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Summer brings music at no cost |
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Tuesday, 24 July 2007 |
by BRANDON BROWN
Intern Staff Writer
Students stuck in a financial stronghold don’t have to spend their time trapped indoors perusing the Internet in order to hear quality, free music. There are plenty of opportunities to witness live local acts in the High Country at no expense.
Most of the free performances are open to any musicians willing to join in on the picking and strumming in the summer evenings.
Free events are held in the High Country nearly every day of the week.
 Active Image | Derek DeSha | The Appalachian
Concerts On the Lawn at the Jones House features a live band every Friday evening starting at 5. The music is presented by the Watauga Arts Council and runs through September.
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Blowing Rock offers warm, welcoming gatherings of mountain music every
week for the remainder of the summer. The Mountain Music Jamming group
meets every Sunday from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. at
Traditions Pottery in Blowing Rock to play mountain tunes, bluegrass
and gospel. Spectators are invited to bring their own instruments to
collaborate with the group’s guitars, banjos, fiddles and occasional
washboards.
If you can’t get enough of the harmonious mountain melodies, Blowing
Rock also houses the Monday Night Concert Series featuring the group
formally known as the Farmhouse Singers. The event is held in the
Broyhill Park gazebo at 7 p.m. For future locations and show times,
call the Blowing Rock Parks and Recreation at (828)-295-5222.
Blowing Rock isn’t the only place in the High Country that knows its
bluegrass. Boone’s own High Country Jam holds sessions every Tuesday
at 7 p.m. at the Home Builder’s Plaza on the U.S.
Highway 105 Bypass. High Country Jam’s performances are known for
drawing large crowds of over 150 people, according to band member Cliff
Waters.
“We may need to relocate to a bigger facility,” said Waters. “It’s becoming very popular.”
High Country Jam is entering its third year and continues to draw
crowds from several counties in the area, mostly by word-of-mouth.
The Jones House Community Center has become another popular venue for
musicians and spectators alike. Located right in the heart of downtown
Boone, the historic Jones House has been bustling with sound toward the
end of each summer week.
Acoustic jam nights take place at the Jones House on Thursday nights
from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. All levels of musicians are welcome to join and
non-musicians are encouraged to offer a $1 to $5 donation.
Refreshments are available for all attendees.
The Watauga County Arts Council is holding it’s 15th annual Concerts of
the Lawn series at the Jones House every Friday afternoon at 5 p.m.
The series runs from June through September. For more information,
visit www.watauga-arts.org or call (828)-264-1789.
Music fans that prefer pummeling drums and distorted guitars might have
to shell out a few bucks for live music in the High Country, but for
those who appreciate the local flavor of bluegrass and acoustic guitar,
there are plenty of opportunities to witness live music at no cost.
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