Bethlehem bluegrass band Serene Green celebrates new album with release shows Aug. 2-9
From a press release:
Bethlehem bluegrass band Serene Green will celebrate the release of their second studio album, “Have at It,” with a series of five regional shows starting this Friday, Aug. 2 at The Stonehouse in Carbondale and running through next Friday, Aug. 9 at the River Street Jazz Cafe in Plains.
Announced last week, the new record was produced by Tom Mindte at Patuxent Music in Rockville, Maryland and will be released on Thursday, Aug. 1 by the independent Patuxent Music label, home to American roots music, bluegrass, blues, swing, jazz, folk, and old-time music from across the country.
See the full set of “Have at It” release show dates below, which include a hometown show during Bethlehem’s massive annual live music gathering, Musikfest.
Serene Green album release shows
Friday, Aug 2: The Stonehouse (23 Fallbrook Rd., Carbondale), 8 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 3: The Appalachian Fiddle & Bluegrass Association 31st annual Bluegrass Festival at Mountain View Park (206 East Mountain Rd., Wind Gap), 6:55 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 4: Bluegrass Brunch at Heritage (914 N. 2nd St., Philadelphia), noon
Wednesday, Aug. 7: Musikfest at Red Stag Pub Liederplatz (81 W. Broad St., Bethlehem), 5 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 9: River Street Jazz Cafe (667 N. River St., Plains), 9 p.m.
Serene Green is the collective musical vision of Lehigh Valley natives Quentin Fisher (mandolin), Michael Johnson (guitar), Shane McGeehan (bass), and Steve Leonard (banjo). This band’s passion for playing together comes from a deep love and respect for traditional bluegrass music, but their performances are anything but an imitation. The members share a common goal to influence the legacy of bluegrass with original songwriting and compositions while honoring the traditions set forth by the pioneers.
Since early 2017, Serene Green has toured in over 15 states throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast regions of the United States. They have collaborated with or opened for nationally touring bands and artists, including The Seldom Scene, David Bromberg, Railroad Earth, Della Mae, Mile Twelve, Fireside Collective, Larry Keel, Jenni Lyn, Jacob Jolliff, Anthony Hannigan, Bill Hearne, Billy Gilmore, and local jamgrass heroes Cabinet, playing at the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre band’s Susquehanna Breakdown Music Festival and opening Cabinet’s “final” show in 2017 before they went on hiatus.
A growing fixture in the Pennsylvania bluegrass community, Serene Green released their first all-original studio album, “To Whom It Pertains,” in 2017. Live shows include original songs, traditional bluegrass songs and fiddle tunes, and other unexpected favorites in the bluegrass style. Their sound emphasizes instrumental prowess, soaring three-part harmonies, and captivating live performances, earning them the title of Outstanding Bluegrass Fusion Band at the 17th annual Lehigh Valley Music Awards in 2015.
To pay for the production of their second album, they reached out to fans through a GoFundMe campaign in January and raised $6,100, surpassing their $5,000 goal.
“Since the release of our first album, ‘To Whom It Pertains,’ in June of 2017, we’ve only become more driven and dedicated to our craft. Aside from our personal lives and day jobs, we’ve spent the vast majority of our time practicing, both individually and as a band, writing, arranging, rehearsing, listening (this is key), and touring all over the eastern United States. At this point in our musical careers, we feel more in tune with ourselves and with one another than ever before and are so excited to utilize that momentum in the studio,” Serene Green said on the crowdfunding page.
“So much of our success and ability to go on the road and play music for weeks at a time depends on the love and support of our families and the countless people we’ve met along the way. … We have so much love for our fans and look forward to what the future holds for all of us.”
Patuxent Music is the creation of Tom Mindte, a versatile musician, bandleader, and studio engineer whose musical abilities and tastes cover a wide variety of styles. The common denominator is authenticity, an attribute difficult to define but easy enough for the listener to hear. Whether it’s a fiddler playing an old mountain hoedown, a bluesman singing “Key to the Highway,” or a jazz combo playing Duke Ellington, the music is always real, always true to the style, and always compelling to hear.
Those who record for Patuxent Music have unparalleled control over what material they will record, who the studio musicians will be, and how the mix should sound. This level of artistic freedom, all too rare nowadays, allows the music to flow freely and assures that the recording captures the artist in pure, undiluted form.
The Patuxent Music studio is state-of-the-art, assuring the highest quality sound and fidelity. The high-tech equipment serves a low-tech goal – voices and instruments should sound on a recording like they actually sound in person so it’s as if you’re actually present, listening to and enjoying the music.
The Patuxent catalog only offers products that are authentic and true – acoustically and stylistically.
See NEPA Scene’s photos of Serene Green opening for Cabinet at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre back in 2017 here.
