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Nov. 5–If you mix a little bit of rock n’ roll with a few country tunes rolled into some gospel you get Pure & Simple Bluegrass.

Thursday, the six-member band will showcase their varied bluegrass tunes at the National Peanut Festival. Travis Perry, one of the band’s vocalists, said they plan to perform more than a few songs for festival goers, but the concert will also include magic and comedy time.

"We use the traditional bluegrass instruments playing non-traditional songs," Perry said. "If you’re doing a Lynyrd Skynyrd song with a banjo, mandolin, dobro and fiddle, those are instruments you typically wouldn’t expect to hear in a Lynyrd Skynyrd song. We even do some Chuck Berry stuff and some Eagles stuff."

Pure & Simple Bluegrass will perform twice on Thursday, first at 2 p.m. at the Ameris Arena as part of senior citizen’s day at the National Peanut Festival. The first performance will include gospel songs and traditional blue grass music. The second performance will be at 7 p.m. at the amphitheater, which Perry said will include a slightly different show with southern rock, country and bluegrass music all mixed together.

"We really do a high energy show and that includes magic, comedy and music," Perry said. "Back in the older days the earlier groups of bluegrass they did some comedy. They incorporated more entertaining aspects with their shows."

Perry said the band, which formed in 2003, has three CDs, an all gospel album, a traditional bluegrass album and their most recent dubbed Over the Edge. The band rehearses every Tuesday at Perry’s Bluegrass Shop in Dothan.

Perry said the band returns Thursday to the National Peanut Festival for the fourth time, but for the first time at an evening concert at the amphitheater.

Pure and Simple Bluegrass includes Perry, who plays the dobro, Steve Kirkland on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, John Corbin on the acoustic upright bass, Greg Whigham plays the banjo, Mike Hutto on lead guitar and vocals and Ronnie Retherford on the mandolin.

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Copyright (c) 2009, Dothan Eagle, Ala.

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