Cumberland Times-News
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ROMNEY, W.Va. — The sixth annual Springfest concert will be held March 27 at Hampshire High School, with proceeds to benefit the school’s Future Farmers of America chapter.
The Fox Hunt will open for the headliner, award-winning Lonesome River Band, with shows at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Food will be available at the food court in the school gym.
The Fox Hunt, a quartet hailing from Martinsburg, has released four CDs, “Nowhere Bound,” “America’s Working So We Don’t Have To” a self-titled extended play recording and, new in 2010, “Long Way to Go.”
The group consists of Matt Kline, vocals, bass and guitar; John Miller, vocals, guitar and bass; Ben Townsend, vocals, banjo and fiddle; and Matt Metz, vocals, mandolin and banjo.
The group has been described as “a bluegrass band, a rock band, a country band, even a punk band. Their roots go in all directions. They have a rough and rowdy stage prescence accompanied by the traditional instrumentation. They are constantly trading off roles by switching up instruments, exchanging vo-cals or harmonizing in the background, all the while weaving in and out to a single microphone.”
The band has shared the stage with The Hackensaw Boys, Cory Branan, The Hillbilly Gypsies, Ben Nichols (of Lucero), Two Cow Garage and Larry Keel.
Lonesome River Band celebrated 25 years in bluegrass in 2007, with a quarter-century of critical acclaim and industry recognition under its belt, including multiple album of the year honors given by International Bluegrass Music Association and the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America.
In late 2008, Rural Rhythm Records released the group’s 12th album, “No Turning Back,” which debuted at No. 11 on Billboard’s Top 50 bluegrass album chart. The album hit No. 1 on Bluegrass Unlimited magazine’s Top 15 album chart, where it remained for three months, with the single, “Them Blues” also reaching No. 1 on both the Bluegrass Unlimited Top 30 singles chart and Bluegrass Music Profiles Top 30 singles. Another single, “Like a Train Needs a Track,” also was well received.
The band received recognition in 2009 by the International Bluegrass Music Association with a nomination for instrumental performance of the year (“Struttin’ to Ferrum”), nomination for gospel performance of the year (“Darkness Wept”) and band leader Sammy Shelor’s nomination for banjo performer of the year.
The current lineup is Shelor; Andy Ball, vocals and mandolin; Brandon Rickman, vocals and rhythm guitar; Mike Anglin, bass; and Mike Hartgrove, fiddle.
For ticket information or to reserve tickets, call Martin Cecil at (304) 492-4036; Ron Miller, (301) 707-1078; Paul Roomsburg, (304) 671-8388; Greenwood Florist of Romney, (304) 822-8000; or The Book Center, Cumberland, (301) 722-2284.
