American String Band Music: Roots and Offshoots performed by Camino Real

The Judy B. McDonald Public Library will present an evening of  old time music on Friday, Feb. 21, at 7:00 pm, in a program entitled  American String Band Music: Roots and Offshoots. Join the band Camino Real for a celebration of America's original roots music. In the hills and hollers of early America, self-taught musicians on acoustic instruments kept alive the songs their ancestors had brought from England, Ireland and points east. Those lively tunes became the soundtrack to the Revolutionary and Civil Wars and the better times of peace. Much later, the music morphed into bluegrass, country and then rock and roll. But the original acoustic music, played on mandolins, banjos and guitars is alive and well and growing with new songs in the old tradition. Camino Real?s musicians will take the audience on a journey of foot-tapping reels and jigs, beautiful ballads and a panoply of catchy tunes. Camino Real is Charlie Jones on fiddle and banjo, Jon Hall on guitar and mandolin, John Howard on lead guitar, Chris Barker on drums and guitar, Robbie Roach on bodhran (the Irish hoop drum) and Mark McLain on bass.