Stray Grass

[email protected] For over 30 years, The Black Rose Acoustic Society has been the home of live, handmade acoustic music in the Pikes Peak Region. We host twice-monthly concerts, jams, classes, open mics, and showcases through the year. Nestled in the tall Colorado pines, the down-home atmosphere of our log-cabin concert hall provides a family-oriented setting unsurpassed in friendliness and congeniality. One of the Rocky Mountain Region's most beloved string bands, the ultra-popular group Stray Grass delivers a high-energy take on acoustic music. Though they play traditional instruments, Grand Junction’s Stray Grass sounds anything but traditional! As Stray Grass's lead vocalist and mandolin player, Garry Tullio brings infectious energy and heartfelt authenticity to the stage. His soulful voice and expressive mandolin style are central to the band’s signature sound—rooted in bluegrass tradition yet alive with a fresh, contemporary spirit. Guy Stephens is one of the founding members of Stray Grass and has been part of the Western Colorado music scene since the 1980’s as a member of various rock, blues, and jazz groups in Grand Junction and Crested Butte. Originally inspired to pick up the guitar by watching Glen Campbell, Guy loves performing onstage and making people smile. A Grand Valley native, Byron began performing professionally after college. He first gained local exposure with standout bluegrass band The Ridgerunners as a banjo player, then switched to pedal steel guitar and spent the next few years touring the “sagebrush circuit” in the Western US and Canada. In 1986, he joined Chuck Wagon and the Wheels and moved to Sun Valley, Idaho. During the next 28 years, the calendar was kept full with hotel and convention dates, road trips, recording and club dates in the very busy, upscale resort area. “Really too many bands to remember them all, everything from a doo-wop cabaret show to spaghetti western punk”. In 2008, Byron returned to his acoustic roots by forming Dewey Pickette and Howe, returning to banjo and bringing the dobro onstage. When he returned to Grand Junction, CO, in 2014, he was “lucky enough” to meet Garry and join Stray Grass. Dave has been in the Grand Valley almost his entire life. He began playing the upright bass in the school orchestra as a sixth grader and continued through high school. He didn’t join his first local band, Dem Bones, until a few years after graduating. Since then, he’s hopped from band to band, sometimes playing in as many as three groups at once, ranging from ragtime to alternative rock. Having played music across the Grand Valley, Northwest, and parts of the Eastern US, he holds true to a driving principle: “Playing music with others affords an opportunity to learn from and communicate with them unlike any other.” Website: www.straygrass.com Opening Acts: Sara Van Hecke, Grace Morrison (+++ ABOUT OUR OPENING ACTS +++) Doors open at 6:15 p.m.; the concert begins at 7:00 p.m. with two opening acts. $15 general admission, $8 members and students with ID; free for ages 12 and younger (become a member before or at the show and $tart $aving right away!). Tickets are now available for sale both at the door and in advance HERE. +++ Free, off-street parking is available in the church lot across the street from our hall. +++ Baked goods, coffee, tea, and water are available for purchase in the Community Center.