A blast of Southern bluegrass music warms northerners Jan. 11-12 when Tennessee’s Blue Moon Rising plays a two-night session at Bismarck State College Sidney J. Lee Auditorium. Concerts open with area group Cotton Wood on Saturday and the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass Band on Friday. Both shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Local fiddler Preston Schmidt, a 2007 BSC graduate, and guitarist Ashley Wiese of Washburn, attend ETSU and perform with the six-piece college group.

“What these kids are doing down there is putting North Dakota on the map,” said Jill Wiese, concert promoter and bassist with Cotton Wood. Blue Moon Rising will announce the national release of its self-titled new album in Bismarck during their show. Wiese said representatives from Lonesome Day Records are attending with a videographer to record the performance for a possible DVD or YouTube? feature.

The group has three records out and is continuing to ride the success of its 2005 album, “On the Rise,” still charting and named among the CMT.com Top 10 bluegrass albums. The recording helped earn a 2006 nomination for Emerging Artists of the Year from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). This year, Blue Moon Rising received another accolade with its selection for the 2007 IBMA’s Fan Fest and World of Bluegrass Showcase in Nashville.

A song from their performance, “The Hanging Tree” is included in the IBMA showcase sampler CD. “That’s a huge honor to be chosen and on that CD,” Wiese said. “They play before 5,000 people on a gigantic stage where stars like Allison Krause and Ricky Skaggs perform.” In conjunction with their appearance, Blue Moon Rising will present hands-on technique workshops for singers and musicians from 1-4 p.m. Jan. 12 at BSC Leach Music Center. Fee is $5. No pre-registration necessary.