The Blue Ridge Music Center is presenting Nick Dumas & Branchline for an evening of bluegrass at 5 p.m., Saturday, August 26. This concert will take place in the small indoor theater at the Music Center, located at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, just south of Galax and 30 minutes from Sparta and Mount Airy, N.C.
Nick Dumas grew up in Brier, Wash., and was introduced to bluegrass music at a young age by his dobro-playing grandfather. Dumas soon began taking fiddle lessons and then joined the family band The Three Generations, formed by his grandfather, mother, and aunt. After learning to play mandolin, guitar and banjo and to sing lead and harmony vocals, he became a co-founder of the popular Northwest-based bluegrass band Northern Departure.
In 2015, Dumas relocated to Chicago to play mandolin with the band Special Consensus. He made his Special C recording debut on the 2016 Compass Records band release Long I Ride, which received the 2016 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year Award for the tune “Fireball.” He also appeared on the 2018 Compass Records band release Rivers and Roads that won two IBMA awards (one for Album of the Year) and a Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass Album.
After leaving Special Consensus and relocating to Wisconsin, Dumas released his first solo recording, Story of a Beautiful Life in 2019.
For this tour, Dumas (mandolin and lead vocals) will be joined by an incredible lineup of musicians from across the United States and Canada including Carley Arrowood on fiddle, Daniel Thrailkill on guitar, Will McSeveney on banjo, Michael Kilby on dobro, and Andrew Knapp on bass. Arrowood and Thrailkill are North Carolina natives. Thrailkill plays with bluegrass band The Trailblazers, and Arrowood played with Darin & Brooke Aldridge for many years before embarking on a solo career.
Tickets are $25. Seating is limited for this concert so advance tickets are recommended, available online at BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org.