Bluegrass Monday Concert to Feature Kevin Prater Band
JONESBORO – The Kevin Prater Band will perform traditional bluegrass and a variety of acoustic music at the next KASU-FM Bluegrass Monday concert. The show will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 26, at the Collins Theatre in downtown Paragould.
Prater is from the tiny southeastern Kentucky town of Belcher, and he has an over four-decade career of performing what he calls “pure Kentucky bluegrass” music. He started his first band when he was only 10 years old, and he has played in various nationally touring groups, most prominently with the Grammy-nominated James King Band for 12 years. Prater has performed bluegrass music in 49 states and 23 countries.
In 2009, he formed the Kevin Prater Band, creating a quintet dedicated to playing traditional bluegrass and gospel music along with some classic country music and vintage rock and roll.
Prater plays banjo, and band members include guitarist Lennie Centers, fiddler Mallory Hindman, bassist Bailey Moore, and mandolin player Dalton Smith.
Multiple band members sing, and the group is known for their tight vocal harmonies and their energetic stage shows.
Musically, the Kevin Prater Band is influenced by several bluegrass acts including the Seldom Scene, the Country Gentlemen, the Stanley Brothers, the Osborne Brothers, and Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver.
Prior to the performance by the Kevin Prater Band, cast members and instrumentalists from the A-State Department of Theatre production of the musical “Bright Star” will present songs from the show. “Bright Star” was written by award-winning banjo player, comedian and actor Steve Martin. Bluegrass is the style of music in the show. This musical will be presented in its entirety in Simpson Theatre of Fowler Center starting on Friday, Feb. 23, with the final performance on Sunday, March 3. Admission is $10 per person, payable by cash at the door the night of the concert. Advance tickets can be purchased at kasu.org/tickets. Those 18 and under will be admitted free. All ticket proceeds go to the musicians, compensating them for their performance.
All seating is general admission. Doors open to the theatre at 6 p.m., and seating is first-come, first-served.
The Bluegrass Monday concert series is a non-profit presentation of KASU-FM, providing music fans with an affordable and outstanding evening of entertainment. Concerts are held on the fourth Monday night of each month. Concerts are presented with support from sponsors including the Paragould Advertising & Promotion Commission, Bibb Chiropractic Center, Gardner-Milner Law Firm, the Posey Peddler, Hyde Park Café, Holiday Inn Express and Suites of Paragould, Affordable Medical and KASU.
KASU is the public media service of Arkansas State University broadcasting at 91.9 FM and streaming on a variety of online platforms. For more information, contact Marty Scarbrough, program director at KASU, at mscarbro@AState.edu or call 870-972-2367. Additional information is also available on the Bluegrass Monday Facebook page.
