ROCKINGHAM — New-grass and local contemporary folk trio, The Stockwell Brothers, perform at the next session of the Summer Sunday Socials Series at the Rockingham Meeting House, Sunday, Sept. 8, at 2 p.m.
Vermont Festivals producer Ray Massucco said in the event announcement that putting the three in the Rockingham Meeting House was nothing less than a stroke of genius. (And it was his own idea, it turns out.)
“The unplugged set means we're going to hear a lot more mandolin from Al, and for my money, you can't get too much mandolin,” Massucco said.
The Stockwell Brothers are Vermont's longest-running folk/bluegrass group. Bruce, Barry and Alan Stockwell's music spans traditional and progressive styles, but their trademark acoustic sound features new singer/songwriter material recast with banjo, alternative rhythms, and three-part harmonies.
They cover straight-ahead bluegrass songs, finger-picked acoustic guitar ballads, full-tilt breakdowns and traditional mandolin tunes mixed in with unusual fare: Americana melodies riding world beat grooves and Celtic, jazzy, even neoclassical instrumentals.
They have released two albums: “Leave My Dreams Alone” (1998) and “Stobro” (2000).
The Meeting House series concludes Oct. 6 with Cliff Eberhardt in concert.