HAMLET — The Seaboard City last week announced the lineup for this year’s Boxcar Concert Series.
The monthly event, running from April through October, will feature several returning bands, as well as one new to the series — but not to Richmond County.
The season kicks off April 24 at Main Street Park with a performance by the Low Down Dirty Heathens, a regional band that blends Southern Rock, outlaw country and swamp blues.
The band — featuring singer and guitarist Joe Frye, bassist Ronnie Latham and drummer Donnie Smith — has been performing original and cover tunes across the state since forming in 2019.
The Low Down Dirty Heathens have previously performed at the Berry Patch and Double Vision, and competed in Rockingham Dragway’s Battle of the Bands in 2024.
Vagabond performs in the 2025 Boxcar Concert Series.
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The second band to perform in the series is local band Vagabond on May 22.
The band — comprising guitarist/vocalist John Baker, bassist/vocalist Patrick Razon, drummer Anakin White and guitarist Logan Watts —was scheduled to play the Boxcar series in 2024, but the show was canceled due to Hurricane Helene. However, Vagabond did perform in September 2025.
Vagabond’s set list includes a variety of covers over several decades of rock music, ranging from Jackson Brown and Steely Dan to Green Day and the Foo Fighters.
The Beach Fever Band performs in the 2024 Boxcar Concert Series.
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The summer starts with Beach Fever Band, including: bassist Gary Raines and guitarist Carl Giddens, both of Rockingham; vocalist, guitarist and saxophonist Kevin Parrish of Hamlet; and drummer NiQuan Sims and keyboardist-vocalist Zachary Kendall, both from Scotland County.
Beach Fever previously had a show in the series in 2024, playing classics from bands like Chairmen of the Board, as well as a beach-rock-country medley of Jim Quick's "Mama's Drinkin' Liquor Again," Free's "All Right Now" and Billy Ray Cyrus' "Achey Breaky Heart."
Eric Whitfield belts out a tune during Good Company's 2024 performance in the Boxcar Concert Series.
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In July, Good Company returns to Hamlet to perform in the series for the second consecutive year.
Fronted by Eric Whitfield on vocals and guitar, the band also includes drummer and vocalist Eddie Brown, guitarist Brian Grooms and bassist Jason Singleton, playing country and southern rock tunes from the likes of Alabama and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Jonathan Robinson lays down a solo during a 2025 Boxcar performance.
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The Jonathan Robinson Band returns Aug. 28 with a mixture of rock and blues. Robinson returned home to Richmond County after working as a guitarslinger for several years in Nashville. The band is the only act to perform every year in the series.
Erik Hawks performs in the 2025 Boxcar Concert Series.
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Richmond County native Erik Hawks makes his fourth appearance in the series with the Hard Luck Band on Sept. 25. Hawks and company closed out the series for three consecutive years.
Hawks is an award-winning singer/songwriter now living in Fayetteville who has been performing several years in his home county as a solo act or with the full band, with shows at both Rockingham Speedway and Rockingham Dragway, as well as Rockingham’s SpringFest and the Seaboard Festival.
The Radio performs in the 2025 Boxcar Concert Series.
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Closing out the 2026 season is The Radio, also making its fourth consecutive appearance.
The Rockabilly trio — with members hailing from Randolph and Chatham counties — returns Oct. 23 with a list of original and cover tunes. The band also performed at the Seaboard Festival in 2025.
The free Boxcar Concert Series started on Sunday afternoons in 2022, but was switched to Friday evenings to coincide with TGIFridays on Main, with several food trucks set up near the Depot.
