In the past couple of years, the Piedmont-based Carolina Chocolate Drops have been raising the roof off many a venue in and around the New River Valley. Playing shows in Roanoke, Floyd and Charleston have put the Drops in the NRV’s musical consciousness as one of the hottest, most sought-after musical acts in the region.

Seeing them play live may well become one of the musical experiences of your life.

The trio are an African American string band, and are made up of Piedmont natives Rhiannon Giddens (banjo/vocal), Justin Robinson (fiddle), and Arizonan Dom Flemons (multi-instrumentalist). Their typical stage setup consists of numerous instruments laid out around the band including guitars, fiddles, banjos, jugs and varied percussion. The musicians pick up and play different instruments throughout the show, using them in concert with claps and stomps while playing a repertoire of Carolina fiddle and banjo music in both black and white traditions.

The band has long studied with the great Joe Thompson of Mebane, N.C., regarded as the last traditional black string band player. As a result, that great tradition surfaces each time they play, creating a vibe akin to watching a group of musicians from a century ago. Performance highlights include string band staples such as “Rickett’s Hornpipe” and “Tom Dula,” Flemons’ solo rendition of “Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight,” Giddens’ acapella recitation of “I Wish I Were a Single Girl Again,” and a throw-down interpretation of the Blue Cantrell R&B single “Hit’em Up Style.”

Giddens’ (who attended Oberlin College) vocal is strong and sweet, and reveals her ability to sing mountain music and Italian opera with equal measure. Flemons uses his entire body to play music, switching between guitar, banjo, vocal, jug, and percussion. Watching him work his feet while also working the guitar and singing makes you want to dance. Fiddler Robinson plays a style drawing from an old Piedmont technique of accompanying the banjo, rather than dominating it. Taken together, this ensemble forms the foundation of the Chocolate Drops’ performance style.

In the past year, the band has played all over North America and Europe, including a bring-the-house-down performance on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion in June 2007. More recently, they played Roanoke’s Jefferson Center and Charleston, W.Va.’s Mountain Stage in early 2008.

The Chocolate Drops will return to the NRV on June 21 to play at the Winter Sun auditorium in Floyd. In addition, they will perform at Blacksburg’s Lyric Theater later this year on Oct. 24. Their current CD, Dona Got A Ramblin’ Mind, is available on Music Maker records, and can be heard on their Web site www.carolinachocolatedrops.com.

John Hildreth lives in Giles County, teaches at Radford University, and plays in the contra dance band Dot Dot Dash.