Hard-core bluegrass at Wildflower

WHITE MILLS, PA — One of bluegrass music’s most popular bands, Dry Branch Fire Squad, takes the stage on Saturday, August 2. The performance, which begins at 6:00 p.m., will be held at the Wildflower Amphitheater on the grounds of the Dorflinger-Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary.

In 32 years of music making, Rounder recording artists Dry Branch Fire Squad have become an institution in American acoustic music, renowned for its spry mix of front-porch standards, modern ballads and the old-time sounds from which bluegrass first sprang. Inspired by a fierce and uncompromising loyalty to the most traditional aspects of bluegrass and southern gospel music, Dry Branch Fire Squad is fueled by the musical vision and cultural commentary of Ron Thomason.

“I don’t know which I enjoy more—Dry Branch Fire Squad’s hard-core, purebred bluegrass music, or leader/mc Ron Thomason’s hilariously droll ‘country bumpkin’ (but not really) monologues that are also a big part of the band’s show,” wrote Jonathan Takiff of the Philadelphia Daily News.

A native of southwest Virginia, Thomason founded the Dry Branch Fire Squad in 1976. To date, the band has recorded over 21 projects and performed at the most prestigious acoustic music venues and festivals in North America.

Dry Branch Fire Squad tours from coast to coast, appearing at some of the most prestigious music events in North America including the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival in Gettysburg, PA; the Strawberry Park Festival in Preston, CT; and the Festival of the Bluegrass in Lexington, KY. The group also hosts the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival (formerly the Winterhawk Bluegrass Festival), the largest bluegrass festival in the Northeast, as well as the High Mountain Hay Fever Festival in Westcliffe, CO, one of the fastest growing all-acoustic festivals in the U.S.

This concert is sponsored by The Honesdale National Bank.

Tickets cost $20 for general admission, $10 for students 6 to 18 years old. There is no charge for children under six.

Upcoming concerts in the Wildflower concert series include The 5th Dimension (special $30 ticket) and Luba Mason.

The general admission performance begins at 6:00 pm. The outdoor concert will be held at the Wildflower Amphitheater on the grounds of the beautiful Dorflinger-Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary in White Mills, between Hawley and Honesdale. Guests are invited to bring lawn chairs and pack a picnic to enjoy the pristine setting. Light beverages will be for sale on the Sanctuary grounds.

In the event of inclement weather, the performances will be held at the air-conditioned auditorium at the Wallenpaupack Area High School.

For more information visit wildflowermusic.org or call 570/253-5500.