Hey Winstigators,

Earlier last month, I wrote a little bit about Lime Kiln Theater and why it’s worth your time to make the trip to see a show there. It’s one of the most unique venues in the area and a great place to see a concert. After seeing The SteelDrivers there last week, I feel even stronger about that.

Part of what makes Lime Kiln work so well is that it does not feel like a normal concert venue. It feels like a place built into the evening. Stone, trees, open air, summer night, people settling into their chairs with drinks in hand. So when you get the right bands in that setting, the whole thing starts to feel less like a regular show and more like a night that’ll stick with you for a long time.

That was the case with Tanasi, who opened the night and is worth spending a minute on because they were not just the band that happened to go first.

Tanasi is an Asheville-based trio that plays what they call worldgrass, which sounds like a made-up label until you hear what they’re doing and then it makes sense. The foundation is Appalachian string band music; dobro, guitar, bass and clawhammer banjo with close, tight harmonies. But Tanasi pushes their sound out in different directions.

Their sound pulls from folk traditions around the world without losing the Appalachian center. You can hear the string band underneath it all, but the rhythms and melodies wander further than a standard bluegrass opener usually does. It’s not bluegrass trying to dress up as something else. It’s Appalachian music with other cultures worked into the mix.

The highlight for me was when they brought an Indian rhythm into one of their songs, weaving that influence into the mountain music foundation in a way that felt new and fresh without feeling forced. And when they opened it up to jam and extend the solos, it really worked.

That made them a pretty interesting fit for Lime Kiln. The venue already feels like a little hideaway carved out of the woods, so when Tanasi leaned into that earthy, traveling, harmony-heavy sound, it worked. It felt natural in that space.

Openers can be tricky. Sometimes they feel like filler. Sometimes the crowd politely waits them out. Tanasi did not feel like that. They brought something a little different, but not so different that it clashed with the headliner.

Then The SteelDrivers walked into exactly the kind of setting where their music makes the most sense.

The SteelDrivers have always resided in a darker, grittier corner of bluegrass. Yes, it’s bluegrass, but it’s not shiny or precious. There’s country in the sound, along with blues, soul and a little menace when the song calls for it. The songs have weight, the playing is sharp and the vocals cut through. This was Chris Stapleton’s original band and while Matt Dame is obviously his own singer, he has the kind of voice that fits this band perfectly. Behind him, the banjo, fiddle, mandolin and guitar were in the hands of musicians who came to work.

The band did not need much more than that. No big production. No gimmick. No overexplaining. It was just a veteran group standing on stage and letting the songs do the work. The crowd knew it, too. There’s a certain kind of reaction you get at a show like this. People leaning forward. Nodding and smiling when a solo takes off. Letting the quiet parts stay quiet and the bigger moments land.

Then about halfway through the show, the sky opened up and the rain came pouring down. Some people took off for cover, but others rushed toward the front of the stage, trying to squeeze under the overhang that reached out a little into the crowd.

The SteelDrivers seemed unfazed. They kept playing and leaned into the moment, interacting with the people who had pushed up front and clearly wanted the concert to keep going, soaked or not. They ended up playing an extended set, pulling a song or two from each of their albums across a 21-year career. The highlight of their set for me was “If It Hadn’t Been For Love,” a song where the crowd joined in on the chorus while the rain kept coming down.

That was the thing that made the night work so well. Tanasi opened with Appalachian music that looked outward, bringing in different rhythms and influences while still keeping one foot in the mountains. The SteelDrivers brought it back home with a harder, heavier version of American roots music, the kind that feels built for a night when the rain starts coming down and nobody cares about getting wet and nobody wants to leave.

Different approaches, same roots.

Together, the two bands made the show feel connected from start to finish. Not just a good bluegrass show, but a reminder that this kind of music still has a lot of roads to travel. Some go through Nashville. Some go through Asheville. Some go deeper into the mountains. Some go a lot farther than that.

And lucky for the crowd at Lime Kiln last weekend, one of those roads came through the Shenandoah Valley.

