The Peru Gazette

Palmer Street Coffeehouse Collaboration Brings The Revenants To Harborside

Fans of bluegrass music are in for a special treat on July 31 at 7:30 p.m. with the arrival of the celebrated trio The Revenants — Bluegrass Gospel Project alumni Taylor Armerding, Andy Greene, and Kirk Lord — in Plattsburgh for the latest installment of the Curbside At Harborside concert series, presented in collaboration with Plattsburgh’s Palmer Street Coffeehouse. Attendants at the Harborside Stage (located behind the D&H Railway Station and adjacent to the City of Plattsburgh Marina on Dock Street) will begin parking vehicles on a first-come, first-served basis at 6:30 p.m. for this concert, with tickets available at the gate. Admission is only $20 per carload — not per person — with all of the box office proceeds going to the artists.

The concert will be the Palmer Street Coffeehouse’s first live program since the COVID-19 pandemic began, featuring a band that brings to the stage the best that the bluegrass genre has to offer: memorable lyrics, lush harmonies, a seamless blend of instrumental and vocal sound, and plenty of high-octane improvisation that will keep everyone’s toes tapping.

For traditional bluegrass faithful, The Revenants perform plenty of bluegrass standards, as well as original works authored in a classic style. Fan For admirers of progressive bluegrass, The Revenants shines here as well, offering original compositions that echo influences like Sam Bush and the New Grass Revival — as well as innovative bluegrass arrangements of a classic rock or country tune, such as Bob Seger’s Mainstreet and Jesse Winchester’s A Showman’s Life.

Fans of the great bluegrass ensembles like the Bluegrass Gospel Project, the Modern Grass Quintet, Northern Lights, Big Spike Bluegrass, Northern Flyer, and Barnstar will undoubtedly recognize the musical stylings of Armerding, Greene, and Lord, as various combinations of the three bandmates have played or are still playing in these esteemed groups.

When the Bluegrass Gospel Project retired from their celebrated performing and recording career, Armerding, Greene, and Lord decided that they enjoyed playing together far too much to stop. Together, they formed The Revenants to pool their shared talents and decades of experience in a group that distilled bluegrass music to the roots of guitar, mandolin, upright bass, and vocals, but with a sound far more robust than one would expect to come from a three-member band.

Having completed recording a new album during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Revenants will feature music from this record during their July 31 program, along with other originals and classic hits that have become favorites for their fans during their years together.

Taylor Armerding (mandolin, vocals) has been a passionate participant in the New England bluegrass scene for more decades than he now admits. A founding member of the Boston-based progressive bluegrass band Northern Lights, he achieved national prominence, including appearances at several major festivals and tours with bluegrass icon Peter Rowan and Grammy Award-winning fiddle player Vassar Clements.

In 2001, Taylor became a founding member of The Bluegrass Gospel Project, continuing to perform with and write for that group until 2017. He has toured extensively with folk music legend Jonathan Edwards, and since 2010 has been a member (with his son Jake) of the acoustic supergroup Barnstar.

Andy Greene (guitar, vocals) is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and one of Vermont’s most versatile acoustic musicians. During the 1980s, he performed with the acoustic group Up the Creek. By the end of the decade, he had joined the award-winning contemporary bluegrass band Breakaway as guitarist and principal songwriter, touring and releasing recordings with them until the year 2000.

Andy was a member of The Bluegrass Gospel Project from 2001 through 2005, and founded The Modern Grass Quintet in 2009. In the fall of 2016, Andy was enlisted to play the banjo with Northern Flyer. He also teaches music and facilitates studio production.

Kirk Lord is a sought-after bassist and a highly tenured member of the New England bluegrass community. His early years as a rock ‘n’ roll and R&B musician included a stint with The Truth. From the 1980s to the early 2000s, he performed with Big Spike Bluegrass and Bob Degree & the Bluegrass Storm.

In 2008, Kirk became the bassist for The Bluegrass Gospel Project and, one year later, became the bassist for The Modern Grass Quintet. In 2016, he added Northern Flyer to his list of band credits. In addition to his long resume as a performer with bluegrass, folk, and Americana groups, he is an experienced stage and studio technician.

Attendees have the option of bringing a lawn chair or blanket and sitting in the area near their vehicle to watch the concert, or remaining in their car, where they can listen to the music by rolling down their windows or by turning on their car radios and hearing the broadcast over an FM frequency directly from the stage.

Audience members who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 are not required to wear face masks but are respectfully requested to refrain from bringing alcohol or pets (service animals are welcome) into the concert venue.

This concert is generously sponsored by Cedar Knoll Log Homes and by Upstone Materials, whose kind financial contributions have allowed this program to take place as an affordable live music offering in the North Country.

For more information, please contact pomerance.benjamin58@gmail.com.