For the second year, the ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band is set to perform in the 23rd Annual Bluegrass On The Beach Music Festival in Lake Havasu City, Az. The award-winning student group will travel across the country to bring the spirit of Appalachia to one of the Southwest’s most anticipated gatherings.
Resting along the shoreline of Lake Havasu City, this festival promises a weekend full of great music and good fun, featuring nationally recognized artists, regional favorites and rising talent. This year, the festival has yet again recognized ETSU’s very own Bluegrass Pride Band, as the band’s invitation reflects the ensemble’s growing reputation beyond the Tri-Cities.
Since the group’s initial formation in 1982, the Pride Band has earned a distinct reputation among the nearly 40 other bands within the Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Music program. They have performed in seven foreign countries and have received numerous invitations to perform at notable locations like the NATO Headquarters in Brussels and the Kennedy Center.
Beyond the invitations, the group became the first ever collegiate bluegrass band to have a charting single when their original release “Did You Hear Me Say Goodbye” reached #12 and #16 on the Bluegrass Today National Airplay Chart in 2016. The group would then go on to chart another single in fall 2017 with their student-arranged song “Sam Jocelyn’s Ghost.”
The band’s return to the Bluegrass On The Beach Music Festival adds yet another notch in the group’s impressive resume.
For the seven student musicians, this outdoor festival provides invaluable networking opportunities and a chance to connect with professional musicians and audiences outside of the Appalachian region. Festival attendees can look forward to the group performing a mix of original spontaneous interactions and recognizable songs from bluegrass catalogs.
Audiences will have two opportunities to see the ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band take the stage: Friday, March 6, from noon to 12:45 P.M. and Saturday, March 7, from 2:30 to 3:15 P.M.
