Free concert tonight at Opera House

The free concert series at the Mauch Chunk Opera House in Jim Thorpe continues at 7:30 tonight with Free Range Folk, an Americana/bluegrass-inspired rock family band with instrumentation that ranges from electric guitar, horns and drums to banjo, mandolin and musical saw.

On its third album, Free Range Folk grafts a hybrid of New Orleans second-line style fun with potent dirt rock jams onto its bluegrass roots. The collection of well-honed original tunes explores old and new ideas: Nostalgia for the way things were and could be, a wonder of how they ever got there in the first place, and acceptance and optimism for the way things are now.

Much like the tourism industry burgeoning in the mountains and rivers surrounding their hometown of Jim Thorpe, the band has expanded exponentially, with a cast and crew of eight to 10 folks at any given time.

Traditional and novelty instrumentation play nice with each other while the microphone is passed to nearly everyone for at least a few moments.

The Mauch Chunk Opera House is located at 14 W. Broadway in Jim Thorpe. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call 570-325-4009 or 570-325-0249.