Mean Mary will be returning to Sundilla on Friday, February 28, 2025. The first question is always: just how mean is Mean Mary? The answer is: not at all. The name comes from the title of the very first song she wrote, which was called Mean Mary from Alabama. She has been stuck with the nickname ever since, which equates to almost her whole life; she wrote the song when she was all of five years old. She has evolved from that child prodigy who played for tips on the streets of Nashville (startling talent said the Tennessean) to a seasoned performer and headliner of over 4000 festivals and concerts (the voice of a ragged Angel combined with the banjo playing of the Devil says No Depression).

Mary's music is a blend of folk, bluegrass, and blues, and she is proficient on ten instruments, but centering her songwriting efforts on just the banjo, has been helpful in focusing her sound. "When you play multiple instruments, you spread your time between them, and it's been a lot of fun centering just on one instrument over the last few years and writing instrumentals specifically for it," she says. "And it's not necessarily bluegrass, though a lot of people think of the banjo as specifically a bluegrass instrument. I like to mix everything from blues to folk-rock into what I write."

Showtime at the AUUF (450 E. Thach Avenue in Auburn) is 7:30 p.m.. Advance tickets are $20 available at Spicer's Music, Ross House Coffee, Foodies, and online. Admission at the door will be $25 and $15 for students.

Attendees are welcome to bring whatever food or beverage they prefer.