Lineup for ‘Where The Hills Are Blue’

White Horse Black Mountain Announces The Fall Lineup for It’s Popular ‘Where The Hills Are Blue’ Concert Series

Contributed by VENUE. (Black Mountain NC) White Horse Black Mountain in Black Mountain NC kicks off the fall schedule for it Where The Hills Are Blue concert series on Friday September 2nd with Mark Newton’s Stillhouse Band and The Moore Brothers.

The concert series continues on Friday October 7th with Niall Toner (from Ireland) and Asheville NC area band Bobby and the Bluegrass Tradition. On October 15th, the series presents Grasstowne and Cumberland River. The fall series concludes on November 19th with Brandon Rickman of the Lonesome River Band. All Shows Begin at 8pm.

White Horse Black Mountain is a 225 capacity music and arts venue in Black Mountain North Carolina. It’s conveniently located only 15 minutes east of Asheville NC. Concerts take place in the historic McMurray Building which once housed McMurray Chevrolet. Tickets are on sale now at www.whitehorseblackmountain.com. For additional information contact the venue at 828-669-8012.

Past performances in the popular Where The Hills Are Blue series have featured, Junior Sisk and Ramblers Choice, Ralph Stanley II, Karl Shiflett and Big Country Show, Grasstowne, Travers Chandler and Avery County, Karl Shiflett and Big Country Show, The Twilite Broadcasters, and others.

The series is sponsored by Mountain Music Entertainment and the Mountain Music Time radio show on 880AM The Revolution.

White Horse Black Mountain is pleased to be able to kick off the fall lineup with two great bands.

Mark Newton has a long history in the bluegrass music field dating back to 1978, when he became a member of the Knoxville Grass out of Knoxville, Tenn. By 1983, Newton, Rickie and Ronnie Simpkins, and Sammy Shelor founded the Virginia Squires, one of the premier bluegrass acts during the 80’s.

In 1998, Newton released his first solo album for the Rebel Records label,”Living A Dream.” While cutting “Living A Dream,” Newton came up with the concept for “Follow Me Back To The Fold” A Tribute To Women in Bluegrass. The disc won the IBMA Recorded Event of The Year Award in 2001. Newton also participated on “Knee Deep In Bluegrass The Acutab Sessions” and won The IBMA Instrumental Album Of The Year in 2001.

In recent years, Mark Newton has been an active bluegrass promoter while continuing his solo career. Collaborating with Grammy-winning producer Carl Jackson, for one of his most successful projects to date, “Hillbilly Hemingway” the title of his last project, Mark searched beyond bluegrass for just the right songs, adding tasteful percussion and raising his already considerable interpretative vocal skills to a new level. The result was an album solidly rooted in bluegrass without being hemmed in by its narrowest conventions for a collection that he calls, without hesitation, “the best album I’ve made to date.” Hillbilly Hemingway was in the top ten bluegrass records for the year of 2007.

In early 2011, the urge to begin touring again with a band caught up with Mark Newton and he’s put together a great new band who will be performing under the name Mark Newton’s Stillhouse Band. The new band consists of bluegrasser Newton, banjoist, bassist and vocalist Andrew Blythe and Dobroist, guitarist and vocalist Leah Needham.

“I am excited to be working such great young talent like Leah and Andrew, moving forward with a refocused musical product, and continuing my efforts with the Graves Mountain Festival, Lyrics for Lyric, and being able to put my energy into being an artist and producer. I am excited about the future and look forward to seeing many of my fans and friends later this year as we kick off the new tour.” said Newton.

The Black Mountain concert on Friday September 2nd will be one of the first concerts for the new band and bluegrass lovers are abuzz to hear this fresh new band headed by a bluegrass veteran.

Newton expects to release a new project soon with the new band configuration.

Opening the evening will be two young musicians who have been drawing raves at festivals throughout the southeast, The Moore Brothers.

Jacob is a thirteen year old that enjoys playing the mandolin, fiddle, banjo and guitar. He currently studies the mandolin with Wayne Benson of III rd Tyme Out and the fiddle Greg Luck.

Isaac is an eight year old that plays the mandolin and studies the guitar with Reggie Harris, of the Harris Brothers.

Jacob was the Junior Mandolin Champion in the youth division at Fiddler’s Grove at the age of 9 yrs old. At age 10, he won Most Promising Talent division of the Mooresville 67th Old Time Fiddler’s and Bluegrass Convention. At age 11, he won first place in the Burke County Youth Talent Showcase.
Isaac started singing on stage with his brother at the age of four. He got his first black mandolin for his sixth birthday. His dad and brother have been getting him started. He recently enrolled in classical guitar instructions at the Suzuki School of the Arts.
Almost everywhere that he performs, someone refers to him as “Little Elvis”. Isaac feels the music and enjoys entertaining the crowd. We are never sure what he will decide to do on stage next!

The Moore Brothers Band also includes dad, Jeff Moore on the rhythm guitar, Richard Penland on lead guitar and Mark Davis on the bass. The Moore Brothers Band is based in the North Carolina foothills. They all love to perform bluegrass,gospel, blues and spread lots of smiles. Both Jacob and Isaac were selected to participate in the “Kids on Bluegrass” program at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Fan Fest in Nashville, TN in 2009 and 2010.

They released their first CD in Feb 2010 and it was ranked 45th in the WNCW’s listeners top 100 bluegrass poll of 2010. The Moore Brothers Band won first place in the bluegrass band competition at the WNC State Fair in 2010.

Father of the band Jeff Moore is originally from Black Mountain and many of his family still live there. The appearance at White Horse Black Mountain will be their first major performance in Jeff’s hometown and will be a wonderful homecoming event.

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