ETSU Pride Band on Bristol’s Big Room

The East Tennessee State University Pride Band, featuring top students from the Bluegrass, Old Time & Country Music program, performed recently on Bristol’s Big Room, a local music show broadcast on BTN-TV in Bristol, TN. The university is located in nearby Johnson City.

Their set started with a strong vocal performance from our own John Goad, a regular contributor to Bluegrass Today. John is a beloved figure within the ETSU community. So beloved, in fact, that students in the  program are celebrating today (April 12) as the Second Annual John Goad Awareness Day on campus.

But Goad is more than just a pretty face and a soulful voice. He is pursuing a dual major at ETSU, and expects to graduate this year with credentials in both history and bluegrass music! His academic achievement and artistic talent have been recognized by the Leon Kiser Memorial Scholarship, which covered one full year of his tuition at the school.

Here’s the band, with John primarily on bass, Josh Argo and Cara Oliphant on fiddle, David Mowell on mandolin, Zach Carter on banjo, and Andy Buckner on guitar. Program director Dan Boner introduces the segment.

The future of bluegrass in in good hands.