The Honeycutters are set to take the Summer Tracks stage at Rogers Park on Friday, August 19, for the sixth and final concert of Summer Tracks’ 17th season. Sponsored by The Purple Onion and Heartwood Gallery, the show begins at 7 p.m. In case of rain the concert will move directly across the street from the park’s entrance into the Tryon Fire Department.

One of the most anticipated concerts in the series this summer, The Honeycutters have a voice you can’t ignore, a voice of persistence, of struggle and of hope, a voice that leads the new music movement erupting out of Asheville, NC. In May, this original country roots band released their fourth studio album On The Ropes [Organic Records] and have been touring extensively ever since. Journalist and Senior Producer for Music City Roots Craig Havighurst says principal songwriter and front-woman, Amanda Anne Platt, “has a voice that’s complex, sweet and aching. Even more potently, she writes songs that folks are citing as up there with the best of the field, such as Mary Gauthier and Lucinda Williams.” Led by Amanda Anne Platt, the band includes Tal Taylor on mandolin, Rick Cooper on bass, Josh Milligan on drums, and Matt Smith on pedal steel, electric guitar, and dobro.

Platt, herself, has been hailed as “one of the best songwriters coming out of WNC these days” by WNCW programming director Martin Anderson. Her voice has been described as “perfectly unadorned” and “recklessly beautiful.” In both her simple composition and honest delivery, it is easy to hear the influence of country legends such as Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, or Loretta Lynn. In On The Ropes, Platt continues to bring songs of heartache, yearning, and comebacks using phrases so relatable you wish you had thought of them yourself, ”Love ain’t ever black and white, it’s pink and gray and blue besides” (“Blue Besides”).

On The Ropes builds on the critical success of The Honeycutters breakout album Me Oh My [Organic Records 2015], which appeared on more than twenty “2015 Year End Lists.” No Depression, the journal of roots music, said of the CD, “It’s the type of country music you’d play on the jukebox and take a spin on a red dirt floor.” Cleveland Scene, an online news source, declared it, “an upbeat symphony of regret, redemption and resurgence.” The album was voted #3 on WNCW’s Top 100 Listeners Poll (under Jason Isbell and Alabama Shakes) and listed in NPR’s Folk Alley’s Top 50.

The Honeycutters formed in 2007 and had quick success with their release Irene (2009). Each album has helped to grow their audience and expand their tours to include notable appearances at Merle Fest, Suwannee Springfest, Vancouver Island Music Fest, and many more.

Summer Tracks attracts more than 2,000 people to Tryon’s Rogers Park, drawing visitors from all over Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina.

The show is free, though a voluntary donation at the gate is encouraged. Audience donations along with the generous sponsorships of local businesses and individuals make these shows possible. Manna Cabana’s fresh food and homemade ice cream, water and soft drinks will be for sale.

Summer Tracks is produced by the Town of Tryon in affiliation with Peter Eisenbrown of Blockparty Productions. For more information about Summer Tracks visit www.summertracks.com.

– article submitted by Peter Eisenbrown