Noah Mason and Cruse Edwards have found their niche playing music together. This year, they started Bluegrass Brothers, with several opportunities to perform locally and plans for future expansion.
The duo is only in the fifth grade, attending Heritage Christian School. The boys said they enjoy having the ability to expand their love of music together.
Mason teamed up with Edwards just four months ago.
“I have played the violin for six years,” Mason said. “We got together because he (Edwards) started playing mandolin. We were already good friends.”
As far as the name Bluegrass Brothers, the young musicians believe it just fits.
“He got me into liking bluegrass,” Mason said. “We were playing together and he’s like a brother to me so that’s where we got that name. We are practicing five times a week; we live in the same neighborhood, every chance we have we play together.”
One of their first performances was at Pleasant Valley Community Church’s “Hymn Sing Night.”
“They invited Bluegrass Brothers to play two different times, with songs like I’ll Fly Away, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, and Amazing Grace. I am super proud of them,” Noah’s dad Brian Mason said.
The pair has also played some at Friday After 5 events, hoping to entertain people as they walk from stage to stage.
As far as future plans, the Bluegrass Brothers are hoping to record an album someday.
“It’s amazing to hear them from my office around the corner, singing their hearts out. It brings so much joy to me,” Brian Mason said. “They will practice at the church and each of their houses, pretty much anywhere they can.”
Each of the boys has a different reason they enjoy bluegrass music, bringing a unique perspective to their group.
“I like when the music goes really fast and when the different instruments find a way to play together,” Cruze said.
Noah Mason said, “I really like to hear all the old instruments, like more of the country instruments all playing together, like the banjo, mandolin, and violin.”
Both young musicians receive their training from Randy Lanham. The Bluegrass Brothers also have a Facebook page and a YouTube channel.
“We have put their music on Facebook a couple of times, recording videos from the house,” Brian Mason said. “If people like it, they can follow. There are so many other things the boys could be doing, but they are using their God-given gifts.”
