The Packway Handle Band – Bluegrass – with special guest Sans Abri & Powerkompany – Live in Concert – Friday, August 17, 2012 | Best of Atlanta Concerts | Atlanta Concert, Tickets & Performing Arts Resource

Packway Handle Band

It all started in Athens, Georgia in 2001 during a most peculiar spell when 5 or 6 bluegrass bands circulated the town. THE PACKWAY HANDLE BAND emerged from this small scene, finding national acclaim first as finalists at the Telluride bluegrass competition in 2002 and 2003, then taking 2nd place in 2004. The band’s 2003 debut album, “Chaff Harvest,” was produced using prize awards from a local Battle of the Bands when they beat out 72 other rock bands for first place. The band now plays upward of 200 shows a year in the United States and in 2008 Packway embarked on an overseas tour to play the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow, Scotland as well as a string of other dates throughout the UK, Belgium, Holland, and France. It’s obvious their enthusiasm and sense of humor are honest, and that what they do appeals to broad audiences, even those who don’t normally listen to bluegrass. Since 2003 the band has released four full length albums and one live EP, the most recent album entitled, “What Are We Gonna Do Now?”, was released in February 2010.

Josh Erwin and Michael Paynter of The Packway Handle Band have started the side project, SANS ABRI, arranging original songs that don’t necessarily fit the band’s bluegrass bill. The songs are a creative collaboration involving acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, percussion, and vocal arrangements. Expect an intimate set showcasing these two unique talents that have spent more than ten years together on the stage. ”What audiences will hear from Sans Abri will maintain a spiritual connection to Packway Handle’s rousing bluegrass-inspired folk, but with a distinct identity…As Sans Abri…they have also been able to distance themselves from the stylistic expectations associated with bluegrass. That alone has been worth the added challenge of keeping people engaged with fewer men onstage.” – Casey Phillips (Times Free Press)