Bluegrass Night featuring Buncombe Turnpike & Holler Choir
Hendersonville Theatre proudly presents Asheville bluegrass favorites Buncombe Turnpike and Holler Choir as August’s intimate Hometown Sound concert. Come and celebrate a new downhome tradition as an established local bluegrass band takes to the stage with the newcomers who are carrying the genre’s rich musical traditions into the future.
Lead singer and bass player Tom Godleski began Buncombe Turnpike in the fall of 1997. Buncombe Turnpike plays a variety of heartfelt tunes ranging from traditional and contemporary bluegrass to gospel and hand crafted Buncombe Turnpike originals. With its crowd pleasing demeanor, seasoned musicianship, and powerful vocals, the band has made a name for themselves among traditional and contemporary listeners alike. Bluegrass and a touch of folk and old-time make their music highly listenable. Buncombe Turnpike is considered one of the premier bluegrass bands from Asheville and has had several albums named top Bluegrass Album on WNC. The band has also played across the country and traveled to Spain for performances. In 2007 they opened for Marty Stuart, for the Cherryholmes Family, and for Sam Bush, and took first place in the North Carolina Mountain State Fair bluegrass competition. They will be debuting songs from their ninth album at this concert. Buncombe Turnpike is made up of Godleski (vocals, upright bass), Korey Warren (guitar, mandolin, vocals), David Hyatt (guitar, mandolin, vocals), George Buckner (banjo) and Don Lewis (fiddle, mandolin, vocals).
In February of 2022, Holler Choir began when a group of young, talented roots musicians converged on Cross Roads Studios in Asheville. The meeting’s purpose was to make a solo record for Americana artist Clint Roberts. However, Roberts realized while recording “Holler Choir” that his idea for a record was the perfect thesis for something larger. Guided by Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist Michael Ashworth (Steep Canyon Rangers), Roberts’s crew of bluegrass and old-time inspired peers became the band that is now known as Holler Choir. Based in Asheville, Holler Choir is a string band with members Clint Roberts (guitar, vocals), Helena Rose (banjo, vocals), Norbert McGettigan (bass, vocals), Bridger Dunnagan (fiddle), and a rotating cast of additional talent. Their sound features tight vocal harmonies, driving clawhammer banjo energy, introspective lyrics, and melodic hooks. In late 2022, the band joined forces with Michael Ashworth again to produce Holler Choir's debut full-length record, “Songs Before They Write Themselves.”. The record was engineered by Jason Richmond (Avett Brothers, Rising Appalachia) and Grammy-winning Kim Rosen mastered the album. Brevard native Clint Roberts is the chief songwriter and singer for Holler Choir and has collected a series of industry nods in recent years, including shout-outs from Rolling Stone, Bill Board, American Songwriter, and Cowboys & Indians.
