Fantastic Concerts coming up in Brevard, NC-- First one Friday night!

 Brevard College, in association with Mountain Song Productions presents: Upcoming Concerts at the Porter Center! Greg Brown this Friday Night, special guest Shannon Whitworth!

The creators of Brevard’s own Mountain Song Festival have come together to present concerts held at the Porter Center for Performing Arts at Brevard College. The 2011 season will kick-off Friday, March 4th with headlining singer/songwriter, Greg Brown. Local favorite, Shannon Whitworth will open the show. Sunday, March 13th will feature the intricate rhythms and harmonies of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Mountain Song Productions will be presenting several other concerts this year including the Carolina Chocolate Drops on April 14th.

Venue Website: The Porter Center


Upcoming Show Information:

THIS FRIDAY, MARCH 4th:    GREG BROWN  with Shannon Whitworth
        8pm  Tickets: $20-25

Greg Brown's songwriting has been lauded by many, and his songs have been performed by Willie Nelson, Carlos Santana, Michael Johnson, Shawn Colvin, and Mary Chapin Carpenter. He has also recorded more than a dozen albums, including his 1986 release, Songs of Innocence and of Experience, when he put aside his own songwriting to set poems of William Blake to music. His latest CD, One Night (Red House), is a re-release of a 1983 live performance originally on Minneapolis' Coffeehouse Extemporé Records.

Website: http://www.gregbrown.org/

Shannon Whitworth has made her mark on the Americana music scene with her unmistakable voice, her original songwriting, and the sincerity and warmth of her live performances. Whitworth instinctively knows how to capture the listener completely, reaching directly to the heart. Her richly textured songs are transcendent of love and heartbreak, gracefully dancing between folk, blues, and country. A talented songwriter and instrumentalist, Whitworth has dabbled throughout the Americana genre, originally the front-woman in the acclaimed bluegrass/folk group The Biscuit Burners, and now a successful solo artist. Her first album, No Expectations, debuted in 2008.  Whitworth’s new release, Water Bound (2010) has been met with critical acclaim, favorably reviewed in Blurt, No Depression, and People Magazine.

Website: http://www.shannonwhitworth.net

MARCH 13th:    Ladysmith Black Mambazo
            7pm Tickets: $22-27

For over forty years, the voices of Ladysmith Black Mambazo have married the intricate rhythms and harmonies of their native South African musical traditions to the sounds and sentiments of Christian gospel music. The result is a musical and spiritual alchemy that has touched a worldwide audience representing every corner of the religious, cultural and ethnic landscape. Their musical efforts over the past four decades have garnered praise and accolades within the recording industry, but also solidified their identity as a cultural force to be reckoned with.

Website: http://www.mambazo.com/
           

Town Mountain! Record Deal and CD Release on March 19th!

Town Mountain
CD Pre-Release of Steady Operator
The Grey Eagle
The Black Lillies open
Saturday, March 19, 2011

$10, 9pm
185 Clingman Ave. 28801
828-232-5800
www.thegreyeagle.com
www.townmountain.net

A common thread that binds us to music is familiarity with tradition and the unexpectedness of progression. In a time when bluegrass music is all over the place with it’s predictability; whether it is the crisp clean sound of the contemporary side, the tones of a sixty-year tradition, or the jam band mentality, you can see it coming. It’s all great and Town Mountain is happy to be right in the middle of this bluegrass gumbo.

You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again, “Town Mountain’s not your grand daddy’s bluegrass”, or “Town Mountain is a great traditional bluegrass band”. Fortunately both of these statements are true and false all at the same time therefore canceling each other out and in turn making it hard to pigeonhole just what Town Mountain can be called. Town Mountain is Phil Barker (Mandolin, vocals), Robert Greer (Guitar, vocals), Jesse Langlais (banjo, vocals), Bobby Britt (fiddle), and Jon Stickley (bass, vocals).

How do they maintain this sound? A lot of it has to do with influence. Everybody in the band brings their own unique musical background to the table. Some of the boys grew up listening to classic country such as George Jones and Waylon Jennings, while others were paying attention to Jimi Hendrix and The Grateful Dead. But at some point in time they all started to expand their musical horizons. Some found jazz, some found punk, some found Americana, but it’s safe to say that all of them, at about the same time, either found or started to pay more attention to one of America’s oldest musical traditions, bluegrass.

Now 10 years after this discovery the band is ready to plant their foot into it’s sixth year of existence. Starting back in 2005, the band joined ranks with The Steep Canyon Rangers and Yonder Mountain String Band winning the prestigious Rockygrass band competition. That win kicked the band’s future into high gear establishing the group as a force among American string bands. Their live show is not to be missed. You are now more than likely to see the band at major festivals across the country from the west coast, Yonder Mountain’s String Summit to North Carolina’s Merlefest and all points in between. Sharing the stage with some of their heroes like The Del McCoury Band and The Seldom Scene or with their contemporaries like The Infamous Stringdusters and The Steep Canyon Rangers.

Musical influence, fine-tuned vocals, precision crafted instrumentalists, and charming stage presence are all ingredients in what makes a sound…unique. One more ingredient that is essential in producing this sound: new songs. Town Mountain has the capacity to bring fresh and exciting material to their high quality music. With topics ranging from love lost and heartache to the weariness of a midnight drive across Americas heartland to politically charged topics that most steer clear of. You will find that Town Mountain’s songwriting is heartfelt, sincere and honest.

This year Town Mountain has teamed up with Pinecastle Records to release their third album, Steady Operator in the late spring. Now the band, more musically mature and honing in on a sound that suits them collectively as well as personally, is ready to show the acoustic music world that they are in fact on the cutting edge of old and new. A recognizable sound with youthful interpretation of a music that continues to evolve, this is Bluegrass.

After 20 years in the bluegrass music industry by founder Tom Riggs, Pinecastle Records has changed hands.  Today, Pinecastle is situated in the mountains of southwestern North Carolina owned by businessman and medical doctor, Lonnie Lassiter.  After taking ownership on August 1, 2010, Dr. Lassiter brought two of the company's former executives on board to head up the new venture.  Ethan Burkhardt was named the company's Vice President of Operations and Matt Hood its Vice President of Public Relations.  Pinecastle is proud to announce that it has signed Town Mountain from Asheville, NC to its roster and is excited to be releasing their latest album Steady Operator in late spring 2011.

“This album is a culmination of thousands of miles traveled across America, playing for audiences as diverse as the traditional bluegrass crowd to the hippie jam band contingent in big cities and festivals to pubs and house concerts. Diverse audiences that have one thing in common, a love for inspired, original, well played music, performed with a spirit that appeals to fans of all types and ages.” -Mike Bub, Steady Operator Producer and Grammy winner with The Del McCoury Band

I have really sucked at blogging!!!

Here's my declaration of attempting to turn over a new leaf. So my initial goal of a post a day, was obviously a little overly-ambitious. So, let's get real and go with one a week. That way, if I post more than one a week, we can all be pleasantly surprised and extra happy, and if I don't post more than one a week, at least no one felt like they were set up to have unrealistic expectations.....