KASU’s Bluegrass Monday series to feature Southern Raised March 25

JONESBORO, Ark. — Southern Raised will perform a concert of bluegrass music on Monday, March 25, at 7 p.m. at the Collins Theatre, 120 West Emerson Street, in downtown Paragould. The concert is part of the Bluegrass Monday concert series presented by KASU 91.9 FM.  KASU will literally “pass the hat” to collect money to pay the group.  The suggested donation is $5 per person.

Southern Raised is a family band from the Branson, Mo. area.  The group is four siblings in their late teens and early 20s.  They have been playing music professionally for six years.  They perform primarily bluegrass gospel music.

As young children, the members of Southern Raised took lessons on bowed string instruments to learn to play classical music.  Their first exposure to bluegrass music came after their family moved into the Ozark hills.  After that encounter with bluegrass, they began to love the style of music, and the violins they were playing instead became “fiddles.”  They then began learning to play other bluegrass instruments such as banjo, mandolin, upright bass and guitar.

In 2009, Southern Raised won second place in the National Single Microphone Championship at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Mo.  This competition recognizes the best acoustic groups in the country who perform in an old-time style, gathering around a single microphone.

In 2011, Southern Raised won the Christian Action Ministries “Gospel Sing Off” competition.  They took top honors after competing against 11 other vocal ensembles.

In 2013, the band and its members were nominated for 14 awards at the Midwest convention of the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America.  Each band member was nominated in the category of best performer on each of his or her instruments.  As a group, they were nominated in categories including Album of the Year, Gospel Group of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year, Instrumental Group of the Year and Entertaining Group of the Year.

Oldest sibling Lindsay Reith plays upright bass.  Sarah Reith plays banjo.  Emily Grace Reith plays fiddle and mandolin.  Matthew Reith plays guitar.  All four Reith siblings sing, and in addition to gospel songs played on bluegrass instruments, their concerts also feature a cappella versions of classic hymns. 

The band has produced five CDs, and they maintain a busy touring schedule with bookings in 16 states across the country in 2013.  Videos of the band in performance are available on their website, www.southernraisedbluegrass.com. 

In addition to the concert, Terry’s Café, 201 South Pruett Street in Paragould, opens on Bluegrass Monday nights to welcome bluegrass music fans.  The café serves a buffet meal beginning at 4:30 p.m. on the evenings of Bluegrass Monday concerts.  Concessions will also be available at the Collins Theatre.

Bluegrass Monday concerts are held on the fourth Monday night of each month, except in December.  These concerts are presented with support from Backbeat Music, Bibb Chiropractic, the Posey Peddler, the Northeast Arkansas Bluegrass Association and KASU.

KASU, 91.9 FM, is the 100,000-watt public broadcasting service of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.  For more information, contact KASU Program Director Marty Scarbrough at mscarbro@astate.edu or 870-972-2367.  Bluegrass Monday is also on Facebook (search “Bluegrass Monday” or visit www.facebook.com/bluegrassmonday).
          Southern Raised:  (left to right) Sarah Reith, Matthew Reith, Lindsay Reith, Emily Grace Reith