You Can Win FREE TIX to See Jayme Stone @ the Sanctuary for Independent Media on Saturday

No, he’s not exactly a household name – even among fans of bluegrass and folk music.

But banjo master Jayme Stone has won two Juno Awards (Canada’s equivalent of the Grammy), and he’s releasing his marvelous new album, “Room of Wonders,” today. Most importantly, he’s headed into the Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy on Saturday night, and he’s bringing along his all-star band.

Stone’s new album is a dazzling display of tradition and innovation. The music is based on (or at the very least inspired by) folk dances from around the world – from funk to waltz to samba, from an Italian moresche to a Bulgarian ruchenitsa, from bluegrass hoedowns to Bach.

“The world itself is like one vast room full of all these wonders,” says Stone. “That’s perhaps a hallmark of this day and age. The whole world feels open and accessible. And as a musician, you walk into a room – a concert hall or a living room – anywhere in the world, and by having instruments there, you can evoke other
places, other centuries, and other wonders.”

Stone and his musical cohorts have taken the traditional roots of folk dances and expanded upon them, deconstructing and re-constructing historical music in a thoroughly contemporary and adventurous fashion that makes the music adventurous and accessible while maintaining a global perspective.

Stone, of course, doesn’t do all of this by himself. He has gathered together an all-star line-up, who are certainly more collaborators than support musicians. On Saturday, he’ll be joined by five-string fiddle phenom Casey Driessen (a member of the Sparrow Quartet, along with Abigail Washburn, Bela Fleck and Ben Sollee), guitarist Grant Gordy (of the alt-bluegrass/jazz pioneering David Grisman Quintet) and bassist Greg Garrison (formerly of the Punch Brothers).

Be prepared to have your sox blown off. And don’t forget your dancing shoes.

Jayme Stone and his band step into the spotlight at the Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy at 8pm on Saturday. Admission is $10.

BUT WAIT… We’re giving away two pairs of FREE TIX to lucky Nippertown readers! To enter the contest, just post a comment below. Please leave your email address, too. We won’t publish it, but we’ll use it to contact you if you win. The winners will be selected at random and notified on Friday. Good luck! Congratulations to K. Parent and Thad Rutherford!