HTMA Coffeehouse

The Yellow Dandies perform for Huntsville Traditional Music Association, August 20, 6:30, admission $12 cash at the door.

The Yellow Dandies are best described as an absurdist string band. Whether they’re dazzling crowds with tongue and finger twisting original compositions, or dusting off bluegrass standards and old-time fiddle tunes, the Birmingham-based band takes listeners on eclectic romps that never quite spin out of control.

But actually the Dandies are skilled and serious musicians. Ben Hood (guitar) has a songwriting degree from MTSU and was recently awarded a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission. Bailey Hill (mandolin and banjo) is a full time musician in Birmingham giving private lessons in mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and guitar. Ryan Brown (upright bass) has spent years performing with jazz bands, symphonies, rock bands, and his own projects. Aerin deRussy (fiddle) spent several years playing with various symphonies, including stints on both viola and violin with the Gadsden Symphony and the Muscle Shoals Symphony. After being petitioned by the band, she graciously decided to return to her roots as the 2007 Georgia Fiddle Queen.