PRINCE FREDERICK — Appalachian Road Show, a five-member bluegrass and Americana band, will play the Calvert Elks Lodge on Sunday, Dec. 13, as the Southern Maryland Bluegrass concert series continues its 2026-27 season. The show starts at 2 p.m., and doors open at noon.
Tickets are $25 per person and are sold at the door on the day of the show, according to series organizer Jay Armsworthy. The Elks will sell food from noon to 2 p.m. The lodge is at 1015 Dares Beach Road in Prince Frederick. Information is available at somdbluegrass.com or by calling 301-737-3004.
Appalachian Road Show formed in 2018, according to the concert announcement, and its members have played with a long list of established bluegrass acts. Banjo player Barry Abernathy is a founding member of Mountain Heart and a former member of IIIrd Tyme Out and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. The announcement notes that he plays despite being born with only one finger on his fretting hand.
Fiddler and singer Jim VanCleve, also a Mountain Heart co-founder, is described in the announcement as a Grammy-winning producer and recording artist whose collaborators have included Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, Josh Turner, Zach Top and James Taylor. Mandolin player and singer Darrell Webb has worked with Parton, J.D. Crowe, Lonesome River Band and Rhonda Vincent.
Guitarist Zeb Snyder’s playing draws on Doc Watson, Norman Blake, Tony Rice and others, the announcement says. Jeff Partin plays bass and dobro and has worked with Mountain Heart, Béla Fleck, Rhonda Vincent and East Nash Grass.
The band’s program centers on songs about Appalachian life, from coal fields and churches to rail lines and front porches. The announcement lists faith, hardship, family, labor, love, loss and heritage among its themes.
The series, which the Chronicle has covered before, kicked off its 2026-27 season Oct. 18. Special Consensus brought its 50th anniversary tour to the Calvert Elks this year.
After Appalachian Road Show, the series continues with Authentic Unlimited on Jan. 10, the Larry Stephenson Band on Feb. 7, Lonesome River Band on Feb. 28 and Junior Sisk & Friends on April 4. Organizers say a surprise show may be added in April 2027. Tickets for all shows are $25 per person at the door. Media support is provided by Bluegrass Country Radio.
