PAMLICO-BREWED: Carolina Still to perform at Turnage

Published 5:55 pm Thursday, August 7, 2014

SHANE DERUISE | CONTRIBUTED MOONSHINER STOMP: Carolina Still, comprised of Billy Smith on drums, Adam Jones on upright bass, Robert Norman on fiddle and Justin Casey as the band’s lead singer, guitarist and banjo player, will perform at the Turnage Theater this Saturday as the second event of the season in the Pamlico Opry series.

SHANE DERUISE | CONTRIBUTED
MOONSHINER STOMP: Carolina Still, comprised of Billy Smith on drums, Adam Jones on upright bass, Robert Norman on fiddle and Justin Casey as the band’s lead singer, guitarist and banjo player, will perform at the Turnage Theater this Saturday as the second event of the season in the Pamlico Opry series.

A brew of old-time country, traditional bluegrass, rockabilly and blues straight from the back roads of Beaufort County will bring an audience to the Turnage Theater on Saturday for the third in a series of presentations this season — the Pamlico Opry.

After an opening by the Flatland Zingers, Carolina Still will hit the stage at the Turnage Theater this Saturday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., and audiences will experience a sound that has been referred to as old-time, moonshiner stomp, said Beaufort County Traditional Music Association President Linda Boyer. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. BCTMA partnered with the Beaufort County Arts Council to present the Pamlico Opry series, and bring standing regional bands to local venues, Boyer said.

“We try to encourage local musicians to play in all sorts of venues and the theater is a wonderful, historic place to have good ol’ traditional music,” Boyer said. “They (Carolina Still) are so darn good and they play such fun, energetic, traditional music. They just play it the way it should be played, I think, and I’m excited about hearing them and giving people the opportunity to hear them play.”

The band, which got its start about 10 years ago, playing at Music in the Streets and at other local events and venues, will present a number of original selections, including the title track from its recent album, “The Color of Rust,” said lead singer, guitarist and banjo player Justin Casey. The band will also display some of its bluegrass origins via songs like “Reuben’s Train” and “Darlin’ Corey,” as well as old-country tracks like “Good-hearted Woman” by Waylon Jennings and “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash.

“We incorporate quite a bit of stuff in our performances,” Casey said. “Myself and the fiddle player, Robert, played in a lot of rock and roll bands growing up so we bring that energy to this acoustic sound. We kind of weave in that energy to make it easier to listen to for younger folks.”

Casey said all the music the band plays is either original or written in decades past, but the band members put their own flare on it, making it a style of their own. The group has toured all over the nation — from Montana to Nashville, Florida to New York City — carrying a significant dose of Beaufort County charm in its song content.

“We are real proud to be able to go all around the country and share what we have learned from growing up in this area,” Casey said. “We’ve used a lot of stuff from this area in our music. We bring our hometown to all these places we go.”

The Pamlico Opry series, which runs from July to September, is a cooperative presentation of local, grassroots, family-friendly entertainment at the Turnage, according to BCAC Director Joey Toler. The six-event series has introduced a new audience to the theater, which both organizations hope to carry on for summers to come, Toler said.

“The Pamlico Opry series is a way to get people in the Turnage who usually don’t come,” Toler said. “These types of programs introduce a new audience, and it is certainly something we can carry on. Turnout has been good, and as we move along, the audience grows and we’re optimistic it will continue to grow. I think with Carolina Still’s following, we will have a big bump in attendance.”

The Turnage Theater is located at 150 West Main St. in downtown Washington. Doors open at 7 p.m. and seating begins at 7:30 p.m.