nov. 25. Described on Minglewood’s website as “a rambling string band” once drawing the attention of legendary folk musician Doc Watson, the guys’ most popular work came in the form of “Wagon Wheel,” that catchy bluegrass tune often leaking from baseball stadium speakers.
 
To bring a taste of Christmas in November (outside every store’s window displays), lauded multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens will be stopping at The Lyric Oxford in Oxford on Nov. 28. Far from an ordinary show, the event is listed as “The Sirfjam Stephanapolous Christmas Sing-A-Long Seasonal Affective Disorder Spectacular Music Pageant Variety Show Distaster.” According to The Lyric’s website, attendees can expect to play a role in the evening of Yuletide joy: “All Grinches be forewarned: the show will consist entirely of Christmas music, inviting audience participation. Be prepared to sing along with bawdy bravura! Song sheets will be provided.” The wacky holiday aura of the event is characteristic of Stevens’ ethos, as he has crafted two massive Christmas albums in the past. The first, Songs for Christmas released in 2006 with five discs and 42 songs, and the second dropped this month, managing to swell even larger: Silver & Gold contains a whopping five discs and 58 songs.
 
 The spectacle is also predicted to include plenty of gags, cheap props, inflatable unicorns and Santa hats, all culminating to make Stevens’ first stop in Oxford a unique one.
Philadelphia, Miss., based Rico & The Border Patrol will play at Rick’s Cafe in Starkville on Nov. 27, bringing Southern rock its Facebok page touts as “the grooves that make your booty move.”
A few familiar Starkville faces will find their way to the stage at Rick’s Nov. 29. Local acts Wolf Cove and Jarnigan Gypsies will open for Charleston, S.C., based All Get Out.
 
Tim Gryder, sophomore anthropology major and Jarnigan Gypsies member, said All Get Out is a band with label ties to established acts.
 
Both local bands are filled with State students; Jarnigan Gypsies is comprised of Tim Gryder, Cole Humphries, Catie Marie Martin, Gordon Lee and Wilson West, and Wolf Cove is built of John William White, Clayton Waller and Ben Watson.
 
Mustache The Band has had stickers of its mustache emblem cropping up around the northern part of the state; its chance to put its money where its mustache is at Rick’s on Dec. 6, as what Rick’s calls “a 90s Country Tribute Party Band that’ll grow on you.”
 
Rick’s will host country artist Brandon Lay on Dec. 7. According to his website, this will be his second stop in Starkville after, touring behind his recently released album Me and Dixie.