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| Sam Bush Band comes to Raleigh with special guests Bearfoot Two great bands, one night, one low price – PineCone presents Grammy Award winning multi-instrumentalist Sam Bush with special guests (and Telluride Bluegrass Band Champions) Bearfoot in Meymandi Concert Hall at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, Feb. 17. Bush is alternately known as the King of Telluride and the King of Newgrass. He has been honored by the Americana Music Association and the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), and he has helped to expand the horizons of bluegrass music, fusing it with jazz, rock, blues, funk and other styles. He is the co-founder of the genre-bending New Grass Revival and an in-demand musician who has played with everyone from Emmylou Harris and Béla Fleck to Charlie Haden, Lyle Lovett and Garth Brooks, as well as Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, and Earl Scruggs. Though Bush is best known for jaw-dropping skills on the mandolin, he is also Grammy Award winning vocalist. His latest album, Circles Around Me (released October 2009 by Sugar Hill Records) features some classic bluegrass numbers and several high-energy jams that Bush has made his trademark sound. Bush delivered the keynote address for the 2010 IBMA World of Bluegrass Convention, during which he reflected on Bill Monroe's legacy and the roots of bluegrass as well as the challenges and opportunities ahead of the genre in the future. Kicking off the bluegrass-flavored evening will be Alaska-based band Bearfoot. This band's rise from incredibly talented music camp counselors in their home state of Alaska to an established national touring band has been meteoric. Often compared to artists like Nickel Creek, these talented musicians switch easily between airy Northern ballads and back-alley Southern blues. Their music is underscored with bluegrass passion, and they bring a remarkable breadth of rich, original songs to the stage. Bearfoot's arrangements are fiery and inventive, with inspiring harmonies tying them together. Bearfoot has been received enthusiastically at MerleFest and PineCone's own 25th Anniversary concert last year, and PineCone is thrilled to have them grace back onstage in Raleigh this season. With previous lead singer Odessa Jorgensen moving on to pursue her own solo indie folk music career, Bearfoot has welcomed singer/songwriter Nora Jane Struthers to the lineup. Her recent self-titled solo album sparked the interest of Bearfoot members Angela Oudean and Jason Norris, as well as the press. Bluegrass Unlimited says, "You'll probably hear the name Nora Jane Struthers in conjunction with bluegrass awards for top female vocalist…and she writes with a clear-eyed traditional sensibility typically seen only in writers like Gillian Welch and Tim O'Brien, her songs sound immediately like pre-modern classics." Bearfoot's full line-up is: Angela Oudean (fiddle), Jason Norris (mandolin and fiddle), Nora Jane Struthers (guitar), PJ George (bass), Todd Grebe (guitar). Join PineCone for a night of outstanding music that explores the full range of bluegrass music from its deepest roots to its furthest edges. PineCone presents Sam Bush with special guests Bearfoot as part of the Down Home Concert Series at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts. The show starts at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 17. write your comments about the article :: © 2011 Jazz News :: home page |