Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass bring their hard-driving, unadorned traditional bluegrass to the Mainstay in Rock Hall, Maryland on Saturday August 1 at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $20. For information and reservations call 410-639-9133. Information is also available at the Mainstay’s website www.mainstayrockhall.org.
Danny Paisley carries on the family tradition with The Southern Grass, a band founded by his father, the late Bob Paisley in the 1960s. This is a national and international touring band and a crowd favorite at festivals like Rocky Grass, Grey Fox, Grass Valley, Del Fest, Wind Gap and the Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival.
Paisley is joined by his teenage son Ryan on mandolin, Mark Delaney (formerly with Randy Waller and the Country Gentlemen) on banjo; the fine bluegrass tenor Eric Troutman on bass and vocals and, returning to the band after a several years, the incomparable TJ Lundy on fiddle. TJ’s father Ted played banjo with Bob Paisley and TJ has been a part of The Southern Grass for many years as well.
This is a band that can’t be described as “fusion” or “genre-bending.” They simply play traditional bluegrass and country music at its best with a powerful edge and a sentimental heart. The combination of instrumentation and vocals convey all the energy, emotion and heart of classic bluegrass and country music. Paisley’s lead vocals are powerful, intense and captivating and have earned him the respect of prominent musicians such as Alison Krauss and an International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) nomination as Male Vocalist of the Year.
Dudley Connell, lead singer of the highly regarded band The Seldom Scene, says The Southern Grass has “one of the greatest rhythm sections in bluegrass music. Riding the wave of this machine are Danny’s vocals, soaring from powerhouse peaks to heart breaking whispers. I believe everything that Danny sings, and that to me is the mark of a truly gifted singer.”
Born in Landenberg, PA in 1959, Paisley grew up listening to the music his father Bob played and hearing the sounds of classic bluegrass like Red Allen, Mac Martin, Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brotherss, Reno and Smiley and the Osbornes, as well as old time mountain music and traditional country music. Once you hear him sing, it comes as no surprise that he lists George Jones and Vern Gosdin as major influences in his singing.
Since Bob Paisley (founder of Southern Grass) passed away in 2004, Danny Paisley and The Southern Grass have made their own niche in the bluegrass world. Their album, “The Room Over Mine”, earned accolades and significant chart action, and the song, “Don’t Throw Mama’s Flowers Away” won the 2009 IBMA Award for Song of the Year.
Their latest recording, “Road into Town” was released in late 2012. Bluegrass Unlimited called it “a Paisley album that ranks among their best.”
The Mainstay (Home of Musical Magic) is the friendly informal storefront performing arts center on Rock Hall’s old time Main Street.
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