Bluegrass fans will have the opportunity to hear some of the region’s finest bluegrass music this Friday in downtown Boone as the Town’s Cultural Resources Department continues the 2018 Summer Concerts at the Jones House. This years bluegrass showcase will feature three bands, including Cane Mill Road, The Dollar Brothers, and Surefire.
“When a lot of people think about the music of the North Carolina mountains, they think bluegrass,” says concert organizer, Mark Freed. “Rightfully so, because this area has some of the best bluegrass music in the country, and Friday’s showcase will give our audience a good dose local flavor.”
With their sophomore release hot off the press, Cane Mill Road returns to the Jones House with their spirited and progressive style. Featuring co-founders Liam Purcell and Trajan Wellington, along with bassist Eliot Smith and guitar player Casey Lewis, Cane Mill Road is one of the hottest young bluegrass bands around. With members hailing from Deep Gap, Wilkes County, and southwest Virginia, these young pickers and singers are rooted in tradition, but excited to push boundaries and break the mold.
“Cane Mill Road is a lot of fun,” Freed says. “They bring traditional bluegrass songs, original tunes, and other familiar roots and rock covers set to bluegrass instrumentation and arrangements that keeps their listeners guessing just what hey will do next.”
The Dollar Brothers are one of the High Country’s longest running bluegrass acts. With the three brothers – Darrell, Barry, and Wade – hailing from the Meat Camp community, along with Tim Norris on banjo and JM Trivette on bass, the Dollar Brothers play a traditional mountain bluegrass sound and style.
“The Dollar Brothers are just about the iconic mountain bluegrass sound from this region,” Freed says. “I think they represent the local flavor and repertoire as much as any bluegrass band around.”
Finishing up the showcase will be Boone’s Surefire, including Tom Isaacs, Robbie Norris, Tim Norris, and JM Trivette. Surefire formed about 15 years ago when high school friends Isaacs, Norris, and John Bryan wanted an outlet for performing bluegrass music. The group quickly rose to regional recognition, winning competitions and churning out a few recordings. The members have since settled into careers with families, though they stay regularly active as the house band for the Red White and Bluegrass jam session – a twice monthly gathering on the first and third Tuesday evenings at the Harvest House.
“These guys have bluegrass music coursing through their veins, and they play and sing almost as effortless as breathing… or at least so it seems,” says Freed.
The Summer Concerts at the Jones House are free and open to the public. Concerts are held every Friday in June, July, and August, starting at 5:00 p.m., and they are held rain or shine. Patrons are encouraged to bring their own chairs or blankets to enjoy the music from the Jones House lawn. Alcoholic beverages are permitted on the Jones House property, if patrons are of legal age and bring their own beverages. No open containers are allowed beyond the Jones House property. Friendly pets are permitted on leash.
Friday’s concert is sponsored by the Appalachian Music Shoppe, located in Carriage Square on the 105 extension. The 2018 Summer Concerts at the Jones House sponsors include the Downtown Boone Development Association, Mast General Store, MPrints, Melanie’s, Stick Boy Bread Co, Rosemary Horowitz and Jerry Hyman, Burton Moomaw Acupuncture, and the Appalachian Antique Mall.
For more information about the series, including a complete schedule, please visit www.joneshouse.org or call 828.268.6280.
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