ParkFest continues with Homebrew Holler and White Lightning Boys

Courtesy Photo

Between a southern Indiana string band and a band steeped in the traditions of blues and bluegrass, Tuesday's second installment of ParkFest will be a rich musical experience. Homebrew Holler, featuring Jason Blankenship and J.C. Clements, will kick off the show, followed by the White Lightning Boys (pictured above).

Following a successful kickoff to the 2013 season with a pair of Greencastle acts, ParkFest will move into week two on Tuesday with some regional talent.

Martinsville-based Homebrew Holler and Brown County's White Lightning Boys will play the 6:30 p.m. concert on Tuesday, June 11 at the Bob Flanigan Memorial Bandshell in Roban Park.

Homebrew Holler is a four-piece featuring the husband-wife duo of J.C. Clements (aka Jennifer Blankenship) and Jason Blankenship, along with Patrick Cully and Dave Sharp.

Clements played ParkFest last year as a solo act, and returns in 2013 under the Homebrew Holler banner.

With a musical past that includes stops in Kentucky, Nashville and Chicago, J.C. and Jason are at home in the bluegrass and blues scenes, and their music draws on both.

Their originals heavily draw on their Kentucky heritage and inspiration from their blue collar towns. Their songs are about hard edged people who know how to have a good time.

J.C.'s big voice and Jason's soul-filled melodies rock audiences now throughout the Midwest.

White Lightning Boys is a six-piece string band out of Brown County and Bloomington featuring high-energy traditional and non-traditional bluegrass music.

Band members are Barry Elkins on vocals and mandolin, Bird Snider on banjo, Dan Bilger on guitar, Ryan Deasy on vocals and bass, Bob Adair on Dobro and Michael Lindeau on fiddle.

Homebrew Holler, featuring Jason Blankenship and J.C. Clements, will kick off the show on Tuesday.

Writer Barney Quick has praised the band for capturing the spirit of its Brown County home.

"The spirit of Brown County is perhaps most apparent in its string bands," Quick wrote. "The respect for legacy, the sense of one's neighbors as treasured friends, and pride in craft are on full display among its players of guitars, banjos, fiddles, mandolins and basses. The White Lightning Boys epitomize this ethos."

Adding to the down home flavor of this week's installment will be food provided by Cajun Billy's Catering.

The Greencastle Civic League is the sole sponsor of this week's ParkFest show.

Concerts for the rest of June will feature Craig Brenner and The Tad Robinson Trio on June 18 and John Bean and The Mongrel Dogs on June 25.