Southern Maryland Bluegrass, the concert series hosted by Jay Armsworthy, returns to the Calvert Elks Lodge in Prince Frederick on October 18 with headliner Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass, kicking off a new season that runs through the following April.
Sunday shows in the series start at 2 p.m., with doors opening at noon and food available for purchase from the Calvert Elks Lodge, located on Dares Beach Road. Most tickets run $25 per person, according to the announcement. The October 18 show marks Danny Paisley’s return to the series, which he’s played before as one of the best-known names on the current bluegrass circuit.
Paisley has fronted the Southern Grass since his father, Bob Paisley, died of cancer in 2004; the band traces its roots further back to Ted Lundy, Bob Paisley and the Southern Mountain Boys, a group that once performed on New Jersey Public Television. Danny Paisley won the IBMA’s Song of the Year award in 2009 for “Don’t Throw Mama’s Flowers Away,” and has been named the IBMA’s Male Vocalist of the Year four times, most recently in 2024 — his third win in a four-year stretch, according to IBMA award records. Today’s lineup keeps the multi-generational thread going: Danny’s son Ryan plays mandolin, while T.J. and Bobby Lundy — sons of original member Ted Lundy — play fiddle and bass. Mark Delaney rounds out the band on banjo.
The series itself has its own longer history in Southern Maryland. Armsworthy ran the concerts for roughly 15 years at American Legion Post 238 in Hughesville before COVID-related cancellations and a subsequent venue policy change pushed him to relocate; he found a new home at the Calvert Elks Lodge in 2022, where the series has run continuously since. Past seasons have brought national touring acts including Larry Stephenson Band, Sideline, Seldom Scene, Missy Raines & Allegheny, and Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out to the Prince Frederick stage.
The rest of the newly announced lineup mixes bluegrass and country. The Malpass Brothers, who host their own show on RFD-TV and play a traditional country style built around steel guitar, come to the series November 1; tickets for that show are $40. The bluegrass schedule continues with Appalachian Roadshow on December 13, Authentic Unlimited on January 10, Larry Stephenson Band on February 7, Lonesome River Band on February 28, and Junior Sisk & Friends on April 4, with organizers leaving open the possibility of an additional surprise show later in April 2027.
More information on the series, including ticketing details for each show, is available at somdbluegrass.com or by calling 301-737-3004.
