Two Bands, One Lawn: The Wilder Flower and The Foreign Landers Bring the New Roots Sound to the Jones House
The best argument for the Jones House free concert series is that on a random Friday in August it can put two of the most exciting young roots acts in the Southeast on the same downtown lawn — for the price of nothing. On Aug. 7 at 5:30 p.m., The Wilder Flower and The Foreign Landers do exactly that, and locals who think they've heard every fiddle tune this region has to offer should show up ready to be corrected.
The Wilder Flower is the newer name and the one to watch. The Brevard, N.C.-based trio — Madeline Dierauf on fiddle, Molly Johnson on banjo, and Audrey Neel on guitar, who rounded out the lineup in 2025 — trades in three-part harmony and original material that braids bluegrass, old-time, and folk into something that sounds both ancient and brand-new. They've already opened for the SteelDrivers and Steep Canyon Rangers and played MerleFest and FreshGrass, and their 2024 debut, If I Wait Any More, drew the kind of notices young bands frame: WNCW called them "one of our favorite new regional acts," and Bluegrass Today dubbed them "a fresh voice in the industry" with "a wealth of strong original material."
The Foreign Landers bring the road-worn counterweight. The husband-and-wife duo of Tabitha Agnew Benedict and David Benedict — she a Northern Ireland-bred banjo and guitar player, he a mandolin specialist, based these days in Travelers Rest, S.C. make intimate, transatlantic string music that has quietly become a critics' favorite. Their newest single, "Smell the Rose," dropped Sept. 12, 2025, and captures what they call "the joy and the ache" of life's fleeting beautiful moments, the ones that "slip away with time." It's the kind of song that lands differently at dusk on a lawn full of neighbors.
Why does a free Friday series keep landing bookings this good? Because the Jones House has spent years building a reputation as a room — well, a lawn — that takes roots music seriously, and touring acts in the MerleFest orbit route through the High Country knowing they'll get an audience that actually listens. "It's a great way to support local artists and create a welcoming space for folks to gather and enjoy downtown Boone," Cultural Resources Coordinator Brandon Holder said of the series. On a bill like this one, "local artists" quietly means "some of the best young pickers in the Carolinas."
The mechanics are the same as always: bring a chair and a blanket, pack a picnic, and remember downtown's metered parking is free after 5 p.m. The show is free, the harmonies are not something you'll hear anywhere else this week, and the mountains handle the lighting.
Come for the price. Stay because two rising bands are about to remind you that this region's roots music isn't a heritage exhibit — it's a living thing, and it's writing new songs.
Sources: Jones House 2026 Summer Concert Series lineup — High Country Press; The Wilder Flower — Bio; The Bluegrass Situation: The Foreign Landers, Rachel McIntyre Smith, and More; The Foreign Landers — Travelers Rest (Bandcamp)