Bluegrass music has a following in Bridgeville, especially with periodic appearances of the band Jakob's Ferry Stragglers.
The band will play at Bee'z Bistro & Pub, 3249 Washington Pike, on Friday beginning at 9 p.m.
The band released its new CD called “The Lane Change” in late 2014 and has nearly 10,000 hits a week for its Facebook page.
Founded in 2010 by Gary Antol, who has his bachelor's degree in sound recording technology and jazz guitar from Duquesne University, the group is known for its “old-time bluegrass” sound as well as its coverage of country music, jazz, rock and 1930s swing. Antol plays the guitar and mandolin.
Fellow musician Libby Eddy, at age 15, won first prize in the Maryland State Championship Fiddle Contest and contributes vocals as well as fiddle-playing. Mitch Hall, who has a bachelor's in ethnobiology and his master's in conservation biology from Frostburg State University, plays clawhammer banjo.
The fourth member of the group, Ed Croft, who plays the upright bass, will be obtaining his master's in jazz studies from Bowling Green State University later this spring.
The group is named after the small town of Jakob's Ferry in Greene County and the idea came from Antol's father.
The band performs about 275 days a year at clubs, restaurants and festivals throughout southwestern and central Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and the Washington, D.C., area.
The band will be back at Bee'z on Feb. 6.
For more information on upcoming performances, visit www.jakobsferry.com.
Charlotte Smith is a contributing writer for Trib Total Media and can be reached at 724-693-9441 or charlotte59@comcast.net.
