On Friday, the lineup at Stuart’s Opera House in Nelsonville will reflect Appalachia’s bluegrass roots, with the Hart Brothers and headliner Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out taking the stage with some “foot-tapping” bluegrass tunes.
The Hart Brothers, an Athens County band, and the award-winning band Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out have both played the venue before, and both said they liked the experience. Moore called the opera house “a gem in the middle of Southeast Ohio.” Brian Koscho, marketing and promotions coordinator for Stuart’s, said that last year when Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, the audience was between 230 to 240 people and said they are on track for a similar turnout for this performance.
“It’s an identifiable thing, in this region and in the mountains,” Koscho said. “People grew up with this music, and it’s a chance to come to a big show at a really great value.”
Koscho noted that the bluegrass community is a loyal group that tends to advertise these kinds of shows by word of mouth.
“I’m amazed by the organization of the bluegrass community,” Koscho said. “They’re really grassroots and are a community that is always looking for more and more shows.”
Pete Hart, spokesman for the Hart Brothers, said the group plays modern-traditional bluegrass music and tries to establish a friendly, upbeat atmosphere at their shows.
The Hart Brothers have a direct connection to the Southeast Ohio and West Virginia bluegrass scene, having run a bluegrass festival in Guysvillefor 16 years.
“(Bluegrass fans) are loyalto the music,” Hart said. “The performers are more acces- sible to the fans than other genres of music. It’s definitely a family-oriented style.”
Moore said he and IIIrd Tyme Out look to engage with the audience through humor and anecdotes between songs and visiting with fans during intermission and after the performance.
“Throughout our performance, we’ll perform songs and instrumentals that will, hopefully, evoke feelings of excitement, ballads for a trip down memory lane, and a few gospel songs for reflection ... Our hopes are that everyone leaves with a smile on their face,” Moore said.
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