Good Times Off the Mountain Beating Winter Blahs a Short Drive Away By Jeff Eason January and February in the mountains can be beautiful. To be honest, however, it can also be brutally cold and hard to enjoy. Sometimes it takes a trip to the Piedmont or beyond to shake off some of the winter blues and get an early taste of springtime. If you are looking to take in some music while you are off the mountain, you are in luck as there are a number of events worth traveling to. Here’s a sampler of some of the coming events at lower altitudes: MerleFest favorite Donna the Buffalo returns to North Carolina this weekend for a show at The Orange Peel in Asheville. Donna the Buffalo in Asheville Coming of the wild success of their 2005 album release Life’s A Ride, the uncompromising Upstate New York band Donna the Buffalo returns to Asheville for a show at the Orange Peel on Saturday, January 14th. The doors open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m. The Asheville folk and swing band The Mad Tea Party will open the show. Donna the Buffalo’s new lineup includes Jeb Puryear on guitar and vocals, Tara Nevins on fiddle, squeeze box and vocals, Tom Gilbert on drums, Kathy Ziegler on keyboards and Bill Reynolds on bass. The band combines the sounds of American Zydeco with a blend of world rhythms and straight up rock and roll. The Mad Tea Party features musicians Ami Worthen and Jason Krekel (ex-Snake Oil Medicine Show mandolinist). Admission is $16 in advance and $18 at the door. For more information, or to order tickets, call the Orange Peel at (828) 225-5851. Rhonda Vincent in Wilkesboro The reigning queen of bluegrass, Rhonda Vincent, will bring her talented band, the Rage, to the Walker Center at Wilkes Community College for a special pre-MerleFest concert on Friday, January 27 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $16 in advance and $18 at the door. Vincent has been voted the International Bluegrass Music Association’s “Female Vocalist of the Year” for six consecutive years and it was announced last month that her 2005 release, Ragin’ Live, has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Bluegrass Recording category. “A professional entertainer since childhood and role model for Alison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent has always been ahead of the pack. The Missouri native presented her brand of contemporary bluegrass music at a time when women were expected to play bass and softly sing mournful ballads. Vincent broke away from the others and gave the guys a run for their money by tackling progressive chord structures and multi-range, fast-paced vocals. Breaking from the traditional garb of bluegrass musicians with her black leather jeans, her flawless attack style of mandolin playing and self-written new music has carried her to the top of her field since forming the Rage.” To order tickets, call the Walker Center in Wilkesboro at (336) 838-6260, or visit their website at www.walkercenteronline.org. Songwriters in the Round The historic Balsam Mountain Inn between Waynesville and Sylva will host its first “Songwriters in the Round” session on Saturday, January 21 beginning at 7:30 p.m. The event will feature songwriters Chris Wallin and David Lee. Wallin wrote his first song at age 12. His most recent successes are two top-5 singles: “I’m Tryin’” recorded by Trace Adkins and “Speed” recorded by Montgomery Gentry. Wallin’s previous songwriting hits include Brian McComas’ “you’re In My Head,” and Confederate Railroad’s “What Brothers Do.” Other artists who have recorded Wallin’s songs include Lorrie Morgan, Sammy Kershaw, Tommy Shane Steiner, Jeffrey Steele, Brad Paisley, Joe Diffie and Diamond Rio. Lee’s successful songwriting career culminated with the top ten singles “Now You See Me, Now You Don’t” as recorded by LeeAnn Womack and “Letters from Home” as recorded by John Michael Montgomery. He also wrote “This Ol’ Heart” by Terri Clark and “19 Something” by Mark Wills. Cover charge for the Songwriters in the Round session is $10 per person. Reservations are suggested as most sessions sell out. For more information, or to make reservations, call 1-800-224-9498. Bluegrass First Class in Asheville The 11th Annual Bluegrass First Class show is scheduled for February 17-19 at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Asheville. This exclusive indoor festival will feature performances by The Seldom Scene, The James King Band, Mountain Heart, IIIrd Tyme Out, Lonesome River Band, Bobby Osborne & the Rocky Top Express, Dark Corner Bluegrass, Highway Bound, The Grascals and Miller’s Creek. The event will feature a wealth of traditional and modern bluegrass music plus a special Sunday morning Gospel Hour before check-out time. Stages include the Grand Ballroom and intimate sunken lounge. Last year’s event was a sellout and folks wanting tickets to the 11th Annual Bluegrass First Class weekend are encouraged to order early. Weekend tickets are $70 per person and daily tickets are $35 per person. A number of weekend room packages are available for people wishing to stay at the Crowne Plaza Resort. For concert information, contact Milton Harkey at (828) 275-8650. For hotel reservations, contact the Crowne Plaza Resort at 1-800-733-3211. Florida’s Langerado Music Fest Folks who can’t wait for the summer and Bonnaroo to arrive should make plans for an early spring break-style exodus to the sunny shores of Florida for the 4th Annual Langerado Music Festival to be held March 11 & 12 at Markham Park near Ft. Lauderdale. The festival will feature performances by Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, The Black Crowes, The Flaming Lips, Wilco, The Meters, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Keller Williams, Burning Spear, G. Love & Special Sauce, Steel Pulse, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Drive-By Truckers, The Secret Machines, Umphrey’s McGee, The Disco Biscuits, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, MOFRO, Slightly Stoopid, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Brazilian Girls, Kid Koala, Lyrics Born, RJD2, Kinky, Rose Hill Drive, Brothers Past, Pnuma Trio, Lotus and many others. The Langerado Music Festival will also feature a Friday evening “Sound Check” pre-party event featuring Perpetual Groove, the Benevento Russo Duo, Buckethead, Hot Buttered Rum String Band, Theresa Andersson, and Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes. Advance tickets are available for $119.50 and include on-site camping. Portions of the proceeds from the event will benefit victims of the 2005 Hurricane Season via the Daily Bread Food Bank of Miami. For more information, call (954) 424-8728, or visit www.langerado.com.