AUGUSTA, GA – Once you hear the Mason Jars in action, most pre-conceived notions of an acoustic duo are immediately shot down, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We’re not two guys sitting on stools singing slow, depressing songs about things… it’s fun, foot-stomping party music, really,” said singer Andy Colbert.

Colbert, whose musical career started with busking on the streets of Helen, Ga., during Oktoberfest while in college, was influenced by the “Unplugged” era of ’90s rock. His bandmate, Trey Pitts, was playing mostly bluegrass music. While Colbert was playing a gig at since-closed Loco’s, Pitts joined him on stage.

“He started ripping it,” Colbert said, and the band was born. The band mainly consists of the two guitarists with other musicians, including a banjo player and percussionist,occasionally joining in.

Colbert admits that his style has changed since he joined forces with Pitts.

“Trey came along and started doing this fast picking and that encouraged me to speed up my songs and it really puts a little energy inside of me,” he said.

The guys have two CDs under their belt, “Live from Lake Jean Drive,” which Colbert recorded at his house, and “Live Sessions Clemson WSBF 88.1.” They also have had the pleasure of opening for the Zac Brown Band at Sky City as well as playing this year’s A Day in the Country.

The duo has a tour lined up for the winter with stops in Virginia, North Carolina and Alabama.

“It’s really cool to see that we can go up there and play these kind of bigger venues and fill it out and people are impressed by just a couple of guys with guitars can have as much energy as a full band can,” Colbert said.

For Colbert, what happens in the audience is as important as what happens on stage.

“As long as everybody there had a good time, whether it was four or whether it was 500 people, that’s the part to me that’s cool, just to see that people enjoy what we’ve got going on.” 
 
The Mason Jars, Burning Angels
1102 Downtown
Friday, November 27
9 p.m.
Free
themasonjars.com