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The musicians of Chester River Runoff: from left, Marc Dykeman M’07,
Ben Armiger, Sam Guthridge ’04 and Nate Grower. Photo courtesy of Loblolly Productions. |
CHESTERTOWN, MD— The popular Washington College Riverfront
Concert Series, hosted by the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American
Experience, returns for a third year of free Thursday evening performances on
the Custom House lawn. This year’s lineup includes three beloved local ensembles — Chester River Runoff on June 21 and the Pam Ortiz Band along with
the vocal trio Sombarkin on July 5.
Then, to cap off the series, the internationally acclaimed
Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, with its roots in traditional American
dance and music (from Southern Appalachian clogging to the African-American
body percussion art of hamboning), will perform on July 19.
Each event will include a special happy birthday salute to
American folk icon Woody Guthrie, who was born 100 years ago, on July 14, 1912.
“People have told me that this is their favorite Starr
Center program and that they’ve begun to look forward to it every summer,” says
Adam Goodheart, Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of the Starr Center. “So much of
the ‘American experience’ resonates through our country’s great musical
traditions. And there’s nothing like enjoying a great band and a picnic by the
banks of the Chester River on a beautiful summer evening.”
Launched by the Starr Center in 2010, the Riverfront Concert
Series builds on the Center’s longstanding interest in the musical traditions
of the Chesapeake Bay and its rich heritage of storytelling. The series host is
the Starr Center’s program manager, Michael Buckley, whose weekly radio program
on Annapolis-based WRNR, 103.1 FM (Sundays, 7 to 10 a.m.) includes the
acclaimed interview series “Voices of the Chesapeake Bay.” Special assistance
for the Concert Series is provided by Yerkes Construction and Washington
College’s Dance Program and Student Events Board (SEB), with additional support
from the Maryland State Arts Council.
The opening concert on June 21 will feature the Eastern
Shore’s own Chester River Runoff. Since 2004, the band has been wowing crowds
at festivals and in clubs from Maine to Nashville with its honest, unaffected
sound. Rooted in traditional bluegrass, their music is sometimes described as
“newgrass,” or “a combination of bluegrass, alt-country and acoustic Hillbilly
jazz.”
“For harmonies, runaway instrumentals and sheer delight, no
one does bluegrass like Chester River Runoff,” the Chesapeake Maritime News says of the band, which features Ben
Armiger (guitar, vocals), Marc Dykeman M’07 (bass, vocals), Nate Grower (fiddle,
vocals) and Sam Guthridge ’04 (banjo, vocals). “Their repertoire goes well beyond
the bluegrass standards to embrace homegrown material that reflects their
Eastern Shore roots: call it eelgrass, call it bluecrabgrass, call it an
incredible mix of fiddle, banjo, guitar, bass and vocals.”
The free public concerts all begin at 6:30 p.m. behind the
Custom House, corner of High and Water streets in downtown Chestertown.
Attendees are encouraged to bring their own blankets, lawn chairs and picnic
dinners. Lemonade and cookies will be provided free of charge. In case of
inclement weather, the concerts will take place in The Egg, a performance space
in Hodson Hall Commons on the main Washington College campus.
* * *
Founded in 1782 under the patronage of George Washington,
Washington College is a private, independent college of liberal arts and
sciences located in colonial Chestertown on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The
college’s C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience is
dedicated to fostering innovative approaches to the American past and present.
Through educational programs, scholarship and public outreach, and a special
focus on written history, the Starr Center seeks to bridge the divide between
the academic world and the public at large.
