Liam Purcell and Cane Mill Road

Local band represents Boone faithfully

BY PATRICK MCCORMACK

Fans and supporters of High Country musicians will be overjoyed to see that popular regional band Cane Mill Road — with Deep Gap-native Liam Purcell as frontman — are set to appear onstage at Boonerang 2023.

Purcell and Cane Mill Road are well known both locally and beyond, recently garner- ing attention in the bluegrass scene at a rapid pace. The group have appeared on PBS shows like “David Holt’s State of Music” and “Woodsongs

Old-Time Radio Hour,” stages of events such as the Berklee Performance Center, Wide Open Bluegrass, Grey Fox and Merlefest.

Though their catchy and energizing performances have propelled them to national recognition, Cane Mill Road have not forgotten their hometown roots of Boone, North Carolina.

A group that pays homage to traditional bluegrass origins while also crafting their own songs influenced by styles such as folk and Americana, Cane Mill Road is led by Purcell.

“I was super excited to see something of this scale like Boonerang come to the area last year,” Purcell said. “We’ve never had anything like this before, and of course the folks who were putting it on were some longtime friends, too. Seeing the response from the town was awesome in photos and videos afterward, and I’m excited to come back and experience it for real.”

Purcell is an award-winning acoustic artist, able to command a variety of instruments — as evidenced by a trio of Rockygrass Instrumental Championship trophies in 2022. Purcell won the www.boonechamber.com/hcyp

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