Acoustic jam band The Bus Boys plays two-set show Sunday

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The Bus Boys performed two sets of acoustic folk music to a receptive audience of more than 75 Sunday afternoon at the Perry Performing Arts Center.

The musical ensemble hails from Winona, Minn., and is composed of three former school bus drivers — hence their name — united in their love for the folkish sounds of the Grateful Dead, The Band, Bob Dylan, Ry Cooder and the like.

The trio mixed healthy doses of bluegrass and traditional folk and fiddle tunes into Sunday’s show, along with what sounded like a few originals. After a few bumps, the band settled into a comfortable groove and chatted casually between numbers with audience, which rewarded their frequent solos with warm applause.

The Bus Boys formed in 1997, and they ended their first set Sunday with a song that mandolinist Wayne Beezley said was the cause of the band’s formation: the Jerry Garcia and David Grisman cover of B. B. King’s classic blues number, “The Thrill is Gone.”

Guitarist Mark Christensen, who said he was wearing a brand new Walmart wardrobe due to the theft of his clothes, played lead breaks that sounded well broken in, while Dedrick Benz on bass held the ensemble together rhythmically and with harmony vocals.

The next event in the Perry Fine Arts concert series will be the 65-member Greater Des Moines Community Band, which will perform Sunday, April 15 at 2 p.m. in the Perry Performing Arts Center.

Perry Fine Arts concerts are free and open to the public. Donations in support of the concerts are gratefully accepted. The Perry Performing Arts Center is handicapped accessible.

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