3 posts tagged “darren beachley”
25 July, Brunswick, Maryland:
A major Bluegrass event in this sleepy little railroad town straddling the Potomac River near Harper's Ferry, up in that nebulous mountain area where the state lines between Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland all seem to get confused. It all started out as a fundraiser for the local Baseball league with Jill Hossler being the contact point and main driving force behind the endeavor. Why not invite local boy and former Brunswick High alumnus Darren Beachley to bring his newly formed band up to play and maybe raise a little money? Little did she know she was getting the Traveling Wilburys of Bluegrass and Kenny Ray Horton to boot. And she never expected that more than 500 die-hard bluegrass fans would show up. There were a few people from the Brunswick area, but word-of-mouth got around quickly and filled up the ample Brunswick Highschool auditorium with mountain music fans who have been following the evolution of Darren's abilities and the number of great musicians he's been able to gather around him. The big surprise here for me was Kenny Ray Horton, who I really don't follow, even though I knew he was one of the lead members of the Navy Band group, Country Current. More about him later.
The main story here is that after the recent departure of Darren Beachley from Doyle Lawson's Quicksilver, what would become of this local boy with the golden voice and multiple talents? It wasn't long after that he formed The Legends of the Potomac and the name itself caused a stir in bluegrass circles. Legends? There are only a few legends in this business. But he did it - he gathered together Mike Auldridge, Tom Gray, Norman Wright, and Mark Delaney and I've been fortunate to catch a few of their pre-launch efforts before they release a record and really go mainstream. It won't take them long - this is Bluegrass at its best. There were a few sour notes, one or two timing mistakes at this performance, but what they delivered was pure performance and teamwork. It's easy to sense if a team is working, if they're having fun with what they're doing. The vocals, musicianship, and freedom for individual talents to be expressed in solo-work was about as good as it gets. Banjo-player Mark Delaney is destined for the Bluegrass Hall of Fame - pay close attention. Mike Auldridge (Dobro) and Tom Gray (Bass) are already there. They were original members of the Seldom Scene. Norman Wright, who I've written about in other places honed his career with the Country Gentlemen, the Bluegrass Cardinals, and hundreds of gigs with most of the best musicians in the business, and basically he's just a fun-guy to be around ( don't encourage him when he and Kevin Church are in the same room or on the same stage.)
The Legends of the Potomac: Darren Beachley, Guitar, vocals. Mike Auldridge, Dobro. Tom Gray, Bass. Norman Wright, Mandolin. Mark Delaney, Banjo.
Contact: www.legendsofthepotomac.com
(there will be a forthcoming CD release - 'sometime in October' according to Darren and the Band)
Special thanks to concert coordinator Jill Hossler of the Brunswick Junior Baseball League and the huge crew of volunteers who helped make this event a success. Also of note: the Soundwork provided by Todd Stotler who deserves mention. Turning a highschool auditorium into a perfect concert venue isn't easy.
Darren Beachley and The Legends of the Potomac
Kenny Ray Horton (and Friends) at Brunswick Fundraiser, 25 July 2009
This just in from Darren Beachley:
"We are thrilled to announce that Darren Beachley and (the recently formed) Legends of the Potomac have signed with Patuxent Records! Patuxent offers an unparalleled level of artistic control, in addition to boasting a reputation for working with some of the finest Bluegrass musicians in today's Washington, D.C. area scene. We have known Tom Mindte, creator of Patuxent Records, for years and are truly looking forward to collaborating with him. Recording is expected to begin in July 2009
In other good news, Darren will be re-releasing his first two solo projects, Remembrances and I love You to the Moon and Back on MasterShield Records."
"Coming Soon to a City Near You!"
The yellow sheet of paper with the large font proclaiming the above caught my eye on the CD table in the vestibule of the Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Herndon, Virginia last night. I picked up a copy of the announcement and read on - In amazement! "Darren Beachley and The Legends of the Potomac, featuring Darren Beachley, Mike Auldridge, Tom Gray, Norman Wright, and Mark Delaney - for more information and a schedule of upcoming events, please go to: www.legendsofthepotomac.com "
For any bluegrass fan this kind of news is earth-shaking. I was hooked and wanted to know more. The perky blonde lady behind the table (it happened to be Darren Beachley's better-half Sherri,) saw that look on my face and was kind enough to engage me in an interview/conversation on the evolution of the new group and the group's optimistic future. Sherri introduced me to Darren, who was in preparation to take the stage as part of Norman Wright's "Travelers" group, who appeared last night at Holy Cross Lutheran. I didn't want to bug him at that point - I know what it's like to go in front of an audience 15 minutes before show-time. There are only a few Pantheons in the different genres of the world of music. This particular line-up in the genre of Bluegrass is one of them. I couldn't wait to get home and click on to the new website to see what it offered. The group is obviously off and running with plenty of performance dates into 2009 and 2010 and that must make them feel awfully good at this point. They're going to be busy and I'll have more information in the coming months about local appearances here in the Northern Virginia Area.
Thanks to Sherri and Darren for the picture, and a chance to talk to them about the new venture.
