JONESBORO – The Kevin Prater Band will perform traditional bluegrass and a variety of acoustic music at the next KASU-FM Bluegrass Monday concert. The show will be on Monday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. at the Collins Theatre, 120 West Emerson St. in Paragould.
Prater is from the tiny southeastern Kentucky town of Belcher, and he has an over four-decade career of performing what he calls “pure Kentucky bluegrass” music. He started his first band when he was only 10 years old, and he has played in various nationally touring groups, most prominently with the Grammy-nominated James King Band for 12 years. Prater has travelled to 49 states and 23 countries to perform bluegrass music.
In 2009, Prater formed the Kevin Prater Band, creating a quintet dedicated to playing traditional bluegrass and gospel music along with some classic country music and vintage rock ’n’ roll.
Prater plays mandolin, and his band members include guitarist Dalton Smith, fiddler Eb Saunders, bassist Larry Cadle and banjo player Codie Allen. Multiple band members sing, and the group is known for its tight vocal harmonies and its energetic stage shows.
Musically, the Kevin Prater Band is influenced by bluegrass acts such as the Seldom Scene, the Country Gentlemen, the Stanley Brothers, the Osborne Brothers and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver.
Additional information about the group, including videos of the band in concert, is available online.
The admission fee to the Bluegrass Monday concert is $10 per person, payable by cash at the door the night of the concert. Everyone aged 18 and under will be admitted free. Advance tickets can be purchased at www.kasu.org/tickets. All ticket proceeds go to the musicians, compensating them for their performance.
Groups of eight or more may request reserved seating by contacting KASU’s Marty Scarbrough. Otherwise, the theatre doors open at 6 p.m. and seating is first-come, first-served.
Acoustic musicians are invited to participate in a bluegrass music jam session to begin at 5 p.m. in the Joe Wessell Building, which is adjacent to the Collins Theatre. A section of seats in the theatre will be reserved for jammers and their guests so that they can play until the concert begins.
The Bluegrass Monday concert series is a non-profit presentation of KASU-FM, providing music fans with an affordable and outstanding evening of family-friendly entertainment. These concerts are held on the fourth Monday night of each month.
These concerts are presented with support from sponsors including the Paragould Advertising & Promotion Commission, Kiss The Cook, Bibb Chiropractic Center, Gardner-Milner Law Firm, the Posey Peddler, Holiday Inn Express and Suites of Paragould and KASU.
KASU is the public media service of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, broadcasting at 91.9 FM and streaming on several online platforms. For more information, contact KASU Program Director Marty Scarbrough or at 870-972-2367. Additional information is also available on the Bluegrass Monday Facebook page.
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