Appalachian Road Show's new album is fittingly called Tribulation. PHOTO PROVIDED

On March 31, Edison and Ford Winter Estates will host the acoustic ensemble, Appalachian Road Show, for the final Rhythm on the River concert of the season. The group performs bluegrass and folk music, as well as original songs. The event will take place on the Ford lawn, along the Caloosahatchee. Gates open at 6 p.m. and the concert starts at 6:30 p.m.

Band members include Grammy-nominated banjoist Barry Abernathy, Grammy-winning fiddler Jim VanCleve, vocalist and mandolinist Darrell Webb (who has recorded and toured with Dolly Parton), Grammy-winning bassist Todd Phillips, and guitarist Zeb Snyder. Abernathy, VanCleve, and Webb were each born and raised in Appalachia. Abernathy sang in his church as a young boy, VanCleve has played the fiddle since he was 6 years old, and Webb grew up with the influence of bluegrass music.

The group’s music tells stories from the mountains and valleys of North Carolina and Virginia and the coal mines of West Virginia and Kentucky. Those stories include topics of logging, coal mining, trains, and lost love in their hit songs such as I Am Just a Pilgrim, Little Black Train, Dance, Dance, Dance, and the ballad of love and loss in Anna Lee.

The band’s first album had three number-one songs on the Bluegrass Today Weekly Airplay charts. Then, in 2019, the band was nominated for the New Artist of the Year and Song of the Year (Dance Dance Dance) at the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards. In 2021, the group was named Instrumental Group of the Year and New Artist of the Year at the IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards.

Food and beverage vendors will have light refreshments available for purchase. No coolers or picnic baskets will be permitted. Free parking is available in the main Edison Ford parking lot at 2350 McGregor Blvd.

Tickets may be purchased online or at the ticket counter. Individual tickets purchased in advance are $30 for Edison Ford members or $35 for non-members; tickets at the door will be $40. Individual ticket holders should bring a lawn chair. A VIP seating area may be reserved by the table for $225. Each table holds up to five people; table ticket price includes the use of a table and chairs. For more information or to purchase tickets online, visit EdisonFord.org.

Source: Edison and Ford Winter Estates