Shadowgrass at The Atlantis

Go To This Because We Asked So Nicely – A Concert Preview

By Maryann Weber

Via Shadowgrass’ website!

The male singer, Luke Morris, opens with a basic question: “Do y’all want to hear some bluegrass tonight?”

Why yes, yes I do!

We are talking five players: banjo, mandolin, violin, guitar and bass. This band met and formed when they were young teenagers at the Grayson County Fiddler’s Convention in Elk Creek, Va.  For those of you unfamiliar with Virginian geography, it is another hour and a half south of Blacksburg, very close to the Tennessee line.

Now in their twenties, they have been playing together for a decade. They have their original music. They have the hill harmonies with female singer Madison Morris. They have a thumping beat without a drum.

Their fame has been fashioned in the new way: They developed a large Internet following, which was translated into a large in-person audience. They felt the pressure to produce a fabulous second album. They wanted it to be really good.

“It turned out that dropping those self-imposed expectations and just writing/making music for our own enjoyment was the key to finding our collective voice and making a record we are all proud of,” they wrote on their website. 

Now they have come to the big city, and you can hear them. The Atlantis is a few blocks northeast of the Metro U Street Station on 9th & V. Tickets are $32.50, and the doors open at 7:30 p.m. Or, you can stay home and watch last year’s show in Wilmington, De., on YouTube. Which do you think would be more fun? 

I am not typically a bluegrass maven, but this band is worth it, and I’m going! 

The 5 W’s (and a few H’s)

Who: Shadowgrass

What: Bluegrass music concert 

Where: The Atlantis, 2047 9th St, NW Washington, DC 20001

When: Saturday, April 18. Doors at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Why: Jam band on a Saturday night! 

How you might know them: They have played many shows across the Shenandoah Valley and neighboring areas/states! 

How to go: General admission tickets are $32.50 on Ticketmaster.