Series to feature Chompin’ at the Bit String Band

This article features an event that occurred in the past.

The First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Jam Series will continue at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center on Thursday, Feb. 2, with a concert featuring the Chompin’ at the Bit String Band of Asheville.

The band’s 7 p.m. performance will be followed by an 8 p.m. jam session in which local musicians are invited to participate.

Performing “rowdy old-time string band music,” Chompin’ at the Bit includes Lindsey Liden, fiddle; Kevin Scanlon, banjo; WCU alumnus Christopher Farmer, guitar; and J. Grey Nelson, bass. After years of exploring other musical genres such as punk, rock ‘n’ roll, jazz and country, the four young musicians have settled into the style of music they were raised on. “I tried to fight for years, telling my parents I was a punk rocker and didn’t want anything to do with their old-time music, but something about it kept drawing me back,” Liden said. “Now, I can’t get enough.”

The concerts and jam sessions will continue at the Mountain Heritage Center through the winter, with programs from 7 to 9 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month. The lineup of upcoming performers includes the New Southern Ramblers.

The events are free and open to everyone. Pickers and singers of all ages and experience levels are invited to take part in the jam sessions, and the events also are open to those who just want to listen.

The Mountain Heritage Center is located on the ground floor of WCU’s H.F. Robinson Administration Building. For more information, call the museum at 828-227-7129.