PORTSMOUTH- The region’s premier outdoor concert series, Final Friday in Boneyfiddle, managed by The Boneyfiddle Project, is in the endgame of presenting the ninth season of free concerts to the community, continuing that trend this month.

The theme this month is “Bluegrass on the Banks,” and co-organizers Robert and Julia Black are excited for the lineup, saying it will be a great continuation of the annual event.

The bluegrass event will take place August 25, between 5:30 and 10:30 p.m. It will feature the talents of Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, Tell No One, and Steve Perry.

“The Boneyfiddle Project is sponsoring this high energy concert and will have food, refreshments and Final Friday merchandise for sale. We recommend bringing a chair. Small coolers are permitted. We are in the DORA zone,” the website explained. “Please remember this is a family friendly event so we expect consumers to be discreet.”

Black is excited about the lineup.

“It is a great lineup. Terry is local and will do a solo performance at 5:30. He is a great guitarist and performs all over the area,” Rob Black said. “We have an obscure band from Yellow Springs, called Tell No One. It is a rare opportunity to hear them play; they’re pretty good. Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers was the 2019 IMBA entertainer of the year. I feel pretty good about the lineup and bluegrass usually pulls quite a bit of people out in Portsmouth.”

Black always felt showcasing bluegrass was important and he is proud to continue that trend.

“I think one of the reasons bluegrass is so popular around here is because of its roots in the Appalachian community and culture, going all the way back to the guitar picking and banjo playing days,” Black said. “It is a native music to this area.”

Named Entertainers of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) in 2019, Joe Mullins and The Radio Ramblers have delivered chart-topping radio hits and in-demand performances for nearly 17 years. The Radio Ramblers are seen by tens of thousands of bluegrass fans every year and since 2013 have become regular guests on the historic Grand Ole Opry. In addition to band leader duties, Joe Mullins is an award-winning radio broadcaster who can be heard daily across the globe via Real Roots Radio, and is also host of the syndicated radio program Front Porch Fellowship currently on over 200 radio stations worldwide. He also produced IBMA’s 2021 Album of the Year, Industrial Strength Bluegrass, for Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, and his family’s twice-annual event, the Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival won IBMA’s Event of the Year in 2022. Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers have won dozens of awards, enjoyed a decade of Grand Ole Opry appearances and have maintained a dedicated following on the national scene. JMRR are one of today’s most heralded torch-bearers in mainstream bluegrass, acoustic, and gospel music.

During Portstock, Black welcomed camping, which will be brought back next year.

“It was great. They actually had a campfire and drumming circle on the riverfront, too,” Black said. “We had about 15 campers and more showed up for drumming circle. I think we will grow next year.”

After Bluegrass on the Banks, Black will have a campfire and a string instrument circle.

The concert follows a successful season opening weekend of Final Friday and Music & Motion, Ladies Night, and Portstock.

Following “Bluegrass on the Banks,” the Final Friday theme will be “Blues on the Boulevard” on September 29, with similar hours as July’s concert.

Robert and Julia Black are happy with this season thus far and are already deep into planning season 10.

“The season is booked and is going to be great with local, regional, and national acts,” Black said. “Not only do we have season nine booked, but we’re preparing for season 10, which will be a big deal, thanks to area business, Southern Ohio Medical Center, Glockner Family of Dealerships, and the Scioto County Commissioners. We’re going to be bringing a lot of people out to enjoy live music this year and next.”

Three Bridges Outdoor Concert Venue is at 132 Second Street.

Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2022 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved.