SEQUIM — Lovers of the bluegrass-country-blues sound have a chance to be part of a CD recording session as singer and guitarist Cort Armstrong and his band, FarmStrong, go into Dungeness Community Studios on Saturday, June 1.
Armstrong and his wife, stand-up bassist Kia Armstrong, recorded “Live in Dungeness,” their first album together, last December with a live studio audience. With the crowd singing along on the closing track “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” the CD came out early this year.
This time around, the audience will again be invited to take part in the creation of the record. The mix of players is new, though: For this FarmStrong debut album, Armstrong is collaborating with Jim Faddis, a veteran bluegrass player whose bands have included Prairie Flyer; upright bassist John Pyles of Poulsbo and Dobro-banjo-guitar player Rick Meade, newly of Sequim.
They are “amazing bluegrass players,” Armstrong said, adding they give the old-time songs fresh flavor.
“We’re bringing this chemistry to the studio, to mix with the energy of the live audience,” in two recording sessions at 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. June 1.
Tickets are on sale at www.BrownPaperTickets.com — search for FarmStrong — at $30 per person including a reception between sessions and a copy of the FarmStrong CD when it comes out.
Listeners also can have a taste of the foursome’s sound at Wind Rose Cellars, the wine bar at 143 W. Washington St., when the band plays from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays.
“It has taken me some time to get mixed up in a group of this quality. And even though it is brand new, I have high hopes for where [FarmStrong] will go if our stars line up correctly,” said Armstrong.
There’s no cover charge for this or other live music at Wind Rose. For more details, phone the venue at 360-681-0690 and visit www.CortArmstrongMusic.com.
