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Valley band to play Westside Theatre
red dog ash
Red Dog Ash is made up of banjo player Dixon Smith; Gary Vessel on mandolin; bass player Elijah Arrigotti; and Jason Winfree on lead guitar. - photo by Photo Contributed

Mixing in the sounds of a plucky banjo, the sweet vibrations of the mandolin, the deep resonating bass and an authentic twang, Red Dog Ash is finding their groove in the bluegrass arena.

Red Dog Ash will be playing at the West Side Theatre in Newman at 8 p.m. Saturday. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for general admission.

The band, which gets its name from the byproduct of uncontrolled coal fires, is made up of banjo player Dixon Smith; Gary Vessel on mandolin; bass player Elijah Arrigotti; and Jason Winfree on lead guitar.

The Central Valley transplants have found their muse in the Valley’s landscape and people. The group writes the majority of their own songs. Compositions like “Valley Heat” and “New Dust Bowl Blues” tell the stories that are unique to the Valley and are delivered in classic bluegrass tradition with tight heartfelt harmonies and hard-driving tunes.

The band even replicates the bluegrass tradition of choreographing their playing around a single microphone.

Red Dog Ash has played at numerous bluegrass festivals in the state and were recently named “Emerging Artist” at the Bluegrassin’ in the Foothills festival. Country Chart described them as “a surprisingly fresh and exciting bluegrass band” with a self-titled debut album “that has a touch of old-soul country mixed with classic mountain music.”

Tickets to the Red Dog Ash concert can be purchased by visiting www.westsidetheatre.org or calling 862-4490.