band performs at campus

    Bluegrass band Rough Edges will perform in the Conner-Short Center at Walters State’s Sevier County Campus March 19. The concert begins at 7 p.m. and admission is free.
    The concert will be a little different. The event is funded by the International Fee Oversight Committee and will focus on the international roots and influences that are behind bluegrass music.     
    Chip McLain, head of Walters State’s English department, plays guitar and sings for the band. He collaborates with Travis Sutton in writing much of the band’s original material.    
McLain also teaches folklore at the college and looks forward to sharing how many bluegrass tunes and instruments can be traced to different cultures – and not just Scottish and Irish as many in the area assume.
    Rough Edges’ fans have learned to expect some nontraditional bluegrass songs. Members enjoy paying tribute to their musical influences, and those include but go beyond the Knoxville Grass and New Grass Revival. The band’s first compilation “Heyday” featured covers of “Wild Horses” and “Ticket to Ride” as nods to the Rolling Stones and the Beatles.
    The band’s music can be sampled at www.roughedgesband.net. No tickets or reservations are required for the concert. For more information, contact the College’s Division of Humanities at (423) 585-6922.