Jan 28 2022
This article was published on Jan 28 2022 and was archived on Jan 29 2023. The information below may be outdated or inaccurate.
The music of Sassafras Bluegrass Band will be featured during New River Community College’s Fiddle, Banjo and Dance Club Jamboree on Sat., Feb. 12, 2022. Music will begin at 6 p.m. in 117 Edwards Hall at NRCC in Dublin. NRCC requires all individuals to wear masks indoors, and social distancing protocols will be observed.
Sassafras Bluegrass Band is based in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The group is a bluegrass band who pays homage to the Bill Monroe, and the Flatt & Scruggs era but also enjoys pushing the edge of progressive Newgrass music as well. Their repertoire also includes a range of musical styles including old time, country, folk, western swing and originals. Sassafras Bluegrass Band members have performed at a long list of festivals and venues including Merlefest, Walnut Valley Festival, Riverhawk Music Festival, Songs of the Mountain, King Pup Syndicated Radio, Red White and Bluegrass Festival, Albino Skunk Festival, Plum Hollow Festival, Chomp & Stomp Festival, Mean Fiddler, Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival, Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival, High Mountain Bluegrass Festival, Pickin’ on the Plains, Rogersville Bluegrass Festival, Outer Banks Bluegrass Festival, Wickenburg Bluegrass Festival, and many others. Collectively, they have shared the stage or studio with Doc Watson, Jack Lawrence, Charlie Waller, Josh Graves, John Cowan, Jim Lauderdale, Ronnie Bowman, Tony Rice, Russell Moore, Jim Buchanan, Allison Krauss, Tim O’Brien, Mark O’Connor, Laurie Lewis, Tony Furtado and many others. The group includes Wes Tuttle on mandolin, fiddle and vocals; Billy Gee on upright bass and vocals; Chris Bryant on banjo and vocals; and Randy Gambill on guitar and vocals.
Corporate sponsors of the jamborees include Anderson Audiology, Dublin; August Jewelers & Boutique, Inc., Radford; Castle Rock Insurance Agency, Pearisburg; Estes Auto & Truck Parts Inc., Pilot; First Community Bank, Pulaski; Food City; Gregory Seeding and Landscaping Company, Pulaski; Martin’s Pharmacy, Pulaski; Pepsi Cola Bottling Co., Dublin; Pulaski Patriot, Pulaski; SERVPRO, Montgomery & Pulaski Counties; and Southern Furniture Warehouse, Radford.
The doors open at 5 p.m. for the show. Admission is free; however, donations will be accepted to help offset the travel expenses for the musicians. The jamborees are typically held the second Saturday of each month through April at NRCC, a Crooked Road affiliated venue.
For more information about the NRCC Fiddle, Banjo, and Dance Club, please contact Tim Jones at (540) 674-3625 or visit www.nr.edu/fiddle.
Public Relations Specialist / Adjunct Instructor