Thu 5/2 @ 7PM
North Carolina quintet Town Mountain should bring a burst of high energy to Peninsula’s G.A.R. which often hosts gentler acoustic sounds. And while the band has a traditional acoustic base, featuring the standard bluegrass lineup of guitar, bass, fiddle, mandolin and banjo, it’s known for bringing honky-tonk, boogie-woogie and good old rock & roll into the mix, with influences from the Grateful Dead to country outlaws Waylon, Willie and Merle.
The band’s sixth album New Freedom Blues, released late last year, reworks bluegrass music in a contemporary framework, adding a full drum kit, a big no no among traditionalists, creating tracks that feel like full-on rock & roll while still retaining the authenticity of their roots. Banjo player Jesse Langlais says, “We took the songs at face value in the studio this time, as opposed to trying to take a song and make it fit inside certain bluegrass parameters.”
Don’t go looking for a laidback night. Tickets are $17 in advance, $20 at the door.