Capable of playing Bach to bluegrass, Hank, Pattie and The Current (HP&C) established themselves as a band whose signature sound colors outside the lines of musical norms.

Attempts at assigning labels sometimes settle on “soulgrass.” They’ve forged their own style with whimsically wowing originals like “Earl of Vienna,” a nod to Bluegrass banjo phenom, Earl Scruggs. But with their current North Carolina Winter Tour, they’ve gone a step — or one might say a continent — further.

Next Saturday hometown favorite fiddler Pattie Hopkins Kinlaw will be joined by more than banjo player Hank Smith, guitarist Billie Feather, and bassist Stevie Martinez, the consummate musicians that complete the HP&C ensemble. A unique musical collaboration promises to bring a distinctive show to The State Theatre, adding Icelandic band Brek and Merlefest band competition winners Into the Fog.

Fresh off the release of the new album “Letters,” Hank, Pattie and the Current joined Aaron on Live & Local!

One of the Triangle’s seminal bluegrass bands, Hank and Pattie – Hank Smith and Pattie Hopkins Kinlaw – have been performing together for well over a decade. Recorded in a marathon three-day session in Asheville, “Letters” is the band’s fourth studio album and their first in three years.

Hank Smith and Pattie Hopkins Kinlaw joined Aaron on 97.9 The Hill to chat about the new album and their upcoming plans, including a “Music in the Gardens” show at the Duke Gardens on July 20. They also played three songs: “Steady,” “Lullaby,” and “The Ruetschi Forge.”

Hard-hitting bluegrass pickers who moonlight as symphonic classical musicians, Hank, Pattie, and The Current, led by banjo player Hank Smith and fiddle player and vocalist Pattie Kinlaw with Billie Feather on guitar and Stevie Martinez on bass, take an innovative twist on traditional bluegrass music and mix it with a soulful brew flavored with classical, Motown, jazz, and pop influences. With special guests the WPS’ Maestro’s Quartet. Presented in conjunction with L.A.T.E. hours at Hickory Museum of Art.

It’s easy to understand why Greenville’s Pattie Kinlaw and Hank Smith of Raleigh were invited to bring their full band “Hank, Pattie, and the Current” to Carolina in the Fall. Their signature sound shares a thread with The Kruger Brothers, including Hank’s elaborate, orchestral banjo stylings to go along with Pattie’s classical/bluegrass split personality fiddle and smooth vocals, accompanied by Billie Feather’s animated guitar and Stevie Martinez’ bass undergirding.

Everything that Hank, Pattie & The Current do is decidedly and intentionally modern. Though they follow the model of the bluegrass ensemble, as far as the instrumentation is concerned, their music is seasoned for a more contemporary, urban taste with rough edges smoothed and backwoods accents removed.

It all started in 1994, when Hank Smith received a pawn shop banjo for Christmas. He didn’t play at the time—but he couldn’t put it down, either. “It was something of an anomaly. I don’t have a musical family,” says Smith, who grew up in Florence, South Carolina.

Having recently released their fourth album, Rise Above, Hank, Pattie & the Current have had a full slate of concerts across North Carolina and Virginia, and stop by Boone as a part of their summer tour. Bluegrass juggernauts Hank Smith and Pattie Hopkins Kinlaw put their own unique spin on old school bluegrass by infusing elements of Latin and Jazz music. With innovative arrangements, pitch-perfect harmonies, and stunning artistry, this band knows how to deliver a captivating performance.