Paragould, AR – Contributed – The Bays Mountain Cut-Ups will perform at the next KASU-FM Bluegrass Monday concert. The show will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 24, at the Collins Theatre, 120 W. Emerson St. in Paragould.
Based in east Tennessee, this quartet is a fast-rising band that is quickly building a reputation for their energetic stage shows filled with top-notch instrumental talent and intricate vocal harmonies.
Earlier this summer, the band was signed to Sound Biscuit Records, and their debut album for the label will be released next month.
Guitarist Ben Watlington, banjo player Colton Powers, and bassist Max Etling first met as students at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) where they were studying toward a degree in bluegrass, old-time and roots music.
The three musicians are also former members of Seth Mulder’s band Midnight Run. As part of that ensemble, the group was the “house band” performing multiple times daily at Old Smoky Moonshine Distillery, a popular tourist destination in downtown Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Watlington is a fourth-generation bluegrass musician from North Carolina. He is also a featured vocalist in the band.
Powers is a Tennessee native who has released a solo album which features all the other members of the Bays Mountain Cut-Ups as backing musicians.
Etling grew up in Minnesota, and he was a member of the ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band, a touring ensemble featuring the top music students at the institution. Following graduation, he returned to the university to serve as an adjunct bass instructor.
The fourth member of the group is Josh Gooding, who began playing mandolin in his family’s California-based bluegrass band at age six. He has also performed regularly with the Alex Leach Band, the Jason Carter Band, and Five Mile Mountain Road.
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The admission fee to the Bluegrass Monday concert is $10 per person, payable by cash at the door the night of the concert. Everyone aged 18 and under will be admitted free. Advance tickets can be purchased online. All ticket proceeds go to the musicians, compensating them for their performance.
Groups of eight or more may request reserved seating by contacting KASU’s Marty Scarbrough. Otherwise, the theatre doors open at 6 p.m., and seating is first-come, first-served.
Acoustic musicians are invited to participate in a bluegrass music jam session to begin at 5 p.m. in the Joe Wessell Building, adjacent to the Collins Theatre. A section of seats in the theatre will be reserved for jammers and their guests so that they can play until the concert start time.
The Bluegrass Monday concert series is a non-profit presentation of KASU-FM, providing music fans with an affordable and outstanding evening of family-friendly entertainment. These concerts are held on the fourth Monday night of each month.
These concerts are presented with support from sponsors including the Paragould Advertising & Promotion Commission, Kiss The Cook, Bibb Chiropractic Center, Gardner-Milner Law Firm, the Posey Peddler, Holiday Inn Express and Suites of Paragould, and KASU.
KASU is the public media service of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, broadcasting at 91.9 FM and streaming on a variety of online platforms. For more information, contact KASU Program Director Marty Scarbrough at mscarbro@AState.edu or 870-972-2367.
Additional information is also available on the Bluegrass Monday Facebook page.
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