Bluegrass Gospel Project
July 25, 2014
At the Essex Community Church
$10 per person; children free
Seating is limited. For advance tickets, please email pstaats@westelcom.com.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Essex Community Church, just across the street from the Essex-Charlotte ferry dock. Evening concerts are usually an hour and a half, including a brief intermission. Each concert is followed by a reception with refreshments and an opportunity to interact informally with the performer(s). Admission is $10 for adults while children are welcome free of charge. Hope to see you there!

Reserve seats now to ensure entrance. Contact: pstaats@westelcom.com.

About the Bluegrass Gospel Project

The Bluegrass Gospel Project has been impressing audiences with expertly-rendered performances since its inception in 2001, and has become “one of New England’s premier concert acts” (Seven Days). At its start, the BGP focused primarily on that music from which they drew their name. Over the years, and hundreds of concerts later, the band’s repertoire has comfortably morphed into an eclectic mix of songs which exhibit a wide stylistic range within the acoustic tradition and showcases their stunning vocal capabilities. There still remains a thread of spiritual sensibility throughout their playlist; songs that express common values held by people of all faiths and backgrounds; songs in which both serenity and optimism is found amidst the struggles visiting the human condition. With folk, pop, and bluegrass songs that range from U2 to Stanley Brothers, from Dylan to Louvin Brothers, from Sam Cooke to Steve Earle, from Bela Fleck to Brett Dennen, the BGP’s repertoire now defies easy categorization and continues to thrill audiences with their impeccable vocal and instrumental performances.

Gene White, Jr, fiddle, guitar, vocals. Gene is the founder and musical director of the BGP. He is a Burlington, Vermont resident and a private investigator by day. At home, he is the dedicated caregiver for three greyhound dogs. He was a member of Breakaway and is a former neighborhood bocce champion.

Dr. Steve Light, banjo, dobro, guitar, vocals. Dr. Light is a native of Plattsburgh, New York, and still lives and works there today as a sociology professor and associate vice-president at SUNY-Plattsburgh. He can also be seen performing with the Modern Grass Quintet and at the Saratoga Race Track. He is a two-time Vermont State Banjo Champion and is the father of two grown sons who are also musicians.

Colby Crehan, vocals. Colby has lived in Burlington, Vermont with her husband since 2003. She was raised in New York and North Carolina. She can also be seen as vocalist/guitarist and songwriter with the group PossumHaw. She is a proud wife and mother, and when she’s not performing music she’s at home with her daughter, Bellamy.

Paul Miller, guitar, vocals. Paul was born and raised in the Bronx, NY. He made his way to Woodbury, Vermont and has since performed with many groups, including Coco and the Lonesome Road Band, Breakaway, Bluebird, and the Andy Shapiro Quartet, to name a few. He also plays drums and bass, and spends his days helping Vermonters with mental illness find and keep employment.

Taylor Armerding, mandolin, vocals. Taylor has lived on the North Shore of Boston for many years and has been an outstanding figure in New England bluegrass for decades, first as a founder and lead singer of the progressive bluegrass band Northern Lights. Taylor’s superb vocal abilities and mandolin playing have opened doors for him to tour around the country. He also performs with Jonathan Edwards and with his son, singer-songwriter Jake Armerding.

Kirk Lord, upright bass. Kirk is the native Vermonter of the group, born in Barre, Vermont. Home is now Essex Junction, Vermont. He also can be seen with the Modern Grass Quintet and Bob Degree and the Bluegrass Storm. He is also BGP’s “sound man” and a talented visual artist and designer.

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