Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

This Week in Free Music

Compiled by David Brewer

Banner Elk

Banner Elk Concerts in the Park
Thursdays, 6:00 p.m.
828-898-8395

7/31 The Lettermen

Performing for this week’s Banner Elk Concerts in the Park is all-star band The Lettermen. The ensemble includes brothers Kenny and Allen Johnson on guitar and bass respectively, Dave Calvert of Rox Trio and The Whip Daddies on drums and Steve Creniani on guitar. The Letterman play classics from Crosby Stills & Nash to foot-stomping songs by the Charlie Daniels Band.

Both Johnson brothers are postal employees in Avery County and Allen just got off the road performing with bluegrass legend Doyle Lawson. He has also performed with country stars Lori Morgan, Doug Stone and Janie Fricke.

This week’s sponsor is Mountain Community Bank, a full-service branch of Carter County Bank located across from The Shoppes at Tynecastle intersection. Carter County Bank has been serving the northeastern part of Tennessee since 1939 and is proud to be locally owned and operated.

“In 2004, we were very proud to open a branch in Avery County,” said Jim Holmes, president of Carter County Bank. “All of our employees are in touch with the needs of our community because they all have lived in this beautiful area. It’s wonderful to be able to say that at Mountain Community Bank and Carter County Bank, our decisions are made by people that live and work here. We are very proud to be a true community bank. We will strive to offer quality products and services backed by the most modern technology while operating our bank the way banking used to be.”

Mountain Community Bank offers everything from competitive rates on CDs to loans to investments to high-interest checking accounts, all while incorporating the latest in technology, such as home banking and online business banking with old-fashioned customer service. For more info, call 828-898-1888 or click to www.mountaincommunitybank.com.

Beech Mountain

Fred’s Summer Sunday Concerts
Sundays, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
828-387-4838

8/3 Strictly Clean & Decent

Performing together since 1988 and veterans of numerous performances at Blowing Rock’s annual Winterfest, Caldwell County’s Strictly Clean & Decent plays an engaging blend of bluegrass, Western swing, classic country and Celtic music for crowds of all ages. The trio consists of veteran husband and wife duo Patrick and Kay Crouch, as well as Ron Shuffler. Over the years, Strictly Clean & Decent has shared the stage with some of the biggest names in acoustic music including Doc Watson, Ricky Skaggs, J.D. Crowe, Vassar Clements, Tim O’Brien and Tony Rice.

Boone

Jones House Concerts on the Lawn
Fridays, 5:00 p.m.
828-264-1789

8/1 Songwriter Showcase #2 with Melissa Reaves/Jay Brown

In Melissa Reaves and Jay Brown, this Friday’s show at the Jones House will feature two of the area’s most respected and multitalented singer-songwriters.
Melissa Reaves has been delighting audiences throughout the country for more than a decade with her rock, funk and r&b-based sound. A powerful vocalist and guitar player, her style ranges from driving rock to a funk and groove sound that lends itself to a diverse repertoire of originals. Performing more than 200 shows per year, Reaves spends most of her time touring with her eclectic solo show as well as with the four talented musicians from her band. Reaves’ fire-driven approach is truly a unique musical amalgam.

A founding member of the Lazybirds, Swing Guitars and Ruester Brown, Jay Brown’s most recent release is last year’s In This Life. The disc finds Brown flexing both his songwriting and instrumental muscles over a collage of folk, blues and country sounds. Cautionary tales and sweetly picked stories fit snuggly on the disc alongside funny folk songs recounting good runs of bad luck and poorly running automobiles.

Leola Street Community Garden
Saturday, 11:00 a.m.

8/2 Southern Exposure

The Leola Street Community Garden will host its second annual Local Food Celebration with live music from acoustic string band Southern Exposure. The band specializes in traditional and original old-time and Americana while throwing in occasional dashes of reggae and folk. The band travels with a solar-powered sound system dubbed the PV/PA for its use of photovoltaic cells. Southern Exposure’s members met as renewable energy students at ASU and continue to perform locally although its members are spread between Boone, Asheville and Black Mountain.

Valle Crucis

Valle Crucis Music in the Park
Fridays, 7:00 p.m.

8/1 Bob & Ellie with Patty

Dynamic duo Bob Tatum and Ellie Hjemmet, better known simply as Bob & Ellie, will perform at this Friday’s Valle Crucis Music in the Park along with special guest Patty Kunze. Tatum, an accomplished singer-songwriter and guitarist, as well as a teacher at Avery Middle School, plays and sings regularly with Hjemmet at Carolina BBQ in Newland and the pair has developed a considerable following. Together, the trio will serenade listeners with rich mountain ballads and traditional songs that settle the soul.