Liam Purcell and Cane Mill Road to Headline Bluegrass Monday
JONESBORO – Liam Purcell and Cane Mill Road will present a concert of bluegrass and acoustic music at the next KASU-FM Bluegrass Monday concert.
The concert will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 24, at Collins Theatre in downtown Paragould.
Based in Deep Gap, North Carolina, Purcell and Cane Mill Road are the 2019 recipients of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s “Momentum Award.” This honor is presented to top young rising stars in bluegrass music.
The band’s repertoire includes bluegrass standards, original tunes, and arrangements of melodies from other genres of music.
The ensemble is an in-demand act at bluegrass festivals and venues across the country having performed at MerleFest, Silver Dollar City and Station Inn. The band has performed on “WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour,” heard on over 500 radio stations worldwide, including KASU.
According to various magazines that cover bluegrass music, this up-and-coming band is making a mark on the genre of bluegrass.
Cane Mill Road records for Pinecastle Records label. Their songs and albums have reached the top 10 on multiple charts including those for Billboard magazine, the Roots Music Report, and Bluegrass Today.
Purcell has led the band since 2014 and plays mandolin and is the featured vocalist. He was mentored by banjo legend Pete Wernick and is accomplished on all bluegrass instruments. In 2022, he won the renowned Rockygrass Instrumental Championships for guitarists, mandolinists, and banjo players, becoming the first person in history to win all three championships.
A 2024 graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Purcell received a bachelor’s degree in professional music. His studies explored rural American music from the 1800s to the early 20th century. He also studied jazz composition and arranging while at Berklee.
Guitarist Rob McCormac is a graduate of Appalachian State University, a noted ethnomusicologist, and currently in the doctoral program at Indiana University. Bassist Jacob Smith plays jazz and classical music in addition to bluegrass and has earned a degree in music business.
Georgia native Zack Vickers plays banjo in the band and is a graduate of the bluegrass music program at East Tennessee State University. Fiddler Ella Jordan is also a graduate of the Berklee College of Music and is a past member of the band Mile 12.
Admission is $10 per person, payable by cash the night of the concert. Everyone 18 and under will be admitted free. Advance tickets are available at www.kasu.org/tickets. Proceeds from ticket sales go to the musicians, compensating them for their performance. Theatre doors open at 6 p.m. and seating is first-come, first-served.
Bluegrass Monday is a non-profit presentation of KASU-FM, providing music fans with an affordable evening of family-friendly entertainment. These concerts are held on the fourth Monday night of each month.
Concerts are presented with support from sponsors including the Paragould Advertising and Promotion Commission, Affordable Medical, Bibb Chiropractic Center, Gardner-Milner Law Firm, the Posey Peddler, Hyde Park Café, Holiday Inn Express and Suites of Paragould, 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, including group ticket pricing, contact Scarbrough, KASU program director, at mscarbro@AState.edu or 870-972-2367. More information is on the KASU Facebook page.
