The United States Navy Band Country Current, the Navy’s premier country-bluegrass ensemble, will perform at the University of Central Arkansas’s Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall on Friday, Sept. 7.
The 7:30 p.m. performance is free and open to the public. No tickets are required. Doors will open at 7 p.m.
“It’s always fun to host the military’s bands because they’re always so good,” said Jerry Biebesheimer, director of UCA Public Appearances.
The River Valley and Ozarks edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is the local sponsor.
Under the direction of Senior Chief Musician Keith Arneson, Country Current is nationally renowned for its versatility and “eye-popping” musicianship, performing a blend of modern country music and cutting-edge bluegrass.
This seven-member ensemble employs musicians from diverse backgrounds with extensive high-profile recording and touring experience in the music scenes of Nashville, New York City, New Orleans and more. In the tradition of country music, each member is a skilled performer on multiple instruments. The band utilizes banjo, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, fiddle, electric bass, upright bass, dobro, pedal steel guitar and drum set.
Formed in 1973 by legendary banjoist Bill Emerson, the band has a rich legacy of notable alumni including Wayne Taylor, Jerry Gilmore and Frank Sollivan. The band has performed at the Grand Ole Opry, for presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, and overseas in Stockholm , Nova Scotia, and Beijing. With a fun-filled and family-friendly stage show, Country Current has been delighting its fans for nearly 40 years with musical virtuosity and humor.
In 2011, Country Current became the first military band to perform at the South by Southwest music festival.
Country Current performs regularly for the president, vice-president, the secretary of the Navy, the chief of naval operations, the chairman and vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff, the master chief petty officer of the Navy and numerous other dignitaries. Reaching out to communities both locally and nationally, they regularly perform for veterans, elementary schools, and in support of our active-duty Sailors.
For more information, contact Biebsheimer at (501) 450-3682; jerryb@uca.edu.
