A Triple Dose of Folk and Bluegrass at MacArthur Beach State Park
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By GERRY BARKER
North Palm Beach Life Published April 22, 2019 The last Spring edition of the "MacArthur Under Moonlight Concerts" series couldn't have asked for a better setting: Perfect temperatures, clear skies, a full moon and last but certainly not least -- a band to match. A near-capacity crowd filled the Amphitheater at MacArthur Beach State Park to hearThe Lubben Brothers, a locally-based trio who are indeed brothers. Triplets, to be exact. Michael, Tom and Joshua are Iowa natives who came to West Palm Beach to attend Palm Beach Atlantic university. On this perfect Saturday night, adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, they were ready to "gear up for an old-fashioned hoedown." And that's what they delivered. Mixing three-part vocal harmonies with a wide range of acoustic instruments, including guitar, fiddle, bass, harmonica and banjo, their show featured both American and international folk songs, bluegrass, some classic Woody Guthrie and a little pop thrown in for good measure. One of the crowd favorites was Guthrie's "Do-Re-Mi," about Depression Era-Dust Bowlers getting turned back by the California Border Patrol, as well as the John Denver hit, "Take Me Home Country Roads." A highlight was an original song from the trio called "Charleston," about the tragic shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina in 2015, where nine people were shot to death. It's message was both powerful and moving. As they wrapped it up, the crowd wasn't ready to let them leave, so they obliged us with a smoking hot version of the 1938 "fiddle players national anthem" -- "Orange Blossom Special." Both talented as well as personable, the 24-year-old brothers recently got high marks for their performance in "Woody Guthrie's American Song" at Palm Beach Dramaworks. Their shows frequently feature friends and family, including the other Lubben -- 15-year-old Isaac from Chicago. You can check their upcoming shows on their website, THELUBBENBROTHERS.COM, and find out about their upcoming album, due in July. |
The Lubben Brothers bring two special
guests to join them (NPBL Photo) Lubben Concert Excerpts'Take Me Home, Country Roads'
'Orange Blossom Special'
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