Annapolis Bluegrass Coalition to Play ‘Music in the Park’ Concert

One of the area’s most popular groups, Annapolis Bluegrass Coalition, returns to Fountain Park Saturday, July 16 at 7pm for Music in the Park.

The band brings a combination of instrumental virtuosity and close harmonies to a mixture of bluegrass standards, originals by band members and tasty adaptations of “outside” material.

Band members are Roger Green, guitar and vocals; Dan Kimball, mandolin and vocals; Randy Barrett banjo and vocals; Wayne Lanham, fiddle; and Jim Duvall, bass fiddle.

Band leader Green writes most of the band’s originals. He’s played bluegrass since he was 10 years old, and has been in bands since his high school days. He has a particular fondness for songs about trains, and has added several to the band’s set lists.

Kimball, a founding member of the band, cites bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe as a major influence on his playing, but he also mentions the Everly Brothers and Fats Domino as formative sources.

Barrett has appeared with the band a number of times the last few years, Green said, including at least one previous Chestertown show. In addition to playing banjo, he is president of the D.C. Bluegrass Union, which supports bluegrass music in and around the nation’s capital.

Fiddler Lanham, who lives in Winchester, Va., has also filled in with the band a number of times over the years. He is a regular member of Bill Emerson’s band, Sweet Dixie, where he plays his other instrument, mandolin.

Duvall “keeps everyone honest” with the steady beat of his bass. A veteran of many bands in different styles, he also takes an occasional bass solo on instrumental numbers.

The band will concentrate on bluegrass standards for its Chestertown set, Green said in a July 12 telephone interview. “We know people enjoy those,” he said. There will be a few new tunes in the set list, as well as a selection of originals by band members.

Music in the Park performances begin at 7 p.m. in Fountain Park and run until about 8:30. Annapolis Bluegrass is always one of the best-attended performances of the series, and a limited number of seats are available. Audience members are advised to bring folding chairs or blankets.

Rain location: Emmanuel Episcopal Church – 101 N. Cross St. across from the park.

These free programs are sponsored by the Town of Chestertown with support from The Kent County Arts Council & Community Contributors. To help make these programs possible, please send donations payable to the Town of Chestertown and designated for “Music in the Park,” to 118 N. Cross Street, Chestertown, MD 21620.