Chester River Runoff, Kent County’s own bluegrass-newgrass-Americana band, comes to the Mainstay in Rock Hall on Saturday April 9 at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $15. For more information and reservations call 410-639-9133. Information is also available at the Mainstay’s website https://www.mainstayrockhall.org.
With guitar, fiddle, banjo, bass and solid vocals, you’d think Chester River Runoff was just another bluegrass band with big harmonies and tight instrumental work, but they bring a youthful edginess and energy to their music. Their polished yet still raw mix of well-crafted original songs and tunes is marked by humor, originality, and great musicianship.
The band’s topical songs like “Where the Speed Limit Changes” and “Plastic Houses,” which decry sprawl development on the Eastern Shore have drawn media attention. Call it “Chesapeake Newgrass” or “Bluegrass in overdrive” this is a Kent County band making waves up and down the East Coast.
Tom McHugh, founder and director of the Mainstay says, “Chester River Runoff is what might be called ‘an intentional band’ meaning, they actively decided to pursue the learning and performance of bluegrass music: the roots, the history, and the performance from a base knowledge of almost zero. They were college kids, and could easily have drifted along with whatever contemporary beat drove the dance floor bodies, but they took on bluegrass. What has emerged over the past several years is a polished, but still raw, presentation, marked by old tunes, new tunes, humor, originality, and great musicianship. The Mainstay gave them one of their early performance breaks when they probably had no more than fifteen songs in the repertoire. We are pleased and proud to bring them back as a successful musical ensemble with a growing reputation.”
The members of Chester River Runoff are Ben Armiger on guitar and lead vocals, a prolific songwriter known for his direct and sincere lyrics set to catchy melodies; Samuel Miles Guthridge on banjo and lead vocals who contributed many original songs and instrumentals to the band’s repertoire; Marc Dykeman on bass and harmony vocals, described as the musical bedrock and frequently the voice of reason in Chester River Runoff and a professional player since the early 90s and Nate Grower on fiddle and harmony vocals, the youngest member of the group who is also the fiddle player in the David Bromberg Quintet, has recorded with the Stonemans, has a solo album out on Patuxent records, and has subbed with high profile acts such as Audie Blaylock & Redline and Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass.
Armiger and Guthridge started jamming together and playing open mics in 2003 and formed the band in the fall of 2004. The first lineup played around the area and traveled as far as Maine, until the fall of 2006 when their original bassist and their mandolin player decided to leave the group. What could have been the end became instead the beginning of Chester River Runoff as a serious presence on the bluegrass and roots music scene. Marc Dykeman joined the band on bass and brought with him his wealth of musical knowledge, impeccable timing, and producer’s ear. Nate Grower joined on fiddle and at 20 he had already gigged with most of the area’s bluegrass acts and brought a dose of serious professionalism and depth of knowledge about the bluegrass scene.
Chester River Runoff preserve in their live shows the warm spirit and humor of friends who got together simply to hang out and learn an instrument. Their original songs strike audiences with their honesty, a fresh perspective and new imagery. They have released a live CD, and their studio debut, “Blue Heron Farm” was released last year.
They have successfully played many of the best and most well-known clubs and theaters in the area, including the Avalon Theatre in Easton and Ram’s Head Live, and they have played at major festivals such as the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival and Falcon Ridge Folk Fest sharing stages with many of the best in bluegrass and Americana music, including Steep Canyon Rangers, the Avett Brothers, the Hackensaw Boys, and Adrienne Young.
The Mainstay (Home of Musical Magic) is the friendly informal storefront performing arts center on Rock Hall’s old time Main Street. It is a 501(c)(3), non-profit dedicated to the arts, serving Rock Hall and the surrounding region and dedicated to presenting local, regional and national level talent, at a reasonable price, in an almost perfect acoustic setting. Wine, beer, sodas and snacks are available at the bar. The Mainstay is supported by ticket sales, fundraising including donations from friends and audience members and an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council. For information and reservations call 410-639-9133. More information is also available at the Mainstay’s website https://www.mainstayrockhall.org.
Upcoming Mainstay performances include:
April 16 Sue Matthews: the music of Johnny Mercer
April 17 Ann Hennessy Poet’s Society
May 1 Benjamin Biers and Ben Lougheed
May 12 Red Molly
May 14 Dick Durham
May 19 Sarah McQuaid
May 22 Capital Focus Jazz Band
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