One of Boone’s classic acts is returning Nov. 6 and 7, as progressive bluegrass outfit Acoustic Syndicate takes the DragonFly Theater & Pub for a weekend double feature.

Known for its high-energy, positive sound, Acoustic delivers a genre-defying performance, masterfully blending its eclectic influences with trademark finesse that only 17 years of cohesive teamwork can bring. Not to mention family.

Comprised of Steve “Big Daddy” McMurry (lead guitar, mandolin, vocals), his cousins, Bryon McMurry (banjo, vocals) and Fitz McMurry (drums, percussion), and honorary family member Jay Sanders on bass, Acoustic started playing together in 1992, with the band’s first gig at Klondike Café in Boone.

It’s a sound that’s evolved, and an evolution Big Daddy McMurry enjoys more each day.

“As our dynamic grew, no one can explain how this thing evolved,” McMurry said. “It just evolved on its own, and the need for different instrumentation became apparent, like drums, and we didn’t fight it. Now, we’ve pretty much settled into a groove and format for what we do.”

It’s high energy, he said, with a definite rock ’n’ roll vibe, but acoustic.

“I don’t like getting pigeonholed, because we do so many things – bluegrass, soul, funk – whatever feel good,” McMurry said. “And the music we write is not typical of what you hear on the radio, either. We try to stay away from that mainstream cookie-cutter variety, and, honestly, I think people appreciate us doing that. I think there needs to be an alternative.”

Acoustic’s all about making sure it’s an honest alternative, a sound that’s 100 percent its own, but steeped in a rich musical history each band member appreciates. McMurry said the band’s influences span the musical gamut, including the Grateful Dead, Little Feat, The Police, The Who, Peter Gabriel and Steely Dan.

“I know all this stuff seems weird to be lumping in on top of a bluegrass ensemble, but it works – this is the stuff we grew up listening to,” he said. “Some of the class rock ’n’ roll is there, but also the more traditional music. We grew up singing in a church, and mountain music, ballads that our parents and grandparents taught us … that comes out in there, especially with the harmonies we put together. It’s a veritable melting pot of different influences.”

McMurry’s quick to assert, though, that the music’s never been about the band, but rather for the audience.

“The material we’ve written has consistently had a positive message to it, and very little of it is centered toward the individual,” he said. “We try to send a good message in a very joyful manner, a very pleasant, uplifting manner. People recognize that, and I think that’s why they like it. It’s not about any one of us in the group; it’s about the relationship in the group and the people who listen to our music, and we’re just going to try to keep that conversation going.”

That conversation also includes Acoustic’s saxophonist Jeremy Saunders, who won’t be performing in Boone, as he’s currently serving in the U.S. Navy Band, stationed in Italy. And being that the band members live somewhat dispersed, with Jay Sanders playing bass fulltime for Donna the Buffalo, Acoustic’s songwriting technique is somewhat non-collaborative. Each musician typically brings their individually written songs to practice, and the band brings them to life. Once playing is under way, it’s pretty much second nature.

“The dynamics come from 12 years of traveling on the road together,” McMurry said. “We’ve been playing together long enough now to pretty much know what everyone else is doing. It’s more of a reflex action now than anything else. We love to get together and play together, so we’ve been very fortunate in that regard.”

This never changed, despite the band’s two-year hiatus after performing at SmileFest in 2005. With the music industry in dire straits, McMurry said the band would have had to commit to another five years of heavy touring to sustain itself.

“None of us really could see being gone from our families and people for that long a period of time,” he said. “We would have had to buy a new bus, and at our age, we were kind of late bloomers in this music thing, in our late 30s at that point. We had a great run of it, and thought we’d just call it quits and be regular people for a while.”

But Acoustic’s audience felt otherwise.

“People wouldn’t let us quit playing,” McMurry said. “They’d keep calling and calling, so after a couple years we decided we’d get together and see if we still knew how to play.”

The results speak for themselves, and McMurry said the band is now performing without the pressures touring so often brings, and rather playing for the fun of it. The band still travels regionally, performing at festivals, including the recent Music on the Mountaintop in Boone, and individual shows throughout Western North Carolina.

McMurry admitted he was surprised by his fans’ jubilation at the band’s return.
“I figured folks had just moved on,” he said. “It still surprises me.”

And this is why Acoustic is cutting a new record, he said, adding that the band will visit the studio this winter to craft an album of all-new material, “for all the people who’ve hung with us all this time. I figured it’s about time they had some new stuff to listen to.”

Acoustic’s return was so well-met, in fact, that they were voted No. 6 in the Top 20 WNCW Artists of the Last 20 Years survey. “It’s very humbling, and we’re very honored to be holding that spot right now,” McMurry said.

They’re also honored to return to Boone.

“We love it, man,” McMurry said. “It’s kind of the first place where we broke out a little. I remember the good old days back in Rafters (on Howard Street), when that was still there, we’d go in and sell that place out a couple nights at a time, and it was lots of fun. There’s lots of good energy in Boone.”

History might repeat itself at the DragonFly on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6 and 7. Tickets cost $17 and are on sale now, as Acoustic’s last concert there sold out before doors even opened. The music starts at 10 both nights, and only those 18 and up will be admitted.

The DragonFly Theater & Pub is located at 215 Boone Heights Drive on Boone. For more information, call (828) 262-3222 or visit www.dragonflytheater.com. For more information on Acoustic Syndicate, visit acousticsyndicate.com.