Bobby and Blue Ridge Tradition is an exciting five-piece bluegrass band that plays a unique mix of traditional and not-so-traditional bluegrass music. The band’s style is clearly not your standard run-of-the-mill bluegrass. The band has a knack for developing some great original songs that are built around the group’s sound. If you’re into the classics, Bobby and Blue Ridge Tradition also performs a heapin’ helping of them, from Bill Monroe to the Stanley Brothers to Flatt & Scruggs, in a style that takes the eternal classic bluegrass sound to the next level. The band is fearless when it comes to crossover material, arranging songs from the likes of Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Newgrass Revival and many others into the well-defined framework of the band’s distinct styling, making each song sound like it was written just for them.

Bobby and Blue Ridge Tradition offers a wide range of options and is well-suited for many different types of performances.  While the band appears at several public venues throughout the year, the bulk of their schedule consists of private parties, weddings, receptions, and corporate events.  The primary focus of the band is to entertain audiences, which is without a doubt its greatest strength. If you're planning an event in Western North Carolina that requires some great live music, give Bobby and Blue Ridge Tradition a call. Their level of talent, fun and professionalism is guaranteed to make your event a success.

Tampa Bay, FL-based singer/songwriter Michele Ari creates music that combines the finest elements of her influences the jangling beauty of 80s New Wave, the incandescent charm of 60s pop, and the lyrical insights of early 70s singer/songwriter folk. Her self-released debut album 85th and Nowhere has received critical acclaim throughout the U.S. and the U.K. ********************************************************************** There are people who think they've seen it all, and even more who are sure they know everything. Those people are, of course, fools. Michele Ari hasn't seen it all. But that's not for lack of trying, and Michele's music is suffused with the magic of the journey. Her quest for a comfortable creative niche has taken the artist with the little pixie ears and the big expressive vocal ability across America, and through the gamut of expressive disciplines, since she was a little girl reenacting scenes from Grease in a suburban Detroit basement. New York. Miami. Los Angeles. Radio.TV. Dance.Theater. Michele's talent and imagination served her well in every area, but none of them-neither the places nor the artistic endeavors-really felt like home. Eventually, she found her voice, quite literally, in L.A. and songwriting. And not long after, she found a home amid Tampa, Florida's supportive, communal original-music scene, away from the Pop Factory and the rancid notion that a young woman can look good, or a young woman can be a singer-songwriter, but she can't do both. In Tampa, the snippets of poetry she'd always put to any paper handy when inspired-in the car, on the subway, at the bar and in a hundred other environments-became songs, delivered with a powerful smoked-honey voice that's equal parts innocence and hard-learned lesson. Collaborations, late-night jams and her first real gigs followed; Michele quickly made a strong impression on Bay Area players and fans, and was invited to perform at traditionally buzz-heavy events by scene-friendly community station WMNF 88.5 FM and musician's co-op The Southeast Music Alliance. Now, she's got a place of her own minus the crazy roommate or two in her past. And a band. And an album of yearning, evocative songs. Like the best ones written by the strong women who came before her, Michele's tunes ignore trendy rock subgenres. They just rock-and twang, and seethe, and always find a heartstring or two to pluck. They also ask the big questions in the most intimate of ways, pondering the universal truths that lie, if they lie anywhere, not at the end of the journey but in the journey itself. Michele’s live shows are often featured as a “Best Bet” in The Tampa Tribune and a Critic’s Pick in The Weekly Planet, a Creative Loafing publication. She has also been featured in The St. Petersburg Times’ weekly, tbt* (Tampa Bay Times) as well as interviewed for the largest Philippino paper, The Manila Standard. Her debut CD “85th and Nowhere” has received critical acclaim throughout the U.S. and in Europe as well. "Michele’s versatility and verve has been noted by myself and audiences. Her aliveness and vocals onstage capture your attention in a way where you can’t help but want to join in and be part of what she’s doing. She’s got every great musician in town on her CD and performing at her CD release show! She must be doing something right!" Lee Courtney, Music Director, DJ, WMNF 88.5 FM Tampa Fl