Bent Grass Offers Bluegrass with a Twist

What do you get when you combine a carpenter, a medical salesman, a business owner and a water department employee? If the guys in question are Mark Wellens, Dave Sladek, Joe Hannon and Mike Strenski, then you’ve got yourself one heckuva bluegrass band! Bent Grass will perform at Third Avenue Playhouse on Saturday, May 2 at 7:30 pm.

The four members of Bent Grass began playing together in early 2005 and, although this group is relatively young, its fan base is growing with each performance. Their first appearance at TAP last spring garnered rave reviews and earned the group a number of new fans in the county.

Although they come from different professional backgrounds, the four men share a love of bluegrass music that will have you smiling from start to finish. Traditional instruments include the banjo, guitar, mandolin, stand-up bass and dobro with strong four-part harmonies and some well-placed a cappella singing.

Bent Grass will treat you to both traditional bluegrass and some gospel music, blending songs like “Blue Moon Over Kentucky”(Bill Monroe) with newer styles like “When the Sun Goes Down” (Kenny Chesney) and “Paradise” (John Prine), and a liberal sprinkling of original tunes. The band’s first CD is entitled Nineteen Days. Their second recording, Coming Home, was released in March of 2008.

Ticket prices for Bent Grass are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students and $8 for children under 12. Tickets are on sale at the theater box office, 239 N. Third Avenue, Sturgeon Bay, 920.743.1760. Theater box office hours are 10 am – 3 pm, Monday – Friday and one hour prior to performances. Tickets are also available at Dancing Bear, 13 N. Third Avenue and online at http://www.ThirdAvenuePlayhouse.com.