If flat-footin’ is your favorite dance or you just enjoy the notes flowing from a talented bluegrass band, then the Cary Street Ramblers will be just your thing. For that matter, they are a crowd pleaser for any music lover.
The Ramblers will be playing at the Third Thursdays event on the Chester Village Green July 16.
“It is the music you don’t hear everywhere, even though lots of people in this part of Virginia hear lots of Bluegrass and Old Time,” said Kathy Whittle, the guitar player for the Cary Street Ramblers.
They have been a recent regular at ChesterFest each year and will be again on September 26.
“The Chester Community Association (CCA) brings the Cary Street Ramblers to Chester anytime we can because their sound and style are so unique,” said Elliott Fausz, president of the CCA.
The Cary Street Ramblers play high-energy old-time Appalachian string band music. Their diverse repertoire consists of a wide selection of fiddle tunes and songs performed in a manner that is true to the music. By letting the music play itself, they bring out the authentic essence of the tunes and capture the hearts of their audience. Their sense of fun and lightheartedness, combined with their musical prowess, keep their fans coming back for more.
Band members include Michael Ford, fiddle; Jeff Brown, banjo; Tripp Johnson, mandolin; Jenny Johnson, guitar and banjo and Skip Andrews on bass.
The band formed in 2009 out of Tripp and Jenny’s weekly old-time jam at Cary Street Café in Richmond. Now hosted by the Cary Street Ramblers, it is the longest-running old-time jam in Eastern Virginia. The band regularly performs at music festivals, old-time fiddler’s conventions, and square dances.
