The Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs will make their Sundilla debut on Friday, October 9! Showtime at the AUUF (450 E. Thach Avenue in Auburn) is 7:30 PM. Advance tickets are $20, available at Spicer’s Music, Ross House Coffee, and online at sundillaconcerts.com. Admission at the door is $25, and $15 for students.
Picture Jerry Garcia and Tom Waits forming an Appalachian duo and you’re somewhere close to the sound of the Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs. Zack and Kendra Harding, from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, mix old-time tradition with a psychedelic streak to make original music they call “folk(ish).”
Formed officially in 2016, the duo has toured widely across the U.S. and abroad, most recently returning from a run through the UK and Ireland. Their distinctive sound and laid-back stage presence have landed them spots at Mill Farm Music Party (UK), Front Porch Fest, Rockwood Music Hall, Piedmont Folkways and more.
Their third album, Astronaut Music from Bedlam, captures seven years of growth as a band. Leaning into the wild and weird, its songs range from century-old murders to three-month romances and everything in between.
The Bugs admit that only tacos and pets can make everyone happy, but they aim for a blend of sounds that sets toes tapping and heads bobbing — and makes a few friends along the way. Off stage, you’ll find them hiking the North Carolina foothills and mountains with their dogs, Joni and Moon Moon, or playing the nerdiest video games imaginable.
“The result is something that feels both nostalgic and boldly unfiltered, ideal for fans of Billy Strings, the Infamous Stringdusters, or anyone craving songs that stretch beyond the 30-second scroll.”
— Indifferential Magazine, July 2025
“For anyone who’s into the modern jam scene and acts who roll folk fusion à la Billy Strings, ‘She Drives Me’ offers just the right mix of a nod to tradition and a fresh, personal spin.”
— LyricalOddysey
“Its rhythm is toe-tappingly infectious and things get beautifully gritty in the chorus.”
— Graeme Smith, York Calling
Details
- Who: The Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs (Sundilla Acoustic Concert Series)
- When: Friday, October 9, 2026 — 7:30 PM
- Where: AUUF — 450 E. Thach Avenue, Auburn, AL
- Tickets: $20 advance / $25 door / $15 students
- Advance Tickets: Spicer’s Music, Ross House Coffee, or sundillaconcerts.com
- Artist Website: brownmountainlightningbugs.com
Upcoming Sundilla Concerts
- Friday, October 16 — Jefferson Ross and Todd Hoke, $20/$25 (AUUF)
- Thursday, November 5 — Griffin House, $20/$25 (AUUF)
Sundilla Acoustic Concert Series is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization run by an all-volunteer staff. Started in 1993 with an outdoor concert on the lawn at Pebble Hill, Sundilla has held most of its concerts in the AUUF Fellowship Hall since 1996, thanks to the generosity of the AUUF. In 2017, Sundilla became the first — and so far only — venue to receive a SERFA Award for Contributions to Folk Music from the SouthEast Regional Folk Alliance. The Sundilla Radio Hour, launched in 2013 on WTSU in Troy, now airs weekly across Alabama, Georgia, Florida, New York, Colorado and Alaska, and is available anytime as a podcast.
