From a press release:
On Friday, Dec. 20, Town Mountain and Mandolin Orange will play a benefit for two local hunger relief organizations, Funding America Through Entertainment (FATE) and MANNA FoodBank at Isis Restaurant and Music Hall in Asheville, NC. New Belgium Brewing Company is sponsoring the event and will donate proceeds from their beer sales in addition to a monetary bonus. Town Mountain has dedicated a portion of ticket sales for the cause as well as arranged for a 50/50 raffle the evening of the show. This is the 3rd time that FATE and Town Mountain have teamed up to fight hunger, having donated more than $3000 towards the cause and Town Mountain will continue to develop the Holiday Bluegrass Benefit as an annual tradition.
Asheville-based Town Mountain’s hard drivin’ bluegrass sound, tight harmonies, and stellar in-house songwriting have become the band’s trademark as they have grown into a national touring act performing at at some of the most prestigious festivals in the country such as MerleFest, Grey Fox, Rockygrass, Suwannee Springfest and the Targhee Bluegrass Festival, just to mention a few. They light up the stage with their honky tonk edge and barroom swagger, featuring a Jimmy Martin-style bounce and confidence that is countered at times by a laid-back John Hartford-esque groove. Town Mountain includes Robert Greer on vocals and guitar, Jesse Langlais on banjo and vocals, Bobby Britt on fiddle, Phil Barker on mandolin and vocals, and Nick DiSebastian on bass.
The band is thrilled to be hosting this year’s Bluegrass Holiday Benefit with longtime friends Mandolin Orange at Isis Music Hall, the location where Town Mountain’s new album, Live At The Isis, was recorded.
Mandolin Orange, hailing from Carrboro, NC, is Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz. “Mandolin Orange carries an understanding of tradition and shape it into a thing of beauty. They craft simple songs that go beyond chord progressions and vocal harmonies, leading somehow toward something pure. Using acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin and a hand-me-down fiddle, Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz allure with a heart-worn sensibility…[which] combines bluegrass, rock and country for lullabies that swoon,” writes Independent Weekly. They released their 3rd album, This Side of Jordan last summer through Yep Roc Records and have made quite a bit of noise on the folk/Americana circuit, while displaying a virtuosity and exuberance that crosses over to more indie-rock inclined audiences.
MANNA FoodBank is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving Western North Carolina since 1983. As an accredited member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization, the mission of MANNA FoodBank is to involve, educate, and unite people in the work of ending hunger in Western North Carolina. MANNA serves 221 non-profit member agencies in 16 Western North Carolina. For more information, visit MANNAFoodbank.org or call 828-299-FOOD.
Funding America Through Entertainment (FATE) specializes in facilitating relationships among corporate entities, Feeding America food banks, and entertainers. FATE brings attention to various hunger-related issues and generates revenues to combat hunger. In 2013, FATE generated revenues in excess of $20,000 for hunger relief organizations. More than $10,000 was generated for Asheville’s MANNA FoodBank!! For more info visit SupportFate.org
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