The Lee Boys Coming to The Tent on Barter Square, 8/1

Downtown Abingdon will be packed with music this fall with a new concert series taking place in The Tent on Barter Square.

Friday August 1st kicks off Tent Jams with the upbeat music of The Lee Boys, one of America's finest African-American sacred steel ensembles. A unique blend of Gospel music with a hard-driving, blues-based beat, and a dash of jazz and junk, their "steel guitar-led performances can't help but inspire secular and sacred revelry." (Billboard Magazine).

Although it is rooted in Gospel, sacred steel is infused with rhythm and blues, jazz, rock, funk, hip-hop, and country. This is not "sitting and listening" music: dancing, shouting out, and having fun are considered essential at their shows. The Lee Boys have headlined major music festivals including New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, Philadelphia Folk Festivals, and MerleFest. Tickets for The Lee Boys are $14 in advance and $16 at the door.

Food and drink will be available for sale inside The Tent. The August 1st spotlight restaurant is Rain, serving up coastal cuisine like crab cake sliders, inspired by The Lee Boys' home in the Florida panhandle.

Future concerts include The Grascals, Jason D. Williams, Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys, Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys, The Iguanas, and Plena Libre, with new dates still being added.

For the full schedule of concerts, visit www.bartertheatre.com. The Lee Boys are produced in conjunction with Smokin' Pig Productions.

"Rick Rose and I have been discussing music at Barter for a couple of years now," says Smokin' Pig Productions' Doug Beatty, "When he told me about the new tent and his plans for offering music in a less formal setting, I knew I wanted to be involved. "After the success of January Jams (produced by Abingdon Music Experience) at Barter, this seemed like a natural progression. I am honored to be co-producing this series and I am very excited about the lineup. These are going to be the events your friends are talking about."

For The Lee Boys, Doors open at 7pm, concert begins at 8pm. Tickets are $14 in advance and $16 at the door. Call 276.628-3991 or visit bartertheatre.com for tickets and more information.