YEREVAN, JUNE 8, NOYAN TAPAN. "Bob Perilla's Big Hillbilly Bluegrass Band" will perform several concerts in Gyumri, Dilijan, Lake Sevan, Vayots Dzor, and Yerevan, at the invitation of the U.S. Embassy in Armenia. Bluegrass, a uniquely American form of music, is vibrant, fast and fun. Known for the distinctive sound of the banjo, four-part harmonies, and raucous fiddle playing, the bluegrass sound originated among 18th century settlers in the Blueridge Mountains (which run along the America's east coast, from Georgia to Virginia.) According to the Public Relations Department of US Embassy in Armenia, "Bob Perilla's Big Hillbilly Bluegrass Band" is a five-member bluegrass band based in Washington, DC, which performs bluegrass, country, folk and original material and boasts over 100 years of combined musical experience. The band's instrumentation includes: guitar, fiddle, upright bass, banjo and mandolin. The group has appeared several times at the Kennedy Center, is performer-in-residence at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and performs regularly in Washington, DC area music clubs. The band will complete its tour of the Caucuses in Armenia, after performing in both Georgia and Azerbaijan.

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