LITTLE SILVER — The Bluegrass and Oldtime Music Association will showcase classic bluegrass and folk music during its upcoming stage show at a local church hall.
The concert is set for 1-5 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Embury United Methodist Church, 49 Church St., Little Silver. The show will feature O’Neil and Martin, Ramapo Valley Ramblers, Last Whippoorwill Bluegrass Band, Old Faithful Bluegrass Band and Chris Turner Steel Rail Blues.
Admission for the event is $4 for association members and $5 for nonmembers.
In addition to the stage show, rooms throughout the church will be open for musicians to set up and jam with other attending musicians. According to Frank Daniels, a member of the nonprofit association, the rooms will be split up based on varying levels of experience for players.
“We have a lot of the same people come as far as musicians go. We got a lot of people that come just to jam, too, though some come just to enjoy the music. You just go to a room that fits your level of experience on your instrument. Some people are real good, and some are just learning,” Daniels said.
“Then we have the slow-jam room for people that want to improve. There are people in there that will guide you, and you learn your timing. It is a great thing.”
Daniels said the monthly showcase is a way to help preserve the old-timey and bluegrass music that he and members of the organization hold near and dear to their hearts.
“We are just trying to keep the music going, that old-timey music,” he said. “This is classic country and bluegrass, not the modern country. We don’t have big sets of drums that’ll blow you out of the place or loud music. This is acoustic instruments keeping the music going.”
According to its website, the association was founded in 1978 and is an all-volunteer nonprofit that hosts a stage show and jam session on the third Sunday of each month from September through May. In the summer months, the organization hosts Pickin’ in the Park Jam Sessions.
Anyone interested in this type of music can become a member and take part in organizing events. Membership fees include $5 per year or $8 for a family. Members receive a discount at the door for the events.