Five regional bands, including Fiddlin’ Carson Peters, Luke “The Beat Box” Broyles and Smoke City, will perform Sept. 26 at Jiggy Ray’s in downtown Elizabethton as part of JiggyRoo. The music will begin at 4 p.m. and continue into the night.
The bands feature a broad range of sounds from bluegrass and Americana to rock, beat box and blues. The $10 tickets provide attendees with indoor and outdoor access to music, discounted beer outdoors and food discounts.
“It gives the town something to do in both the indoor and outdoor forums and showcases musical talent,” Jiggy Ray’s Downtown Pizzeria co-owner John Seehorn said. “We want downtown to be lively and to make people want to come and check out our awesome pizza and the skilled musicians who play here.”
Seehorn said that between the musical talent and the top-notch sound technicians of Elizabethton-based Backyard Productions, he expects a lively night of entertainment.
Playing indoors will be Fiddlin’ Carson Peters, The Truthers and Smoke City. Laura Thurston and Luke “The Beat Box” Broyles will perform out back.
Eleven-year-old Carson Peters of Piney Flats has been picking since he was only 31⁄2 years old. Through rigorous training with Sarah Fletcher Collins and Keith Williams and years of practice, he has gone on to perform at the Grand Ole Opry, on Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show” and at a number of regional competitions and venues.
He won first place in the Youth Old-time Fiddle, Bluegrass Fiddle and Youth Folk Song categories at the Bluegrass and Old-time Fiddlers’ Convention in Mount Airy, N.C. He was also named the Tennessee State Peewee Fiddle Champion for 2010 in Clarksville. Additionally, he earned first-place recognition in the Youth Old-Time and the Youth Bluegrass Fiddle categories at the illustrious Old Fiddlers’ Convention in Galax, Va.
Laura Thurston is a one-woman folk-grass musician from Rochester, N.Y., who lives in Charleston, S.C. She plays four instruments at a time: guitar, harmonica, tambourine and a suitcase-kick-drum.
Seehorn said she has an amazing voice. She has performed on the Blue Plate Special in Knoxville and teaches Old Time Music with Chatham Junior Appalachian Musicians.
Beat boxer Luke Broyles of Elizabethton has performed in numerous beat boxing competitions and has been lauded as Elizabethton’s most amazing beat boxer by SpotlightMeTV.
Seehorn said Smoke City, an Elizabethton country-rock group, will pack the house.
The Truthing Jar, is an Elizabethton-based, country-inspired Americana group led by Nathan Hardin, who plays live frequently at Jiggy Rays.
Tickets may be purchased from the individual bands or at Jiggy Ray’s in advance or at the door for $10.
For more information, call 423-518-1500.