Greg Cahill on Banjo
Hailed by the Chicago Reader as “One of the longest-running and best-respected outfits in bluegrass history” and with highest praise from the Folk & Music Exchange as “Music like this is why people come to love bluegrass”, THE SPECIAL CONSENSUS will make its debut appearance on the Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts stellar bluegrass series on Sunday, April 7 at 4 PM.
Coming off an award winning 2023, The Special Consensus was awarded the 2023 IBMA Collaborative Recording of the Year award and vocalist/guitarist Greg Blake received the 2023 IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year award! Over the years, Special Consensus has received seven awards from the IBMA – including their prizes in 2023 – and two Grammy nominations (Scratch Gravel Road in 2012 and Rivers and Roads in 2018). The title song ”Chicago Barn Dance” received the 2020 IBMA Song of the Year award.
In their four decades of performing and twenty-one recordings, The Special Consensus has achieved a contemporary sound that has made their music a modern classic. The band is led by Greg Cahill, banjo player and recipient of the prestigious Distinguished Achievement Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and inducted into the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America Hall of Greats.
With the foundation of Greg Cahill’s unique banjo playing style and the vocal prowess of the 2023 IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year Greg Blake (guitar) with Dan Eubanks (bass) and Michael Prewitt (mandolin), these musicians effortlessly support each other and consistently maintain their bluegrass center whether they’re playing a jazz-tinged instrumental or a song from any of their award-winning recordings.
Tickets are Adults $30, Members $25, Students $5. Be sure to reserve early as this concert will sell out. Buy online at alleghenyriverstone.org or call 724-659-3153 to reserve and pay cash or check at the door.
Folk & Music Exchange describes why the band continues to build such a loyal and enthusiastic following, “Special Consensus approaches this hallowed American musical art form with boundless energy… Special Consensus is a superb bluegrass outfit in a classic vein…the vocals are spotless, the playing as shiny as a newly minted penny, and music like this is the reason people come to love bluegrass.”
International tours have brought the band to Australia, Canada, Europe, South America, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The band has also appeared on National Public Radio, The Nashville Network, the Grand Ole Opry at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and in concert with orchestras nationwide.
The 21st recording of Special Consensus – Great Blue North (Compass Records, 2023), is a tip of the hat to their Canadian friends and fans. All songs included on the recording were written by Canadian writers and numerous Canadian musician friends of the band made guest appearances. The Gordon Lightfoot song “Alberta Bound” received the 2023 IBMA Collaborative Recording of the Year award.
The 2024 ARCA bluegrass series also features The Grand Ole Opry multi-instrumentalist, fiddle-virtuoso, singer, songwriter and 10-time IBMA Award Winner BECKY BULLER with her virtuoso bluegrass BAND, will take us on a journey with powerful story-telling & lighthearted virtuosity in her Lincoln Hall debut on Sunday, June 2 at 7:00 PM. Bluegrass Today states: “How many ways are there to say ‘wow’, ‘spectacular’, ‘how’d she do that’…because the melodies are some of the most compelling and memorable that I’ve heard, any record, any genre.”
Also, don’t miss the Bluegrass Mini-Fest on Sunday, August 4 outdoors at 5 PM at Riverstone Estate featuring THE DAVID MAYFIELD PARADE - “a dynamic combination of music and comedy worthy of a traveling vaudeville act” - with an opening by Western Pennsylvania’s young and talented group – ECHO VALLEY.
More details and ticket information about these great performers can be found under the “Events” tab at alleghenyriverstone.org, your Foxburg home for legendary bluegrass!