ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Local bluegrass outfit The JackTown Ramblers are heading to Jack of the Wood for their 500th performance this weekend.
The bluegrass band will take to the stage from 8:30-11:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 27 at the downtown pub. Tickets are $10 at the door.
One member of JackTown is winding down
While the Ramblers are excited to celebrate the milestone, one of their members will be hanging up his guitar after this Saturday’s performance.
“I’m fixing to retire, because these boys now are playing just so much out there on the road,” said Ramblers guitarist Steve Bradshaw. ” I am 74 years old. I love the music, but I don’t want to, you know, start playing music that I’m not capable of doing anymore. I like to keep up with the band. I don’t want to have no hard feelings towards nobody, so I thought it was time to get out while I’m on top of it.”
Bradshaw, who has played guitar since he was 14 years old, said that his time with the Ramblers has been a highlight of his long musical career.
“These are some of the best musicians I’ve ever played with,” Bradshaw declared.
Before his time with the Ramblers, Bradshaw used to play music with David Wiseman, the father of the Ramblers’ lead vocalist and mandolin player, Gabriel Wiseman.
“We done a whole lot of playing in Western North Carolina and his daddy’s still a super picker,” Bradshaw said. “David Wiseman is tremendous, Gabriel is tremendous and all them guys I’m playing with now are real tremendous.”
In addition to their 500th performance and Bradshaw’s retirement, the concert will triple as an album release show for the Ramblers.
“I guess you’d call it maybe a little bit of a CD release party,” Gabriel Wiseman said. “‘Live & Local Vol. 2.’ We record all of our shows live. I’ve recorded every show we played for years and sometimes I’ll find a good cut of something we can use.”
‘Live & Local Vol. 2’ includes material from Ramblers shows recorded in Johnson City and Nashville, Tennessee, as well as Edisto, South Carolina, but not Jack of the Wood. Despite the resemblance in name, this will be the band’s first performance at the venue.
For more information about The JackTown Ramblers, visit www.jacktownband.com.