Three players became four, then five, and suddenly Emily Powers found herself at the heart of a talented new group of musicians in Lunenburg County.
Powers makes it sound effortless to assemble a band of this caliber. “It just became this thing where, anytime we talked to another friend who played a country or bluegrass instrument, we’d say, ‘Oh, do you want to come play with us?’” she explains.
The group began over a year ago when emeritus band member Ken Voita approached a handful of local musicians to perform regularly at the Mug and Anchor. Dubbed Diggin’ Up Grubs, the band plays every other Thursday at the Mug and Anchor Pub in Mahone Bay.
The ensemble has now grown to six steady members: Tyler LeBlanc, Drew Moores, Emily Powers, Lauchie Chisholm, Haig Beylerian, and Henk Fisher. The Grubs have also gained a reputation for enlivening local events and fundraisers—you might have seen them at the Famous Town Pies Father’s Day backyard concert in June.
More recently, they’ve entertained audiences at the Lunenburg Farmers’ Market Harvest Moon Hootenanny and the Harbour House Hoedown, both supporting local organizations working for social justice on the South Shore.
While country and bluegrass music may not be everyone’s cup of tea—Powers herself admits it wasn’t her favorite genre as a teen—it has proven to be a great way to get people moving at fundraisers.
“I’ve really grown to love the style of music. It gets people excited,” she shares. “I think that’s what’s been happening with Diggin’ Up Grubs, where it just started as this fun little thing and some easy listening to music at a bar to now more people coming and saying, ‘Oh, this would be a nice addition to our event.’”
