Every week, we host 3 events where folks can join in. These are lively, dynamic gatherings. You can join in or sit back and enjoy the music or visit with others and enjoy the music in the background.
Bring your instrument and join our hosts and let’s make beautiful music together.
Richard Hardy’s Song Circle & potluck dinner
Thursdays
6 – 8 pm
Much like our Sunday afternoon Mountain Music jams, the song circle is a way for musicians to learn together and play together. Thursday’s song circle gives individual artists the ability to perform and they can invite the group to join them or individuals in the group to play along. Each artist in the circle takes a turn and this continues around the circle until the playing wraps up.
Join our music host Richard Hardy for a night of songs and smiles.
If you have questions, contact Richard at [email protected], 828-384-1295!
We will be hosting a potluck dinner this evening. Please bring a non-disposable place setting and a covered dish. If you don’t have food to bring for any reason, we are happy to feed you. We are a pack it in, pack it out public house and ask you take everything you bring in, out with you. Many thanks.
Bluegrass Jam with Bruce Threlkeld
Saturdays
2 – 4 pm
Join us every Saturday afternoon from 2:00-4:00 for some fun singing, pickin’ and grinning.
This jam will cater to musicians who love Bluegrass music, in its traditional and non-trad styles. We will focus on songs that feature vocal melodies, harmonies and instrumental breaks. Typical instrumentation includes guitars, banjos, mandolins, resophonic guitars (Dobros), fiddles, and a bass, but we welcome other instruments like the dulcimer, ukulele, harmonica and autoharp, too.
For those of you unfamiliar with the “jam” concept, here’s a quick primer, as it applies to our gathering. We’ll circle up as many chairs as needed, and, starting with the leader and proceeding clockwise, each person will select a song that they’d like to play. If you wish to pass on your turn, you may give it to the next person in the circle. It’s a good idea to have a couple songs ready to go before you’re up, in order to keep things moving.
Jam Etiquette
Here are some helpful tips to know when planning on joining our jam. It’s inevitable that every jam will have players of differing abilities, so be patient with your fellow jammers. Make sure your instrument is tuned and keep your Snark (or other tuner) on your instrument, especially when playing outdoors as strings do go out of tune over the course of a jam (check tuning at a soft volume in between songs). A courteous musician will know the difference between when to play louder (when soloing) and when to play softer (while backing up somebody else). Always be mindful of keys, and if you’re not sure how a song goes, it’s ok to play softly or not at all. Timing and tempo are things to be mindful of as well. There are a handful of other hints, but those are best learned at the jam!
Most of all, enjoy yourself! This jam is not like a performance, and is there for you to have fun and gain experience as to how your instrument relates to other instruments in the ensemble. Your jam leader has years of experience as a music teacher and will be ready and willing to answer questions.
Bluegrass versus Old-Time styles
There is overlap between these distinct styles of music, but there are some key differences as well. Basically, Bluegrass tunes usually have vocal verses and choruses which are often separated by instrumental breaks (solos). When the singer is singing or the soloist is taking a break, the job of the other musicians is to provide a solid rhythmic foundation at an appropriate (lower) volume. Old-Time style (typically fiddle led) involves all lead instruments playing the melody at the same time. This could be mandolins, fiddles and banjos playing the melody while guitars are busy strumming the chords underneath.
Mountain Music Jam
3 – 5 pm
