Travis & crew stopped by for a lively & entertaining show that had our house shouting as part of their farewell tour, with Mebane’s Johnny Ridge sitting in on fiddle.
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Fountain AfterDark
May 28, 2026
vol. 24, number 9
Travis Frye & Blue Mountain Bluegrass Show Sat. Nt.
[Fountain, NC] Travis Frye & Blue Mountain plays RAF as part of their 2026 Farewell Tour, which will end 18 years of picking, recording, & travel. They’re a multi-generational bluegrass band that honors Appalachian roots music while adding a modern twist. Based out of Mt. Airy, they incorporate spirited fiddle & banjo tunes with modern country, bluegrass, & gospel traditions, as well as original material. They’ve performed on historic radio & TV shows such as “The Merry-Go-Round” in Mount Airy, “The Blueridge Backroad” in Galax, Virginia, and multiple times on PBS’s Song of the Mountains in Marion, Virginia.
Travis & crew have shared the stage with Big Country Bluegrass, the Steel Drivers, Lou Reid & Carolina, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Marty Raybon & Full Circle, Sammy Shelor, and Terry Baucom. They’re led by Mount Airy’s Travelin’ Travis Frye on guitar, with Hersie McMillian of Asbury on banjo (he’s also a charter member of the GoodFellers); Doug Joyce of Stuart, VA, on bass; and Mount Airy’s Tim Frye, host of “Mountain Morning” and “Mountain Midday” on WPAQ radio, on mandolin. For tonight’s show, Johnny Ridge, from Mebane, is sitting in for Blue Mountain’s regular fiddler, Henry Mabe. Big John is familiar to RAF audiences for his many performances here with the Malpass Brothers.
Travis Frye & Blue Mountain’s May 30 concert begins at 7:30. Click here for online purchase of reserved seats ($18), general admission ($15), or student general admission ($5). Free admission for 12 & under.
After Saturday, RAF has two concerts remaining before closing for the summer. On June 5, the Americana duo Hildaland performs traditional & original Scottish & Appalachian songs. Award-winners on mandolin and fiddle, they met while students at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Our season’s grand finale: Lorraine Jordan & Country Grass on June 13.
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