Bluegrass Great Will Play the Firehouse Arts Center

The will host the Grascals, the first bluegrass band to appear at the center.

The event is scheduled for 8 p.m. Aug. 4.

Recently, the Grascals added the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America’s 2010 Bluegrass Band of the Year award to many other honors, including International Bluegrass Music Association’s Emerging Artist of the Year (2005) and Entertainer of the Year (2006 and 2007). 

The band's music is sometimes light-hearted and sometimes reflective, according to a press release from the arts center, but the sextet always strives to honor the musical past and look forward to the future with “fresh-yet-familiar” bluegrass sounds.

The Grascals’ trio of vocalists — Terry Eldredge, Jamie Johnson and Terry Smith — combine with the instrumental unit of mandolinist Danny Roberts, fiddler Jeremy Abshire and banjo player Kristin Scott Benson to produce innovative modern bluegrass. Their music is delivered with a deep knowledge of bluegrass founding fathers’ work and reflects the traditional values of soul and musicianship. 

The group's sound earned two of its previous releases, “The Grascals” (2005) and “Long list of Heartaches” (2006), Grammy nominations for International Bluegrass Music Association's Best Bluegrass Album. In 2010, the group joined The Rowdy Friends Tour, traveling extensively with Hank Williams, Jr., and introducing audiences to the "BluGrascals" sound.

Tickets information is as follows — adults: $24, $28, $32; seniors: $28; children: $12.

Group discounts are available. Tickets may be purchased online at www.firehousearts.org up to three hours before the performance, by calling 925-931-4848, or in person at the Firehouse Arts Center Box Office. 

Box office hours are Wednesday-Friday, noon-6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and two hours prior to the performance. The entrance to free parking is on Spring Street near First Street.