So, I walked into Panera today and instead of hearing the soft, old-man-in-a-Lexus jazz they normally play, I was surprised to hear these guys:
Loose Gravel, a local bluegrass band, plays at Panera every second Tuesday of the month. They started playing there after their manager (and bassist) dared them to ask the owner if they could. He said, why not, and they've been playing there ever since.
The band formed about 7 years ago and has been touring all over the Shenandoah Valley ever since. They consist of Anthony VanPelt (fiddle, vocals), Pat Velanzon (bass, vocals), Dale Wegner (banjo, vocals), Rick Hensley (guitar, vocals), and Jim Gallaher (mandolin, vocals).
The band has such a great chemistry. All of them have years of experience making music. Anthony has been playing violin since he was 4 years old and has a masters in Music Composition. He has a few classical albums for sale on iTunes. Dale Wegner has been playing guitar since he was 6 and has been playing in bluegrass bands since he was 16.
All of these talented performers come together to produce a sound that you don't always hear from a bluegrass band. They blend classical music influences with bluegrass for a more contemporary sound.
"It's not traditional. This is stuff they make up," said Pat Velanzon, the bassist.
Velanzon was sitting out for the performance today because he recently had surgery on his knee, and has been fighting off an infection. Dawn Miller, a friend of the band, has taken over as bassist until his return.
They played a two-hour set, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. One of my favorite songs of the night was called
The band currently has a few cds, which you can find by contacting Velanzon at their website, http://www.loosegravelbluegrass.com/ or looking them up on iTunes.
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