Five Mile Mountain Road to Perform at Bluegrass Monday

JONESBORO – Five Mile Mountain Road will perform traditional bluegrass and a wide variety of acoustic music at the next KASU-FM Bluegrass Monday concert. The show will begin at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 27, at the Collins Theatre, 120 West Emerson St., Paragould.

Five Mile Mountain Road is a high-energy, six-piece bluegrass band that incorporates influences from multiple genres of early and mid-20th century American music into their style. The group describes their sound as “swingbilly” as it includes elements of Western swing, old-time string band styles, ragtime, jazz and early country music.

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Founding member Billy Hurt Jr. is a past winner of the old-time fiddle contest at the prestigious annual Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention, and he was also named Best All-Around Performer at that same convention.

Hurt was a longtime member of Karl Shiflett’s band Big Country Show, and he has performed with other acclaimed bluegrass groups including Continental Divide, the James King Band and Acoustic Endeavors. He has also produced multiple solo recordings of old-time fiddle tunes.

Guitarist and pianist Brennen Ernst is also a former member of Big Country Show. In addition to bluegrass, he performs jazz influenced by guitarist Django Reinhart and by stride pianists of the early 20th century. He too has released multiple solo albums of both bluegrass and jazz.

Trevor Holder plays banjo and steel guitar for Five Mile Mountain Road. He is a past winner of the banjo competitions at the Old Fiddlers’ Convention and at the Mount Airy Fiddlers Convention. He also performs with the Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee, a group that focuses on bluegrass and country music of the 1940s and 1950s.

Guitarist and fiddler Conner Vlietstra is the 2021 Grand Master Fiddle Champion. After receiving that honor, he performed on the Grand Ole Opry. With fellow band member Holder, Vlietstra performs as the Chattanooga Dogs presenting brother duets and “hillbilly” styles of music that were popular in the early and mid-20th century. Both also tour with the Price Sisters.

Mandolinist Josh Gooding comes from a prominent bluegrass family in California. He has also toured with the Jason Carter Band, the Alex Leach Band, the Bays Mountain Cut-Ups and the Little Roy & Lizzy Show.

Bassist Austin Janey is an in-demand Nashville musician. He also performs in the Little Roy & Lizzy Show, and he’s toured and recorded with modern country star Sierra Ferrell.

Additional information about Five Mile Mountain Road 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, 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 start time.

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 and 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 a variety of online platforms.  For more information, contact KASU Program Director Marty Scarbrough at mscarbro@AState.edu or 870-972-2367. Additional information is also available on the Bluegrass Monday Facebook page.