LEWISTON – For more than 10 years, Jerks of Grass has performed throughout New England, playing traditional bluegrass and high-energy new acoustic music. At noon Thursday, Aug. 7, the quartet will play in Fountain Park.
Making up the group are Melissa Bragdon on fiddle, Kris Day on upright bass, Carter Logan on five-string banjo and dobro, and Jason Phelps on guitar and mandolin.
The concert, presented as part of L/A Arts’ Music in the Parks series, is free of charge. If it should rain, the event will be moved to the Franco-American Heritage Center on Cedar Street, same time and day.
Gathered around one microphone in the traditional style of bluegrass, the Portland-based quartet keeps one foot in the traditional and the other in progressive roots music, forging a sound all its own.
One of the area’s busiest acts, the Jerks of Grass has been voted Portland’s Best Roots/Acoustic act seven times.
Music in the Parks concerts for Aug. 7, 14 and 21 were originally slated to be held in Auburn’s Festival Plaza. However, due to the Maine Department of Transportation’s construction project to improve the traffic flow on Main Street, they will remain in Fountain Park, where July concerts were held.
The last concert of the summer series, scheduled for Aug. 28, featuring the urban folk group Truth About Daisies, will still be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Auburn Riverwatch.
“It was a tough decision to move the performances. We love having concerts at Festival Plaza. The venue’s energy infuses both the performers and the audience and makes for a great experience,” said Cheri Donahue, L/A Arts marketing director.
“But our ultimate goal is to offer the best experience possible,” she continued. “With construction noise as well as possibly uneven footing to get to the sight, we decided this temporary move was in everyone’s interest. We do look forward to next year’s concerts at Festival Plaza.”
Fountain Park is on Mill Street, next to Davinci’s restaurant in the Bates Mill Complex.
For more about the concerts, including music clips and artist links, log on to www.laarts.org, call the local arts agency at 782-7228 or send an e-mail to mail@laarts.org.
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