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Making Music: The Jones House Releases Its 2016 Outdoor Summer Concert Schedule

The Town of Boone’s Cultural Resources Department released the 2016 Summer Concerts at the Jones House schedule, which includes weekly Friday evening performances from June through August in downtown Boone.
The free concerts are open to the public and feature a host of local and regional acts, including many past favorites and several new to the series.  Some of the groups performing in the series for the first time include MaisCeu, Djangovers, Alexa Rose, Analog Poets, Luke Mears Band, Brushfire Stankgrass, Cane Mill Road, and Aaron Burdett.
“We have a lot of really wonderful artists coming this summer,” says concerts organizer Mark Freed.  “We have some great songwriters, top-notch instrumentalists, and a wide variety of styles from old-time and bluegrass, to gospel and soul, to blues and jazz.  There will be something for all types of music fans.”
The 2016 series kicks off on June 3 at 5:00 p.m., starting with MaisCeu, followed by The Lazybirds.  MaisCeu features the Brazilian guitar style of Jimmie Griffith, known in the area for his work with Banana de Terra.  The Lazybirds are a perennial favorite with their mix of American roots styles from jump blues to old-time country to the songs of guitarist and harmonica player, Jay Brown.
The sixth annual Doc Watson Day Celebration takes place on June 17, and this year’s performance will feature several of Doc’s old musical companions, including Charles Welch, Jack Lawrence with Patrick Crouch, David Holt with Josh Goforth, and Jeff Little with The Jeff Little Trio.  While all concerts begin at5:00 p.m., patrons are encouraged to arrive early for the Doc Watson Day Celebration, since crowds will be especially long.
Other June concerts will include a songwriters showcase on the 24th and gypsy jazz band, Djangovers, and Becca Eggers-Gryder with Amantha Mill on the 10th.  Eggers-Gryder has performed in the summer concerts series at the Jones House every year since its inception in the 1990s, and Amantha Mill has been on the line up for the past decade.
The month of July includes an evening of jazz with Swing Guitars and Todd Wright, an evening of blues with Luke Mears Band and King Bees, an evening of gospel and soul with the Junaluska Gospel Choir and Soul Benefactor, and more.  August features a bluegrass showcase with five bluegrass bands and a songwriter showcase with some of the premier songwriters from North Carolina.
The concerts at the Jones House take place every Friday, starting at 5:00 p.m., rain or shine.  Patrons are encouraged to bring their own chairs or blankets to sit in the Jones House lawn under the giant maple trees, while musicians and bands perform from the front porch of the community center.
The 2016 Concerts at the Jones House are produced by the Town of Boone’s Cultural Resources Department and sponsored by the Downtown Boone Development Association, Mast General Store, ECRS, M-Prints, Stickboy Bread Co., Melanie’s Food Fantasy, and illustrator Miriam Martincic.
For more information about the Jones House Cultural and Community Center or the Summer Concerts at the Jones House series, please visit www.joneshouse.org or call 828.268.6280.