Elvis Festival returning, sharing new acts

Mar. 10—For those in Brunswick who know Austin Irby, one word comes to mind — Elvis.

And that's true. The South Carolina native has crafted a career out of paying hommage to the King of Rock and Roll. For more than a decade, he's traveled to share Presley's songs (and moves) with adoring crowds. He made his first appearance in the port city back in 2013, with the inaugural Georgia Elvis Festival.

The event offered a number of free concerts and related events in the downtown area, but the primary focus was a competition at the Ritz. There, some of the leading Elvis Tribute Artists (ETAs) from around the world gathered to perform in the hopes of winning the top prize.

Irby was a newbie way back then.

"I was a part of the first one when I was just 16 years old. I was in the non-professional division because I wasn't old enough," he recalled with a chuckle. "But I've come back every year since then, except in 2020."

He won the contest in 2018, which allowed him to go on to compete in other prestigious festivals. It's also likely given a boon to his work as a professional ETA. Irby has been traveling for weeks around the Southeast, sharing Elvis with enduring fans. There's also a stop in Brunswick this year — but it will be a bit different than in years prior.

While there will still be four days of events, there will be a twist. Several performers — many who are ETAs like Irby — will share tributes to other legendary singers. After the curtain wraps on the first day of tribute competition on Friday, there will be a program titled "Country Roads, Take Me Home."

At 2 p.m., the artists will share the music of Conway Twitty, Roy Orbison and others. Irby will be appearing as country singer Josh Turner.

"I've been playing around with doing my own stuff for a while. I'm a country music fan and I like Keith Urban and Josh Turner. About two or three years ago, I did, 'Your Man,' at a festival and a bunch of people liked it, so I made it part of my act ... I have a Josh Turner set now," he said. "I'm super pumped to be able to do that in Brunswick and with a live band, which makes a huge difference. But I love that you're going to be able to see a different side of many of these entertainers."

Friday evening will continue with a headline show titled Las Vegas Nights featuring the music of Tom Jones, Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart ... and of course, Elvis. The competition resumes Saturday followed by another tribute show at 2 p.m. titled "Follow the Yellow Brick Road," featuring Dwight Icenhower. He will appear as Elton John. At 4:30 p.m., the ETAs will perform in the pocket parks around downtown followed by another headline Elvis show featuring Irby and several other fan favorites.

This format, he feels, allows the festival to continue its tradition of honoring the King, while giving the artists space to showcase another side of their talents.

"Of course, we're all Elvis fans first. Elvis is the greatest performer who ever lived ... but we do have different sides. When (the ETAs) are together, of course, we talk about Elvis. You literally learn something new every day but we also enjoy other music. Some like music from the 50s, 60s or 70s. I like country music, that's my cup of tea. Others like rock-and-roll or pure rock. There's a whole other side," he said. "It's nice to show audiences that you can still entertain them outside of the Elvis costume. It draws more people to you as friends and fans."

Irby certainly has plenty of both in Brunswick and he's looking forward to returning.

"It's so great to be coming back as a headliner. I go all over and talk to people and those who've never made it down to that festival always say, 'I've never been to Brunswick, but I hear it's great.' And it is. Brunswick is just the best of the best. They've always welcomed us with open arms and have taken us in to celebrate Elvis' life and legacy," he said.