Jim Barnett Park, Winchester - Red, White, & Boom!, July 3, 12pm - 10pm

Northern Virginia 4-H Educational Center, Front Royal - Independence Day Celebration, July 3, 5:30pm - 10:30pm

Downtown Walking Mall, Winchester - First Friday with Friends of Old Town, July 3, 5pm - 10pm

National Park Service Visitor Contact Station, Middletown - Historic Middletown Walking Tour, July 3, 6pm

Rock Spring Church, Kearneysville - Family Festival and Firework Event, July 3, 6pm - 9:45pm

Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, Charles Town - Shenandoah Live Show, July 3, 8pm - 9pm

Tarara Winery, Leesburg - Stifler’s Mom - The Ultimate ‘90s Experience, July 3, 6pm - 9:30pm

Bluemont Station Brewery & Winery, Bluemont - Flying for Freedom, July 3 - July 4

Berryville Fair Grounds, Berryville - JULY 3RD COMMUNITY CELEBRATION, July 3, 8pm - 11pm

The Young American, Martinsburg - 🇺🇸 Red, White & Martinis | Fourth of July Weekend at The Young American, July 3 - July 5

Bear Chase Brewing Company, Bluemont - 22 Late live at Bear Chase Brewery, July 3, 12pm - 4pm

Clems Kitchen, Middletown - Boots & Biscuits, July 3, 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Westwood Charm Boutique, Martinsburg - Stars & Stripes Vendor Market & Mingle, Noon

Historic Middletown VA, Middletown - Middletown 4th of July Celebration, Parade and Fireworks, July 4

Old Town Winchester, Winchester - VA250 Old Town Jubilee, July 4, 12pm - 9:30pm

Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum, Winchester - Reading of the Declaration of Independence, July 4

Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum, Winchester - Revolutionary War Guided Walking and Trolley Tour, July 4, 10am

Winchester-Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau, - Open House of Historic Museums, July 4, 10am - 4pm

Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, Winchester - Revolutionary Valley Exhibition Opening, July 4, 10am - 5pm

Sherando Park, Stephens City - July 4th Celebration, July 4, 11am - 10pm

Hollywood Casino, Charles Town, - The Oak Ridge Boys, 7 PM

Washington County Agricultural Education Center, Fairplay - 250th Anniversary Event, July 4, 12pm

Franklin Regional Park, Purcellville - Franklin on the Fourth, July 4, 5pm - 10pm

Strasburg Park, Strasburg - Independence Day Celebration, July 4, 6pm - 10pm

Bluemont Station Brewery & Winery, Bluemont - Flying for Freedom, July 3 - July 4

Berkeley Springs State Park Bathhouse & Gift Shop, Berkeley Springs - 2nd Annual 4th of July Duck Race, July 4, 3pm

Winchester Book Gallery, Winchester - Author Event: Bernie Lewis - Seascapes, 11 am - 1pm

Big Mac Live, Falling Waters - BOOM! Returns to Summerwinds RV Campground, July 4, 6:30pm - 11pm

Car & Truck Show - 4th of July - Yellow Spring, WV, Yellow Spring - 4th of July Car & Truck Show, July 4, 9:10am - 3pm

Beverly Equestrian, The Plains - Sunday Polo - 4th of July Weekend, July 5, 5pm

Black Draft Distillery, Martinsburg - Red, White & Blue: Semiquincentennial Cookie Decorating Class! 🇺🇸, July 5, 1pm - 3pm

Cousins Maine Lobster - Virginia, Harpers Ferry - 🦞 Cousins Maine Lobster at Harpers Ferry Brewing 🍻, July 5, 12pm - 8pm

Archwood Green Barns Farmer's Market, The Plains - Archwood Green Barns Main Farmers' Market Season, May 24 - July 5

Winchester Area SPCA, Winchester - Sip & Sourdough™ - WASPCA Benefit, July 5, 1pm - 3pm

Ashburn Library, Ashburn - Analog Archaeology: Touching Extinct Technology, July 5, 1pm - 3pm

The Catamount Lounge, Front Royal - Grown Up Show & Tell (THEME: INDEPENDENCE), July 5, 7pm

The River House, Capon Bridge - Sip & Stitch Club, July 5, 1pm - 3pm

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Have fun out there!