The Boston Bluegrass Union has announced a pair of bluegrass concerts to kick off their 34th annual concert season at the National Heritage Museum in Lexington, MA. A concert in November will feature Darren Beachley and the Legends of the Potomac with Audie Blaylock and Redline. The December concert will showcase the John Cowan Band and Sierra Hull.

Sat., November 14th – Darren Beachley and the Legends of the Potomac with Audie Blaylock and Redline

The Boston Bluegrass Union has always reached outside the box to put together shows which feature hard driving bluegrass and this show features that by the bushel. By teaming up such revered masters as dobro player Mike Auldridge and bassist Tom Gray – both founding members of the legendary, revolutionary band the Seldom Scene – with rising-star vocalist Darren Beachley (formerly of bluegrass powerhouse Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver), Darren Beachley and the Legends of the Potomac harnesses the very best of bluegrass past and future. Soulful contemporary ballads share space with more rugged, traditional fair, with Beachley’s soaring tenor front and center and the tasteful virtuosity of Auldridge, Gray, mandolinist Norman Wright, and banjo player Mark Delaney steering the music with peerless precision. With their wide-ranging influences and open-ended approach to acoustic music, Darren Beachley and the Legends of the Potomac pay tribute to the fertile and inventive mid-Atlantic bluegrass scene from which they sprang.

A riveting ambassador for classically styled, full-throttle bluegrass, Audie Blaylock first broke into the music as a member of bluegrass giant Jimmy Martin’s band The Sunny Mountain Boys. Audie Blaylock and Redline proudly carries forth Martin’s vision of soulful yet propulsive music, lead by Blaylock’s furious guitar playing and sincere, heartfelt vocals. Already a fan favorite, Blaylock has become a beloved figure in bluegrass thanks to high-profile stints as a guitarist and lead and harmony vocalist with such acclaimed bands as Rhonda Vincent and the Rage and Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper. Produced by noted bluegrass/Americana visionary Carl Jackson, the band’s self-titled debut album also features Patrick McAvinue (fiddle), Evan Ward (banjo), and Matt Wallace (bass), and was recently described by Bluegrass Unlimited as combining “the powerful chops of youth and a confident maturity of purpose.”

Sat., December 12th – The John Cowan Band and Sierra Hull

December show will feature one of the principal architects of contemporary bluegrass alongside one of the genre’s fastest-rising young stars. On Saturday, December 12th the Boston Bluegrass Union welcomes the John Cowan Band with special guest Sierra Hull for a unique collaborative evening that will encompass both bluegrass and holiday-themed music, delivered with inventiveness and unmatched virtuosity.

As a member of the boundary-busting band the New Grass Revival, vocalist and bassist John Cowan defined new acoustic music for generations to follow. Matching Cowan’s soaring, rock and soul influenced vocals with a bold, freewheeling instrumental approach, the New Grass Revival (which featured Cowan alongside Sam Bush, Béla Fleck, and Pat Flynn) reinvented acoustic music, becoming crossover stars in the process. When the New Grass Revival disbanded in 1990, Cowan embarked on a diverse solo career that included a two-year stint with the Doobie Brothers and a collaboration with Bill Lloyd (Foster & Lloyd) and Rusty Young (Poco) as the Sky Kings. The John Cowan Band has been his primary creative outlet for the past decade, a resourceful and eclectic ensemble that quickly established itself for dynamic, exhilarating live shows that veered thrillingly from straight-ahead bluegrass to jazz, Celtic, and soul-inflected workouts. The current lineup of the John Cowan Band features guitarist Jeff Autry, fiddler Shad Cobb, mandolinist John Frazier, and percussionist Bryon Larrance. The John Cowan Band’s set will feature holiday material from his new Christmas collection Comfort and Joy.

Prior to their own set, the John Cowan Band will serve as the backing group for young mandolin virtuoso and vocalist Sierra Hull. Currently a student at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, Hull has already established herself as one of the formidable young mandolin masters bluegrass, with a style that is both nimble and profoundly musical. Signed to the Boston-based Rounder Records imprint, Hull released her debut Secrets, produced by Ron Block (of Alison Krauss and Union Station), to widespread acclaim in 2008. The album featured appearances by Tony Rice, Stuart Duncan, Jerry Douglass, Dan Tyminski, and many more, and inspired fellow mandolinist and bluegrass visionary Sam Bush to comment “It’s amazing to listen to her precision and agility, and the potential for musical growth is tremendous. I can’t wait to hear what Sierra comes up with next.”

Further details on these shows, online ticket purchase and a full calendar of bluegrass events throughout the region at www.bbu.org

– From BBU.org