Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
VIENNA — The Vienna Union Hall, located at 5 Vienna Mountain Road, will kick off its 2017 season with a wonderful bluegrass group, the Katahdin Valley Boys, Saturday, May 20, at 7 p.m.
One of Maine’s most popular and respected Bluegrass bands, the Katahdin Valley Boys has been thrilling audiences around Maine and northern New England since its blending of talents in 1998. The group was honored as recipients of the “Bluegrass Band of the Year” award for 2012 by The Maine Country Music Association and in 2008, 2009 and 2011 by the Maine Academy of Country Music.
The Katahdin Valley Boys take pride in presenting audiences with top quality, traditional and contemporary Bluegrass and Bluegrass Gospel music. Each member brings many years of experience and professional showmanship to the band’s hard driving traditional Bluegrass sound.
A KVB show is unique in that all band members share lead and harmony singing. Their repertoire features tight harmonies and smooth solos. KVB performs family-oriented shows, have a fresh, personal, approach coupled with an exciting format.
Members of the band include Vienna hometown virtuoso Dan Simons. A well seasoned musician, Simons plays Bluegrass mandolin, sings lead and harmony vocals, and is a talented guitar player. He draws from a wealth of experience, having played with several roots and bluegrass ensembles performing original material as well as cover tunes. The Katahdin Valley Boys were proud to add Simons to the band in 2016.
Sidney native Jeff Folger is a towering lead and tenor harmony singer, playing the five-string banjo in a traditional, hard-driving style. The classic sounds of Ralph Stanley, Earl Scruggs and J.D. Crowe have been a major part of his musical influence. Folger has been performing since 1993 and has been with the Katahdin Valley Boys since 1998 as a founding member.
Ken Brooks calls Athens home and was honored by the Maine County Music Association as an inductee into the “Country Music Hall of Fame” in 2012. His superb rhythm and lead guitar picking, along with lead and harmony vocals, enhances the band’s all-around sound. Brooks brings a wealth of experience and vast repertoire to the band. Performing since 1965, Ken has played with several popular bluegrass bands. He has an extensive discography, having recorded as a solo and ensemble artist. The Katahdin Valley Boys is proud to incorporate his vocal excellence and solid guitar work into the band.
Steve Bixby plays the upright bass, performs much of the master of ceremonies work, and adds his vocal talent to the show. Originally from Ashland, Mass., Bixby lives on the Pemaquid Penninsula in Round Pond. At the invitation of a friend to join him at a festival in New York State, Bixby caught the Bluegrass bug in 1978 and began playing Bluegrass bass in 1980. An accomplished bass player and recording artist, he has performed with several, well-known Bluegrass acts and at numerous Bluegrass festivals throughout the northeast.
Tickets are $10.00. For tickets or more information email viennaunionhall@gmail.com or call 293-2674.
