Upcoming Bluegrass Related Events

From an early age, Michael Cleveland heard old-time and bluegrass music at local jams and festivals near his hometown of Henryville, Indiana. His grandparents hosted regular bluegrass gatherings at the American Legion, and at age four, he began playing the fiddle. He attended the Kentucky School for the Blind in Louisville, where he learned the Suzuki method of violin. While he practiced the violin at school, he played fiddle at home. Cleveland had always dreamed of leading his own band and in 2006, he formed Flamekeeper, seven-time recipients of the IBMA’s “Instrumental Group of the Year” award, including Josh Richards, Nathan Livers, Jasiah Shrode, and Chris Douglas. In addition to touring with his band, Cleveland has performed with a legendary list of bluegrass greats: Bela Fleck, Tommy Emmanuel, Billy Strings, Vince Gill, and more. Widely considered the bluegrass fiddler of his generation, Cleveland has been recognized 12 times as the IBMA’s Fiddle Player of the Year and in 2018 was inducted into the National Fiddlers Hall of Fame. His recording Fiddler’s Dream was nominated in 2018 for a GRAMMY for Best Bluegrass Album, and in 2019, he won a GRAMMY for his album Tall Fiddler. The same year, Cleveland’s amazing life of adversity and achievement was featured in the documentary film Flamekeeper: The Michael Cleveland Story. And in 2022, he was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship. 

An alumnus of celebrated progressive bluegrass bands Joy Kills Sorrow and the Yonder Mountain String Band, Jacob Jolliff is one of the genre’s top mandolinists and a sought-after collaborator, sharing the stage with Darol Anger, Tony Trischka, Sam Bush, David Grisman, Ronnie McCoury, Michael Daves, and many others. In 2022, Jacob was called on by banjo master Béla Fleck to tour as part of My Bluegrass Heart. He performed around the country alongside Béla and some of the top musicians in the genre: Bryan Sutton, Cody Kilby, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz, Michael Cleveland, Stuart Duncan and Billy Contreras. Now, the mandolinist’s main focus is The Jacob Jolliff Band, a group of virtuosic pickers – Jolliff on mandolin and vocals; Myles Sloniker, bass; Ross Martin, guitar; and George Jackson, fiddle – who play Jacob’s original instrumentals and songs. They tour nationally in the US, Scotland, and Australia, and have released two albums, “Instrumentals Vol. 1” in 2018 and “The Jacob Jolliff Band” in 2022.

Based in Raleigh, NC, banjo star Tray Wellington has received a number of accolades, including two awards from IBMA — 2019 IBMA Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year and 2019 Momentum Band of the Year (with Cane Mill Road). Tray can now be found performing all over the country with Tray Wellington Band.

Based in Raleigh, NC, banjo star Tray Wellington has received a number of accolades, including two awards from IBMA — 2019 IBMA Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year and 2019 Momentum Band of the Year (with Cane Mill Road). Tray can now be found performing all over the country with Tray Wellington Band.

Southern Rail will fill South Boston Carhouse at Seashore Trolley Museum with an exuberant blend of upbeat bluegrass and riveting vocals on Saturday, October 26. This event promises to be a full house, featuring lush harmonies, irrepressible good humor, and sparkling banjo, guitar, mandolin and bass, all with antique trolleys in the background. Come early to browse the wonderful exhibits and to take an evening trolley ride! Those who would like to also join us for dinner, you’re in for a treat! Seashore Fan Favorite For The Love of Food & Drink will be providing dinner in between the trolley ride and the concert as an option to our event guests. 4:30PM: Evening trolley ride departs from the museum’s Visitors Center. 5PM: Dinner by For The Love of Food & Drink is served inside the museum’s Exhibit Room, inside the Visitors Center. If the weather is right, enjoy dinner just outside the Exhibit Room on the trolley boarding platform. 5:30PM-7:30PM: Southern Rail performs inside the museum’s South Boston Carhouse, a short walk or trolley ride from the Visitors Center. Parking is available next to South Boston Carhouse for those with mobility challenges. There will be a 15-minute intermission with a trolley shuttle available to bring guests to restrooms in the Visitors Center. Ticket options include the following: Trolley Ride, Dinner & Southern Rail Concert (4:30PM) Adults: $40 Youth Under 12: $25 Children Under 3: Free Just the Southern Rail Concert (5:30PM) Adults: $20 Youth Under 12: $10 Children Under 3: Free

The program surveys bluegrass music from its roots in early country and fiddle/banjo music to more progressive acoustic music with the same instrumentation. The Splinters cover old time fiddle tunes and The Carter Family to Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, The Stanley Brothers, and other traditional bands, landing in more progressive groups such as David Grisman, Bela Fleck, and modern ‘old time’ like John Hartford and Andrew Marlin. Participants will learn about these different styles of music and what makes them unique, but part of the same fabric. We will also discuss the role of each instrument in the group and how that creates the whole sound you experience. There will be plenty of music involved. The Splinters, a bluegrass and old-time string band from Massachusetts, deliver a relentless groove to accompany their tight 3-part harmonies. Tom Pritchard (fiddle) brings the heat to his fiddle playing. J Johnson (mandolin) adds a jazzy flair to his breaks. Chris Reckling (guitar, banjo) picks solid rhythm and punchy leads on top of Garrett Wallace’s grooving bass fiddle. A Splinters set veers from straight ahead bluegrass to traditional fiddle tunes and back, with the occasional detour into a modern song. They released their first album as a quartet, “Grey Owl”. Their second album, “In the Pale Moonlight“, was released in August, 2023. Both are available on all major streaming platforms and on Bandcamp.

Southern Rail's concerts are high octane exuberant fun with stunning harmonies, irrepressible good humor and sparkling banjo, guitar and mandolin. Their repertoire is fresh and diverse, featuring lots of originals plus a kaleidoscope of cover.  There will be a special concert dinner menu which is outstanding!  Reservations are recommended as the room fills up quickly.