Harris Bros. play Banner Elk Sept. 2

The 2010 Banner Elk Summer Concert Series has been extended for one additional performance, Thursday Sept. 2, with The Harris Brothers providing the entertainment.

The Harris Brothers are what you might call songsters. They draw from a vast repertoire of American traditional music; "Americana" is often used to describe their style, but the Harris Brothers just call it music.

It is blues mixed up with traditional Appalachian music, jazz, country, bluegrass and rock 'n' roll; it's stripped down, intense and real. Grammy Award-winner David Holt said, "The Harris Brothers are one of my favorite groups. Great playing, singing and soul. It just doesn't get any better than this."

Reggie and Ryan Harris were born into a musical family in Caldwell County in the foothills of western North Carolina and have been picking and singing since they were small children. They most often perform with just an acoustic guitar, a bass, a suitcase used as a kick drum, and their two voices (switching between lead and harmony vocals), but they have been known to throw in a fiddle, banjo or electric guitar now and again. Listeners often ask, "How can two people put off such a big sound?"

The Harris Brothers have been playing steady gigs for many years, from honkytonks to large venues like the Blue Ridge Music Center and festivals like MerleFest, Hickory Fest and the Wayne C. Henderson Music Festival.

They have lent their talents to projects such as Vassar Clements' Vassar's Jazz (Winter Harvest) and Dead Grass (Cedar Glen), two Summervilla projects with Nashville bassist Ross Sermons, several Caldwell County Traditional Musicians Showcases, as well as albums of their own.

The brothers have shared the stage with such accomplished musicians as Vassar Clements, Bobby Hicks, David Holt, Peter Rowan, David Grisman and Laura Boosinger, to name just a few.

With their showmanship, diverse repertoire and ability to improvise, no two shows are ever the same.

The concert starts at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 2, at the stage behind Bank of America on N.C. 194. Bring your chairs or blankets and coolers. Food will also be available for purchase at the concert. Raffle tickets can be purchased for prizes, as well as for the 50/50 split of the raffle pot.

The co-sponsors of this week's concert are Frank & Mary Watts, residents of Banner Elk and benefactor of the Banner Elk Chamber of Commerce.