Loblollies

Location: R.A. Fountain

The Loblollies. a Raleigh-area youth bluegrass band, plays RAF for the first time this evening. Pickers range in age from 13 to 18: Alanabeth Duncan, banjo; August Sanchez Dunn, guitar; Hattie Casper, guitar; Isabelle Parker, fiddle; and Jorja Cornwell, mandolin. Mentored by Jef Walter, who plays bass with the band, and Sam Stage, the Loblollies met through the monthly youth jams and weeklong summer youth camps offered by PineCone, the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music. Playing a mix of traditional and contemporary bluegrass as well as some originals, the Loblollies prove that the future of our music is in fine-picking hands.

The Loblollies have have played performed at several of North Carolina’s best gigs, including MerleFest, the Shakori Hills GrassRoots festival, the Lincoln Theatre, the NC CueGrass Festival, and Raleigh’s IBMA World of Bluegrass. They also host the PineCone Youth Bluegrass Jams every month at the Cary Arts Center.

Jef & Sam brought a previous incarnation of young PineCone pickers, the Carolina Pine Cones, which featured fiddler Sam Stage, Jr.

Tags: acoustic Carolina, bluegrass, bluegrass gospel, Concert, tradtional bluegrass