In four days, Stuart's Opera House will have three separate concerts, including The Wayfarers, Todd Snider and The Wood Brothers.
Stuart’s Opera House is prepping for a busy weekend. A different concert is booked at the venue each night — Friday, Saturday and Monday.
“I will say, usually there’s a period in fall every year where we have a lot more (concerts),” Brian Koscho, marketing director of Stuart’s Opera House, said. “The way Stuart's operates, a lot of the times, we’re opportunistic about things. When stuff comes up, even when it’s a couple of days in a row, we don’t shy away.”
The craziness kicks off Friday with a free performance by The Wayfarers, a string band with a bluegrass and mountain sound.
Performing in the parking lot, The Wayfarers are closing out the opera house’s Free Summer Concert Series, which runs the last Friday of June through September. A beer garden will also be available.
The free concert series supplements the Nelsonville Final Fridays on the Square event.
“It’s a really nice addition,” Koscho said. “Live music at an event like (Final Fridays) where already all these other things are going on — art vendors, special themes — having live music, I think, adds this extra level. … Of course, we like to think that it draws out some extra people to Final Fridays. We like any opportunity to bring people to Nelsonville.”
Featuring three Ohio University alumni, The Wayfarers is excited to play at Stuart’s for the first time, Brandon Bankes, who does vocals and plays the mandolin, said.
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“We love Stuart’s and everything they do for the community in Nelsonville and are big supporters of the Nelsonville Music Festival, so we’re thrilled to be asked (to play),” Bankes said. “A lot of our music is … like something you would hear on the front porch in the hills.”
The next day, singer-songwriter and storyteller Todd Snider will return to the Stuart’s stage. Snider’s comedic, personable storytelling is what Koscho said sets him apart from other singer-songwriters.
“He’s so funny. … His way of writing songs and his way of playing a show, I’ve seen a lot of singer-songwriters, it’s pretty different than anything else I’ve seen,” Koscho said. “It’s sort of just hanging out with someone you’ve known a while. … He’s a fan favorite.”
After a break Sunday, Stuart’s will be filled with the sounds of Americana and folk when The Wood Brothers perform Monday evening. The band is on tour, promoting its latest album Paradise, which will be released Oct. 2.
“For their fans, that’s the big thing — playing new stuff,” Koscho said. “For us, they’re a group that definitely fits in with the Stuart’s audience … but it’s a group we haven’t had before. It’s a group when we get suggestions about who the audience would like to see, their name has come up before.”
Overall, Koscho said he is excited for the mix of genres that will be at Stuart’s in the next few days.
“But I’m looking forward to Tuesday to get a bit of rest, too,” he said laughing.
