FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 10, 2014 For more information: Helen Person, [email protected] 434-392-3060
Main Street Music Series: Bluegrass Family “Wanted” by Lauren Ginder, Farmville Downtown Partnership
FARMVILLE DOWNTOWN -- The July installment of the Main Street Music Series promises to be a toe-tapping, knee-slapping night of Bluegrass with two of Southside Virginia’s favorites: Allen’s Mill Band and Stony Ridge Band. The concert is set for 6 – 9 pm at Crute Stage in Farmville Downtown on Thursday, July 17th.
To open the evening, Allen’s Mill Band will strap up their guitars and banjos to rev up Downtown for a banjo pickin’ night that can’t help but turn the grass blue in front of Crute Stage. They’ll kick off the night with familiar faces and good tunes. Then Stony Ridge Bluegrass Band will close out the evening with heartwarming renditions of classics, old and new. Their silky harmonies and welcome twang rekindle memories of a simpler, happier time. Hailing from Nathalie, the group brings four decades of tradition to the 2014 season of Main Street Music. It’s bound to be one evening that the heart of Virginia won’t forget.
The Allen’s Mill Band is known around the Southside area. They’ve played in Victoria, Appomattox and will soon be in North Carolina. A staple on Bluegrass Night at The Fishin’ Pig on Farmville Road, the group is bringing their Bluegrass “family” to Farmville Downtown’s Crute Stage outdoor performance venue for Main Street Music on Thursday, July 17th.
The group got together in August 2002. Though the band has changed faces from time- to-time, one thing remains the same: the band’s chemistry. Original member Roger Allen credits the band’s long-time success to that mentality.
“A group’s chemistry is a crucial element for producing a full sound,” Allen say. The group - Everett Owen, who picks the banjo, original member Ricky Slaughter who has written some music and plays the mandolin, Roger Allen who plays bass, and their newest member, guitarist Clyde Bayley got together for the love of music, Allen says.
“We were just some guys who got together and played, everyone who has been a part of Allen’s Mill has worked for the good of the music.”
The group produces a rich, full sound from cover classics to their own compositions. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 10, 2014 For more information: Helen Person, [email protected] 434-392-3060
Their April 2013 album is a compilation of nine original songs. According to Allen, the members of Allen’s Mill feel that it’s important to continue to write music; they feel that a mixture of new and old is important.
Bluegrass resonates a theme of harmony, from the sound to its fans. The two bands Farmville Downtown Partnership is bringing to Crute Stage for this month’s Main Street Music are no exception.
Grab a blanket and bring your friends and family to Crute Stage this Thursday night. The Café at Poplar Hall will be on site with classic Southern cuisine prepared fresh, so you can make a night of it with supper and Bluegrass.
A production of Farmville Downtown Partnership, the 2014 season of Main Street Music Series is made possible through the generous sponsorship of: WFLO Radio – AM & FM; Terri Atkins Wilson, Attorney & Counselor-at-law; Fourth Street Motor Company; Virginia Credit Union; Real Living Cornerstone; and Mainly Clay. In the event of inclement weather, the concert will move to its rain venue at The Café at Poplar Hall, 308 N. Main Street inside Poplar Hall Antique Center. Location changes will be announced on the www.facebook.com/farmvilledowntown by 3 pm on concert day.
Main Street Music concerts are from 6 until 9 the third Thursday evening of each month May through September. For more information on Main Street Music or Farmville Downtown Partnership, please contact Executive Director Helen Person at 434-392- 3060 or [email protected]. The 501c3 not-for-profit organization’s website is www.farmvilledowntown.com.
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