Sam Wharton and Bands2Fans offer weekly streaming concerts

Just as we see live music coming back to stages in parts of the US, here is another regular streaming concert series for fans of contemporary and progressive bluegrass.

Sam Wharton, guitarist and founding member of Songs From The Road Band, has partnered with Asheville, NC venue Ambrose West to present Bands2Fans, a weekly live performance program highlighting the talent that’s overflowing there in western North Carolina. Ambrose West is one of the premiere wedding and event centers in Asheville, and offers a first class environment for acoustic concerts, but with all of their shows cancelled until late June – and Songs From The Road Band laid off as well – the pairing made perfect sense.

Care is taken to ensure that the artists and crew alike are safe and isolated for these shows, and while the streams are free to watch on Facebook, YouTube, or TwitchTV, donations are encouraged to throw something to the musicians, the crew, and the venue.

Wharton says that that everybody wins with this set up.

“Making music for people to enjoy is not just what we do – it’s who we are. So, the opportunity to play on a real stage with lights and professional sound, and to make that available to a ‘live audience’ at home on their couches is a gift to the players as well as the listeners who tune into Bands2Fans’ live streams.

I wanted to make sure we provided the safest environment possible for these live stream concerts. It’s important to me that the musicians feel safe and secure to get up on stage, let loose, and do what they love.” 

The first show in the series was held two weeks ago with a performance by The Darren Nicholson Band, followed by another this past weekend with a jam band made up of Drew Matulich, James Schlender, Nick Dauphinais, Derek Vaden, and Matt Wright.

This Friday (May 22), they will present Bobby Miller & The Virginia Daredevils at 8:00 p.m. (EDT). The band consists of Bobby Miller on mandolin and lead vocals, Rob Sine on guitar, Stig Stiglets on bass, and Zebulon Bowles on fiddle.

All you need to do is visit one of the Bands2Fans streaming sites on Friday at 8:00, and enjoy the show. And don’t forget to tip!

Share this:

About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.