Enjoy free live music on the lawn of Carnegie Hall during this Summer’s Ivy Terrace Concert Series! The line-up includes Long Point String Band (old-time acoustic), Shayar (reggae), Hardened and Tempered (folk and country), Thomas Taylor (country), Krista Hughes Band (classic country to modern country to vintage rock), and B-BAMS (Neil Young, The Beatles, etc)!

Bring the whole family, a picnic supper, a blanket and your dancing shoes – barefeet permitted. Concerts begin at 6:30pm and are free and open to everyone. Great performances featuring regional artists ranging in style from rhythm and blues and jazz to classic folk, bluegrass and world.

Thursday, June 13: Long Point String Band, 6pm. This is an Old-Time Acoustic “Neo-Traditional” outfit from southern W.V. We blend the authenticity of Old-Time Mountain Music, with the flare of bluegrass, regularly playing musical selections from West Virginia old-time and bluegrass pioneers. The group consists of the virtuosic stylings of Hunter Walker, Brian C. Bell, Lewis Prichard, Lars Swanson and Tessa Dillon. Most recently, the LPSB was honored to take home the 1st place blue ribbon in the Old-Time Band category, at the 2017 Tazewell Old-Time and Bluegrass Fiddler’s Convention.

Thursday, June 27: Shayar, 6pm. Shayar (Lenval Jarrett) was born in Ocho Rios, St. Ann Parish, Jamaica in 1956. He had a natural inclination towards music and his bass-playing father was one of his greatest influences. Shayar began piano lessons in primary school. At age 12, Shayar convinced his father to buy him a guitar. He soon knew music would be his career. In high school, Shayar played in a band that worked the hotel circuit along the north coast of Ocho Rios.
When Shayar was 19, the famous Jamaican producer Jack Ruby introduced him to Reggae Superstar and Grammy-winner Burning Spear. Over ensuing decades, Shayar has played guitar for Burning Spear on international tours and has also toured with Anthony B, the Itals and other musicians.

When not on tour, Shayar focused on his own original music. In 1984, he moved to Brooklyn, NY and formed Crucial Force. In 1998, Shayar moved to the mountains of Beckley, WV – where the natural beauty is akin to that of Jamaica – and continued with a new iteration of the band, Krooshal Force.

Shayar has recorded five albums. Spiritual Warrior, released in 2006, receives radio play in Europe, and is popular with fans on the band’s local circuit. Get Up and Try was just released in October 2009.

Thursday, July 11: Hardened and Tempered, 6pm. Hard enough to hold an edge; soft enough not to break. Austin-based duo Kristin Davidson and Carolyn Phillips live that balance and express it in their music. Their songs take root in the story-telling traditions of folk and country and flourish with textured melodies and harmonies, revealing an intimate look at the human condition from a perspective that the listener may not have previously considered.

Thursday, July 25: Thomas Taylor Taylor has been playing in and around Southwest Va., East Tennessee and West Va for the past 20 plus years.

Thursday, August 8: Krista Hughes Band They perform a diverse selection, including styles from classic country to modern country to vintage rock, all with a modern progressive indie edge. The band also covers some modern female country, as well as other genres of music.

Thursday, August 22: B-BAMS. This group has been making music for almost 20 years – more than 100 years if you add up their time individually!  Bob (guitar and vocals) and Mary (keyboard and vocals) Thompson (BaM) made the first musical duo.  Then Alex (cello), a WVSOM student at the time, joined the group and they became BAM (Bob, Alex, Mary).   Alex meets his soon to be wife, Sarah (violin) and that rounded out the group known as BAMS (you get the idea).  A few more years down the road they meet one of the most phenomenal vocalists ever – Bryan McManus – and that makes….B-BAMS! Hear some of their favorite tunes by artists Neil Young, John Prine, The Beatles, Travis Tritt, Garth Brooks, Nancy Griffith, Townes Van Zandt and more!  Original songs too!

Concerts are held on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays, June through August. All performances begin at 6:00PM, rain or shine, and will be moved inside if weather dictates. Carnegie Hall is located at 611 Church Street in downtown Lewisburg. For more information, visit CarnegieHallWV.org or call 304-645-7917. This event is sponsored by City National Bank.

– HashtagWV #114. June 2019.