Local musician and banjo player, Jonathan Porterfield will be featured during Open Mic Night at the Masonic Amphitheatre on Friday, July 24. Open Mic begins at 7:00 PM and showcases local entertainers throughout the evening. Admission is a donation to SAVE THE MASONIC.

Jonathan Porterfield Featured at Open Mic Night at the Masonic Amphitheatre   Clifton Forge, VA (July 13, 2015) - A goal of Open Mic Night at the Masonic Amphitheatre is to feature local entertainers and provide a stage for them on which to perform. July’s Open Mic Night is no exception and on Friday, July 24 at 7:00 pm, local artists will be tuning their instruments, testing their voices and doing sound checks, with the Masonic Amphitheatre’s sound man, Steve Fenton. July’s Open Mic features local musician, Jonathan Porterfield. Jonathan Porterfield is a resident of the Clifton Forge area and is a rising senior. Through the years he has experimented with many different stringed instruments but is most proficient on the banjo. He has played several different genres of music throughout his lifetime but in the last few years has discovered the exciting sound of Bluegrass music. His first taste of Bluegrass came while watching the “Darling Family” on “The Andy Griffith Show”. A short while later he saw an episode of “The Beverly Hillbillies” where the great musical duo of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs were featured. In the weeks following he started listening to Bluegrass at every opportunity. Since the banjo is essential to Bluegrass music it was an obvious decision for him to begin playing it. After a couple of months of teaching himself he joined the monthly jam session at the Clifton Forge School of the Arts. There he met talented and influential musicians who shared important elements of Bluegrass music. When he is not picking the five string banjo, Jonathan keeps himself busy by hunting, gardening, taking his beagle for a walks, setting up at the Clifton Forge Downtown Market on Fridays and the new Save a Lot Fresh Market on Saturdays, and restoring his antique Chevrolet truck. Admission to Open Mic Night on Friday July 24 at the Masonic Amphitheatre is a donation to SAVE THE MASONIC. In addition to Jonathan’s performance, local musicians and entertainers are encouraged to sign up to perform. Attendees are welcome to use the Amphitheatre’s bench and chair seating or bring blankets and lawn chairs. Concessions are available. For more information on the Masonic Amphitheatre’s schedule of events, please visit www.historicmasonictheatre.com or the Masonic Theatre and Amphitheatre Facebook page.

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