This Ain’t Your Momma’s Bluegrass Series Promises and Delivers

Promising to supply “up and coming” bluegrass artists who have raw energy yet polished pickin’ is a bold statement to boast, but that’s exactly what the “This Ain’t Your Momma’s Bluegrass” series swore to produce and then delivered their first time at bat Saturday night. A concert held at Seby B. Jones Performing Arts Center in Louisburg NC featured headliners The Hillbenders as well as The Barefoot Movement and Ed Snodderly.

Kicking off the TAYMB series was Ed Snodderly, who you may recognize as the Village Idiot from “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?”. Snodderly captivated and entertained the audience with his savvy delivery of ballads alongside his blues/folk guitar playing. His lyrics have been inscribed on the walls of Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum; clearly this man is well respected so you’d better listen up when he’s playing!

Staying true to their name, The Barefoot Movement took the stage sans-shoes. The most local band of the night featured four extremely talented young musicians who met at different times in their high school and college days. The band blended into a fusion traditional folk, jazz, bluegrass and Americana, playing tracks from their debut album “Footwork”. Co-founder and lead vocalist Noah Wall stands all of four-and-a-half feet tall but has a soulful voice plenty big to fill any auditorium. Undoubtedly one of the strongest vocalists on the bluegrass scene, Noah and The Barefoot Movement have proven themselves worthy of ample recognition, praise and a fruitful future in music.

Headlining the TAYMB event was Missouri based band The Hillbenders who are winning over audiences coast-to-coast. Touting such awards as the Telluride Bluegrass Band Competition Winners and The National Single Microphone Champions. The Hillbenders broke into the Newgrass scene with their debut album Down to My Last Dollar in 2010. The album embodies tales of love, heartache and murder in songs such as “Done Wrong Love Song” and “Red Stains”. With the band’s knack for song writing and unrivaled musical talents they are sure to energize any stage they play on.

We caught up with The Hillbenders warming up their vocals & spicing up some strings backstage and thought you might enjoy a little piece of the pie…

“This Ain’t Your Momma’s Bluegrass” has one ear on the Newgrass ground, rounding up talented and ambitious young artists as they are breaking out onto the music scene in full force. Be sure to check out their website for news on future shows and featured artists. To view more photos from the event visit the FlyingRooster Flickr page.