Frogtown bluegrass band performing at Western tonight

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  • Frogtown will be perfoming at Western Carolina University tonight.
    Frogtown will be perfoming at Western Carolina University tonight.
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Cullowhee – The Mountain Heritage Center holds the next concert in its annual First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Jam series tonight, starting at 7 p.m. at HomeBase on the Western Carolina University campus.

Frogtown will continue the series of concerts and open jams that includes some of the region’s best old-time and bluegrass musicians. The concert will last an hour and will be followed by an open jam session during which traditional musicians of all skill levels are invited to participate.

Frogtown has been in existence since 2001. The band gets its name from a locally-known spot in Macon County called Frogtown, located between Franklin High School and downtown Franklin. As bands often go, various members have come and gone over the years, but the core remains. Currently the lineup includes Shane Blackwell, Barry Clinton, Will Putman and Mark Queen. Frogtown features upright bass, fiddle, banjo (5-string and claw-hammer), guitar and mandolin, utilizing two and three-part harmonies. The music ranges from hard core bluegrass of musicians like the Stanley Brothers, to the bluesy melodies and ballads of Doc Watson and Norman Blake.

First Thursday concerts are free and are held inside HomeBase. The First Thursday series will continue in March with the Berea Bluegrass Ensemble on March 2 and Andrew Finn McGill on March 5. For more information or directions, call 828-227-7129 or visit www.wcu.edu/mhc.