THE GIBSON BROTHERS

If the Hudson Valley Bluegrass Association had a house band, it would be the Gibson Brothers. Their HVBA concerts have usually been sellouts, and we’re guessing their appearance at the James Earl Jones Theater at 7:30 on Saturday evening, April 22, will be sold out as well.

And for good reason. The dulcet harmonies and driving instrumental work of Eric and Leigh Gibson spring from a youth of playing together as North Country farmboys, yet it has led to the sophisticated musicianship that has made them one of the most popular contemporary-bluegrass duos and bands in the East. They have won the International Bluegrass Music Association's Best Entertainer, Best Album and Best Group awards multiple times.

No small part of the brothers' appeal is their onstage--and off--warmth and openness: these are musicians you can't help but love and admire.

Revealing the brothers' desire to strike out on a distinctly new path, their most recent album, "Mockingbird," sees them drop their acoustic guitars and sling a set electrified Telecasters for a new, rock-roots sound that reviewers have called both country soul and country cool. In the words of one of the Gibsons' most popular bluegrass hits, "They call it music."

For their 2020 bluegrass-based HVBA appearance, Eric and Leigh Gibson will be joined by longtime (27 years!) bandmember and bassist Mike Barber, whose father preceded him as a Gibson Brothers accompanist; Barber is frequently referred to as "the third Gibson Brother."

It bears mentioning that the documentary film "The Madness and the Mandolin" provides an insight into the humanity of Eric Gibson and his wife Corina in their life with son Kelley's autism--the kind of compassion that is revealed throughout the Gibson Brothers' voices and lyrics. It's available on Amazon and is a must-watch movie for any Gibson Brothers devotee.

The Manor at Woodside
168 Academy Street
Poughkeepsie, NY
845.473.1943
6:30-9:30pm

Held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month.

All of our jam sessions feature the Slow Jam, which happens during the first 60 minutes. From 6:30 to 7:30, we invite you to play at a sane pace in a supportive, non-competitive environment. The regular jam begins at 7:30 and all level players are welcome for the entire evening.

For info, call Lynn at 914.456.1981

Click here  to view all past issues of Jamboree.

Click here for the latest newsletters.