BELLOWS FALLS-Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present Tony Trischka's Earl Jam, featuring Michael Daves plus The Stockwell Brothers, as part of the 2025 Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series, Saturday, Aug. 9, at 6 p.m. at the Robertson Paper Company field in Bellows Falls.
In addition to guitarist-vocalist Daves, Trischka's all-star Earl Scruggs tribute band includes fiddler Alex Hargreaves and bassist Jared Engel.
Trischka is a well-known banjo player in the roots music world. For more than 50 years, his playing "has inspired generations of bluegrass and acoustic musicians, showcasing the many voices he has brought to the instrument," wrote organizers in a news release.
Trischka began playing in New York City in the early 1970s with a peer group of musicians who saw American roots music as a thriving, living language that could be expanded and combined with other influences and sensibilities, said organizers, "and he has pushed the boundaries of the banjo ever since."
Scruggs was the pioneer of the three-finger banjo style. Alongside his Earl Jam band, Trischka will trace Scruggs's story from his childhood to his final years, and feature music from extremely rare recordings of jam sessions with Scruggs and John Hartford.
Trischka transcribed Scruggs's solos note-for-note from many of those sessions, and included the songs on his recently released album, Earl Jam: A Tribute To Earl Scruggs, which features world-class players such as Bela Fleck, Michael Cleveland, and Sam Bush.
Contemporary folk and bluegrass quartet The Stockwell Brothers will open the Bandwagon show. Bruce, Barry, Alan, and Kelly Stockwell's music spans traditional and progressive styles. Their acoustic sound features new singer-songwriter material recast with banjo, alternative rhythms, and three-part harmonies.
The Robertson Paper Company field is at 21 Island St. in Bellows Falls. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the gate, and kids under 12 are admitted free. For advance tickets and more information, visit nextstagearts.org.
Next Stage will provide a beer, wine, and cocktail cash bar, and food by Smokin' Bowls will be available. Bring lawn chairs or blankets for outdoor seating on the field.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.