Nashville Bluegrass Band

With its members engaged in a multitude of other pursuits—fiddler Stuart Duncan, for instance, has been out on the road with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss—the Nashville Bluegrass Band's appearances are far fewer than fans would like, even in their home town. All the more reason to get down to one of their favorite haunts and luxuriate in the sound of a group that might fairly be called the Rolls Royce of bluegrass bands. Del McCoury's called sweet-voiced banjo man Alan O'Bryant one of his favorite singers, while Pat Enright (guitar) offers a slightly edgier contrast for a powerful vocal one-two punch. Rounded out by Duncan's virtuosity, the Monrovian stylings of mando monster Mike Compton and Andy Todd's agile bass, the group rambles comfortably from Flatt & Scruggs classics to singer-songwriter-y meditations, with an unusually strong dose of African-American songs and sounds, from blues to gospel—and they do it all with unmatched finesse.
Sat., Aug. 9, 9 p.m., 2008