Supergroup John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band will perform on Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Blue Ridge Music Center. Cane Mill Road will open the show at 7 p.m., in the outdoor amphitheater at the base of Fisher Peak. The Music Center is located at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Galax.
Tickets are $20 adults, children 12 and younger free. Parking is free.
John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band (J2B2) features four legendary, award-winning musicians: John Jorgenson on acoustic guitar, mandolin, and vocals; Herb Pedersen on banjo, acoustic guitar, and vocals; Mark Fain on bass; and Patrick Sauber on acoustic guitar and vocals.
As well as playing mandolin, Jorgenson is sought after for his guitar work, playing with artists from many genres, including Desert Rose Band, Elton John, Barbara Streisand, Bonnie Raitt, Earl Scruggs, and Brad Paisley. He portrayed Django Reinhardt in the feature film Head in the Clouds.
The other members of the band also have impressive résumés. Pederson played with legendary bands The Dillards and Old and In the Way. Fain played with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder and has recorded with Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss, Dwight Yoakam, Dolly Parton, and many others. Multi-instrumentalist Saubers has toured with Peter Rowan and Laurie Lewis, and appeared in the movie A Mighty Wind.
The four combine forces to form a spot-on union of impeccable musicianship, incomparable songwriting, incredible harmony vocals that combine bluegrass with elements of West Coast folk rock. This is the “high lonesome sound” of American roots music at its finest.
Cane Mill Road, whose members range in age from 16 to 21, grew up down the road from Doc Watson near Boone, North Carolina. Audiences love Cane Mill Road’s high-energy performances, easy-going rapport, and the group’s eclectic mix of originals and standards. They walk the lines between bluegrass, old-time, Americana, and folk, rocking traditional bluegrass standards as well as putting a bluegrass spin on songs by Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Gordon Lightfoot, and more.
For tickets and information about additional concerts in the series, visit BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org or call (866) 308-2773, ext. 212.
While at the Music Center, visitors are invited to explore the exhibit We Are the Music Makers! Preserving the Soul of America’s Music. This exhibit, on loan from the Music Maker Relief Foundation, features photographs and stories of Southern blues, gospel, and old-time musicians collected by Tim Duffy, founder and executive director of the Music Makers Relief Foundation. The exhibit is open daily from noon until 4 p.m., through Sept. 2.
