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Irish Band ‘Four Leaf Peat’ to conclude Summer Concert Series at St. John’s – Celtic Music Quartet Performs at 5 p.m. on Sunday, September 4th

VALLE CRUCIS, NC – “Tennessee’s Premier Traditional Irish Band,” Four Leaf Peat from Knoxville in the Volunteer State, will make their highly-anticipated return engagement to the High Country as part of the Summer Concert Series at historic St. John’s Church in Valle Crucis at 5 p.m. on Sunday, September 4, 2022. It will mark their first performance since they dazzled a standing-room-only audience in 2018.

The acclaimed four-member band closes out the 2022 Summer Concert Season by performing traditional Celtic music, along with jigs, reels, songs, and hornpipes. Four Leaf Peat’s performances are always marked by a keen sense of the tradition, mixed with just the right amount of influence from the rich musical history of East Tennessee. They have built their own brand of Irish music which celebrates the musical bridge that spans the Atlantic from Appalachia to Ireland.

Four Leaf Peat has been performing locally, regionally, and internationally since 2004. Traditional Irish music ranges from vibrant dance tunes to soulful songs. Four Leaf Peat’s unique sound is a result of its members’ various musical backgrounds and their continued passion for traditional Irish music. By taking all of their years of musical training, and building on Irish influences like The Bothy Band, Planxty, Flying Cloud & Silly Wizard, to more modern twists on Traditional music such as Dervish, Open the Door for Three, and Lunasa.

Members of Four Leaf Peat are: Chad Beauchaine on the fiddle; Rick Hall playing hammer dulcimer and uilleann pipes, Jason Herrera on the bodhran, flute, and whistle; and Gil Draper playing the guitar, mandolin, and bouzouki. All four musicians also perform vocals.

Beauchaine said that their set list consists of various tune styles, set dances and songs from the Irish tradition. Much of our program will come from their most recent album, “The Bijou Sessions,” which was released on St. Patrick’s Day of 2018. “We will also perform a couple of songs with choruses on which the crowd is welcome to join in!” said Beauchaine.

Speaking on behalf of his bandmates, Beauchaine said that, “The mountains of Tennessee have always been our home, but we can’t wait to have a fun night, reacquaint ourselves with past audience members, and make some new friends in the hills of North Carolina.”

A summer mission of Holy Cross Episcopal Church, the picturesque St. John’s chapel, consecrated in 1862, is located in the Watauga County countryside and provides marvelous acoustics for music with its wooden walls and floors forming a natural sounding board for live performances.

The Rev. R. Allan McCaslin is Rector of Holy Cross. “We always listen to our audiences, and particularly our parishioners, when selecting artists for this popular series. Four Leaf Peat was highly-praised by audience members who were present at their debut concert in 2018. It was only a matter of time before St John’s was added to their impressive list of tour stops. We are very much looking forward to welcoming them back for their return engagement.”

The Summer Concert Series showcases some of the High Country’s finest musicians along with regional artists of national prominence. Attendees linger until sunset to mingle with the artists after their performance. All concerts begin promptly at 5 p.m., are approximately 60 minutes in duration, and followed by a potluck supper. Suggested admission is $10 per person to offset artists fees, with children 12 and under admitted free of charge.

Attendees traditionally bring a dish to share during the potluck supper on the lawn that follows every summer concert, with dozens of folks arriving early to begin the social aspect of the evening’s festivities. Many audience members prefer to set up lawn chairs near the open windows of the chapel and listen to the music as it resonates throughout the valley. All are welcome as local residents mingle with newcomers and visitors to the melting pot that is historic St. John’s.

St. John’s Chapel is located at 645 Herb Thomas Road, off of Mast Gap Road in the Sugar Grove community near Valle Crucis, NC. Signs are posted throughout the valley directing audience members to the concert location. For more information, please visit the concert website at www.holycrossvallecrucis.net or call 828.963.4609.