From PEMBERVILLE OPERA HOUSE
The RFD Boys will perform the first show of the 15th season of Live! In the House at the Pemberville Opera House Saturday, Sept 2, at 7:30 pm. The show is the first of the series of concerts on the first Saturday of each month through May. Tickets are available for individual shows or for the entire season. Information below.
The RFD Boys have been delighting Ann Arbor audiences since 1969 with their fabulous musicianship and sly, exquisitely timed between-song humor. With an appearance on the cover of Bluegrass Unlimited, with songs recorded by the likes of the Country Gentlemen, and with performances alongside bluegrass greats like Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley, the RFD Boys are a part of America’s bluegrass tradition. One of southeastern Michigan’s most durable musical ensembles, they’re very much a local tradition, too.
At a recent concert at the Ark, where they’ve been the house bluegrass band for the last thirty years, the audience ranged from three-year-olds to grandparents who might have gone to college with the “Boys.” The atmosphere is festive, the crowd clapping and stomping from the first tune and hollering out requests between songs. The more reticent write their favorites on napkins and stuff them in the red mailbox standing beside the stage. The Boys check their “mail” regularly, and with a repertoire of nearly 750 pieces, they’re tough to stump.
Guitarist and lead singer Charlie Roehrig’s “Sit by the River,”; a lovely ode to the Charles River, and to his grandfather,
who had Charlie convinced it was named after him. Charlie”s heartfelt tenor is perfectly suited to bluegrass, and decades
of singing together have blended the Boys’ three-part and four-part harmonies to the smoothness of Kentucky bourbon.
For over 20 years, David Mosher has had the good fortune to perform, write, produce, record, and teach music full time.
Based in Southeast Michigan, he’s stitched himself throughout the fabric of the state’s musical community as a sideman
for some of the state’s best-known performers, including Kitty Donohoe, Matt Watroba and many others, as well as a band member of the Black Thorn, The Raisin’ Pickers, and the go-to multi-instrumentalist for countless regional acts. He has toured internationally with Kate Mackenzie, John Rieschman, and Tammy Fassaert as well as recently accompanying folk icon Tom Paxton. He performs with Ann Arbor’s Wild Swan Theater as their main musician and is also involved as music director of the newly formed Ramblin’ River Road Show and part of the music team for the new musical “Swamp Opera.”
Back in the day, Dan Roehrig was one of the many RFD Boy children who could be found running through the aisles at shows, and he first appeared on-stage with the band in 1995 when he was 12 years old. He later joined several local rock bands as a guitarist and vocalist before returning to his bluegrass roots. Dan grew up listening to Doc Watson, Clarence White, and Tony Rice and you can hear it in both his singing and guitar playing. He once sat in for Paul on bass and occasionally takes out the mandolin. .
Tickets available now at Beeker’s General Store or by calling Carol 419-287-4848 are $12.00 each or entire series of nine shows for $90.00
Sheduled shows are:
- Sept. 2 – The RFD Boys have been delighting audiences since 1969 with their fabulous Bluegrass musicianship and sly, exquisitely timed between-song humor.
- Oct. 7 – Matt Tolentino is dedicated to preserving ragtime, traditional jazz, and early swing with his five-piece swing band.
- Nov. 4 –For nearly two decades, Hoodang has been mesmerizing audiences with its unique blend of driving country music.
- Dec. 2 – Yang and Olivia is a dynamic violin-piano duo who create an unforgettable storytelling event in their program, featuring contemporary and classical works from different parts of the world.
- Jan. 6 – Silent Movie Night featuring Lynne Long at the piano. A perennial crowd pleaser.
- Feb. 3 –Steeped in the rich legacy of this tremendously exciting music, Mr. B, the Boogie Woogie piano guy learned directly from the blues and boogie legends.
- March 2 – Nostalgia Entertainers captivates with versatile shows featuring vintage music!
- April 6 – The Jake Reichbart Trio For the past 30 years, guitar virtuoso Jake Reichbart has been delighting audiences in the Great Lakes region and beyond.
- May 4 – Westbound Situation blends the precision of classical chamber music, the rhythmic drive of bluegrass,and the colorful expression of jazz into a new style of chamber.
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Correction
A story published earlier today had the dates for the 2022 Live! In the House series.
