Smoky Mountain News

Angela Faye Martin and the Scarlet Oak Sway will showcase its unique rock-and-roll sound when the band performs from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, July 30, at Sylva’s Bridge Park Pavilion.

Martin, a talented musician from Franklin, added the Scarlet Oak Sway last year for what was to be a one-time show to release her album, “Pictures From Home.” However, the band, comprised of musicians from Macon and Jackson counties, was a hit with fans and that evolved into a year-long tour of venues across the Southeast.

The band’s impromptu tour makes its final stop in downtown Sylva. The free show is part of a summer concert series each Friday evening through Labor Day weekend.

Martin says folks in Sylva can expect a setlist of the band’s original music, a haunting pop-rock sound with Southern and country tinges.

“People expect traditional mandolins and banjos out of the mountains, we play neither. This is primarily a rock outfit,” Martin explains. “The first time we played in Atlanta, a rock critic came up to me and asked, ‘These guys are from the mountains?’ That’s when I knew we were onto something.”

Joining Martin in the Scarlet Oak Sway are: lead guitarist Chris Cooper, keyboardist Jeff Southerland and drummer Adam Woleslagle.

“We want to take our sound further out into the world, but love playing near home, where the songs were written,” Martin says.

Concerts on the Creek are co-produced by: the Downtown Sylva Association, Town of Sylva, Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, Jackson Country Travel & Tourism and Jackson County Parks & Recreation.

800.962.1911 or www.mountainlovers.com.