Dollar Brothers, Elkville String Band at Jones House Friday

Story by Anna Oakes

Performing bluegrass, gospel and original songs, The Dollar Brothers will perform on the Jones House porch this Friday, August 28, at Concerts on the Lawn.

The sounds of strings will be the theme on the Jones House porch this Friday, August 28, when The Dollar Brothers and the Elkville String Band perform at Concerts on the Lawn in downtown Boone. The weekly Watauga Arts Council program starts at 5:00 p.m., and admission is free.

With members from Watauga and Ashe counties, The Dollar Brothers Band performs a high-energy bluegrass style with mandolin, fiddle, banjo, guitar, dobro, piano and vocals. The Dollar Brothers have shared the stage with the likes of Bill Monroe, Jim and Jesse, The Seldom Scene, Doyle Lawson and The Osborne Brothers.

In addition to bluegrass standards, the Dollar Brothers perform gospel and their own compositions.

“The Dollar Brothers have not participated in a Concerts on the Lawn series since the band was named Timberline Bluegrass Boys,” said Mark Freed, folklorist at the Watauga Arts Council and coordinator of Concerts on the Lawn. “These talented and funny friends grew up in the Meat Camp community and have been playing bluegrass in the area for more than 20 years.”

Based in North Wilkesboro, the Elkville String Band plays traditional country roots music, including bluegrass, old-time, gospel and blues. The band strives for its own sound while also working to preserve the old ballads and songs of North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. Some of the songs in their set lists date back to the early 1800s.

The Elkville String Band returns to Concerts on the Lawn at 5:00 p.m. this Friday at the Jones House, performing traditional country roots music.

“We are happy to welcome Elkville String Band back to the porch for this year's Concerts on the Lawn,” Freed said. “These guys are some of the purest tradition bearers of mountain music from Wilkes County.”

Rennie Brantz and Bettie Bond are the sponsors of this Friday’s concert. Concerts on the Lawn season sponsors are Alpine Storage, the Downtown Boone Development Association and Mast General Store.

The Concerts on the Lawn season, presented by the Watauga Arts Council, will continue every Friday through September 18. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket.

For more information about Concerts on the Lawn, call the Watauga Arts Council at 828-264-1789 or click to www.watauga-arts.org. For information about The Dollar Brothers, click to www.thedollarbrothersband.com, for the Elkville String Band, click to www.elkvillestringband.net.