PHIPPSBURG

Erica Brown and The Bluegrass Connection will perform in concert at the Phippsburg Congregational Church on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Erica Brown and The Bluegrass Connection have performed at numerous venues and festivals around New England and Canada including One Longfellow Square, Stone Mountain Arts Center, The Franco Center, The American Folk Festival, and festivals on Prince Edward Island.

Recognized as a Master of Traditional Fiddling by the Maine Arts Commission, Brown developed an early love of French Canadian music and by age nine was playing and touring New England, Canada, and Louisiana with Maine French Fiddlers.

Her current ensemble features a line-up of bluegrass veterans. Playing guitar for the band, Matt Shipman currently resides in Portland and is a performer and teacher of acoustic and traditional music. Majoring in Traditional Music Studies at Vermont College took him traveling through Nova Scotia, North Carolina and Maine recording and compiling songs and stories from people he met. That ultimately culminated as a radio documentary about traditional music in the 21st century. During that time he also attended the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago where he studied various instruments and styles.

Called a “dangerous weapon” by Bluegrass Now Magazine, Steve Roy brings his skills on mandolin to the band. A multi-instrumentalist from Elliot, Maine, he has performed locally as well as internationally with various bluegrass bands including The Stowaways, Spring Creek Bluegrass, Chris Stuart and Backcountry, High Range and others.

Read McNamara started playing banjo at age 18. After graduating from college,

McNamara and the members of his college band moved to Virginia and began touring the East Coast. In the years since, McNamara has played for a number of different bluegrass bands including Charlie Lawson and Oak Hill, and the Old City Trio.

Ken Taylor has been performing with Brown for 12 years, playing acoustic bass and bringing vocals to the group as well. One of the founding members of the Central Turnpike Bluegrass Band in Massachusetts, he also performs with Blackstone Valley Bluegrass Band and the Heritage String Band.

The concert will be performed in the Phippsburg Congregational Church, situated on the banks of the Kennebec. Admission at the door is $15, students $8, children under eight admitted free. $12 advance tickets are available at BrownPaperTickets.com. The church is located at 10 Church Lane. Doors open at 7 p.m. Refreshments will be served. For more information call (207) 389-1770.

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