On September 1, the Blue Ridge Music Center will host the Old-Time & Bluegrass Breakdowns concert featuring two great bands. It will be a memorable night of bluegrass hot picking and powerful old-time music and one of BRMC’s last main stage concerts of the season.
Travers Chandler has been turning heads with his singing and mandolin playing in the bands of James King, Dan Paisley and his own band Avery County. Travers Chandler and Avery County came together in 2009 with the intent of preserving the legacies of bluegrass music’s lost heroes, while bringing these sounds to new audiences. They have played on the WPAQ Merry-Go-Round, PBS’ Song of the Mountains and festivals throughout the Blue Ridge. These hot pickers will prove their merit on the main stage Saturday night.
The Dry Hill Draggers of Franklin County started with banjo player Jimmy Boyd and his brother Billy Boyd in 1981. Their uncles all played old-time music, including Uncle Charlie Boyd, who was buried with his fiddle. With a solid reputation for hard-driving, flatfooting music, today the band consist of the 2nd generation players who carry on in the unique stringband tradition of the Blue Ridge. In Jimmy’s own words: “The old-time music drew me in to play it. Music like that is in your genes. You are what your genes are.” To this day, Dry Hill Draggers are widely regarded as Franklin County’s best old-time band.
The Old-Time & Bluegrass Breakdowns Concert starts at 7pm on Saturday, September 1st. Concert seating opens at 5:30pm. Admission $10/$8 students & seniors. Children 12 and under are free. Picnics welcome. Smokehouse BBQ available. No pets or alcohol. For info call (276) 236-5309 x112 or online at www.BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org and at the gate. The Blue Ridge Music Center is located at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
