Bobby Miller at Chris Kew Benefit

Bobby Miller

A descendant of Tennessee/North Carolina Cherokee natives and Georgia Scots-Irish emigrants, Miller felt a deep desire to honor the spirit of the music that was so much a part his ancestors’ daily existence while bringing to it something fresh that also speaks to the pioneer nature of the creators of the mountain music he loves so well. Thus began the seventeen year musical journey from his humble beginning as a student of the music to present day. A veteran leader of local and regionally successful bands in the southeast, Bobby has spent these many years touring the Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida bluegrass music scenes with such bands as Cornfusion (Atlanta, GA) and Boss Hawg (Boone, NC), and under the tutelage of such bluegrass luminaries as Larry Keel, Reverend Jeff Mosier and Georgia Guitar genius Jeff Autry.

Runners of the Green Laurel at Chris Kew Benefit

Runners of the Green Laurel

Throughout the years, various incarnations of the band have opened for names that include John Berry, as well as Grammy Award Winning singer Linda Davis. Members of the Runners have also performed alongside the likes of Vassar Clements, Bobby Hicks, Ralph Lewis, David Holt, Marc Pruett, and even the legendary Bill Monroe (during a brief stint Little Lewis served as one of Monroe's "Bluegrass Boys"), to name a few.

Musician Micah Hanks likes to call his new band's music "throw-down" bluegrass. Fast-driving, original and technically tight, the Runners of the Green Laurel are a great young group of musicians from Enka-Candler, with Caleb Hanks on mandolin, brother Micah Hanks on guitar and friends Don Lewis (Sons of Ralph) on fiddle and Matt Hixon on bass.

Dad Bucky Hanks, one of Western North Carolina's best-known professional musicians, plays banjo when not at his job as rector of the Church of the Redeemer in Woodfin.

Paco Shipp at Chris Kew Benefit

PACO SHIPP

Paco Shipp is an incredible quadruple threat - incisive, songwriter, harmonica virtuoso, versatile guitarist and a soulful unique vocalist.
Paco has worked with a long list of great artists over the years, including Billy Joe Shaver, A.J. Croce, Johnny Cash, T. Graham Brown, Big House, Jo-el Sonnier, Marty Stuart, Bobby Bradford, and The Jamie Hartford Band. His work with the JHB in particular has brought great critical acclaim for his innovative, emotional style.

His performances incorporate blues, rock, jazz, folk and bluegrass, featuring slinky vocals, virtuoso harmonica and guitar playing, witty, deep lyrics, and funky band grooves.

Mars Farris at Chris Kew Benefit

MARS FARRIS

Farris plays Strats and a National "Dobro" bottleneck style. Heavily influenced by old scratchy blues records and guys like David Gilmour and Mark Knopfler., Mars has toured the eastern states with various bands and artists such as Acoustic Syndicate, Big Blue, Laura Blackley, Bluestring, Dave Desmelik, Greg Hester and others.

When Acoustic Syndicate stopped touring a few years ago Steve McMurry and Mars put together a new rock band. called Big Blue which garnered a huge following.
More recently, Farris performs as Blues and R&B duo called Junco Partner. Mars on Dobro and Chris Kew on upright bass.

Junco Partner is a Rhythm and Blues band playing play New Orleans, Chicago, and Delta Blues peppered with old school R&B. Their material is our own as well as hand picked dusty old scratchy tunes dug up from the bottom of LP collections. Robert Johnson, Ray Charles, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Professor Longhair to drop a few names.
The duo show is simple and musical, low-key and funky. For some gigs, the duo adds a drummer and the show expands toward an rockin' electric Blues revival 'round midnight.

Billy Constable at Chris Kew Benefit

Billy Constable
He began playing guitar professionally as a youngster with bluegrass great CHARLIE MOORE . He went on to play in Douglas Dillard's newly formed "post Dillards" bluegrass band THE DOUG DILLARD BAND from Hollywood which featured other great players as BYRON BERLINE and occasionals like VASSAR CLEMENTS and SAM BUSH. He toured extensively and recorded with the psychedelic HYPNOTIC CLAMBAKE and with THE LARRY KEEL EXPERIENCE. He has appeared on many shows with friends LEFTOVER SALMON and was also a featured guest on a handful of STRING CHEESE INCIDENT. Billy's approach to the banjo is firmly rooted in Appalachian string music. However, it can be deceptively eclectic. Alongside his musical abilities on the guitar, mandolin and violin, his technical mastery of the banjo and his innate ability to make himself feel completely at home in any musical situation puts him in the elite class of being among the world's best musicians.

Steel String Theory at Chris Kew Benefit

Steel String Theory
This influential regional band has been silent for some time but will reunite for this special occaision.
"Steel String Theory is a group of young, talented musicians from the Greenville/Asheville area who are making a name for themselves that could soon be used in the same sentence as widely-recorded virtuosos in acoustic standard and progressive bluegrass music such as David Grisman, Bela Fleck, and Edgar Meyer." - Ruth Berry, The Greenville Symphony "
An edgy, progressive, hard-driving bluegrass band for today's hip listener." - Bluegrass Unlimited Called "Masters of Versatility" by the Greenville Journal, SST are known for their exciting live performances, with catchy original songs, heartfelt lead and harmony vocals, and a mixture of improvised solos and intricately arranged instrumentals

Charlie Chamberlain: Guitar, Vocals
Philip Barker: Mandolin, Vocals
Chris Kew: Bass
Billy Constable:Banjo

Acoustic Syndicate at Chris Kew Benefit

Acoustic Syndicate
combining rock, bluegrass, and blues the band is one of the premiere bands in the southeast. Since their formation in 1992, they have toured nationally in the US, including appearances at Farm Aid and the Bonnaroo festival. Their sound is characterized by three-part vocal harmony and complex polyrhythmic banjo playing.


Steve "Big Daddy" McMurray - Acoustic Guitar
Fitz McMurry - Drum Set, Congas and Percussion
Bryon McMurry - Acoustic and Electric Banjo, 6-String Banjo, Vocals
Chris Kew- Acoustic and Electric Bass