Fireworks, fiddles & kazoos

Whenever the Carolina Chocolate Drops rip into their version of "Hit 'Em Up Style," they bring the house down.

The Drops, a North Carolina-based trio, turn the 2001 R&B hit from Blu Cantrell into a primal bluegrass jam. Rhiannon Giddens, 33, plays the violin in traditional fiddle style, rarely lifting the bow from the strings and flourishing her sound with double-stops and a swinging, forceful beat. Then 4-string banjo player, Dom Flemons, 27, joins her, claw-hammering the banjo with a powerful downstroke. Then Justin Robinson, 27, adds the popular hip-hop technique of beatboxing, or vocal percussion, to the melody. Finally, Giddens' opera-trained voice explodes, delivering the scorn of a woman, growling, "if he mess up/you gotta hit 'em up."

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It will give you the chills every time.

Tonight, Spoleto audiences will have the opportunity to see for themselves as the Drops perform the Festival Finale at Middleton Place.

After vice president David Bither, who also brought in Wilco and The Black Keys, signed the Drops in 2007 to the Nonesuch label, the trio has hit the big time, scoring spreads in publications like the popular music magazine "Spin."

"When I first saw them I was floored," Bither said in a phone interview. "It was one of those great moments, where you go out and see a lot of things, but I had never seen anything quite like this. While it was traditional, it was also exceptional."

The Drops follow in the black string band tradition spurred on by bands like the Ebony Hillbillies who also performed at Spoleto this year. Both groups celebrate the African origins of the banjo and the music, defined by heavy syncopation and string instrumentation.

Since forming in 2005, the Drops have released five albums and their latest, "Genuine Negro Jig," was released in February. Though they topped the Billboard charts in the bluegrass, Americana and folk categories, they also unexpectedly placed at number 150 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart - an unprecedented accomplishment for a band that plays bones, jugs, quills and even kazoo.

This year, the trio has had a busy tour schedule with festival performances including Bonnaroo, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival and the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.

"I think we're just in the right place at the right time doing the right stuff," Giddens said in a phone interview. "I'm really grateful because it allows us to perform a lot, and people are really liking it."

As a sign of their wide appeal, the trio also has performed at venues spanning the well-known showcase night club Joe's Pub in Manhattan, as well as the historic Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn., where they were the first black string band ever to take the stage.

"I can't think of another band who could actually set foot in the different venues they can," Bither said.

When they played at Spoleto two years ago, they were so popular that their performance had to be moved from the Recital Hall at the College of Charleston to the Cistern to accommodate the demand for tickets.

Giddens said she knew of Spoleto's reputation in the world of classical music and was amazed to be invited to play for the first time. This year, the trio is booked to perform the Festival Finale at Middleton Place.

Tonight, they'll perform material from their new album and new songs they've been developing on the road. When it comes to songwriting, each member has contributes individually.

"Justin is the most forward-looking, listening to a lot of modern music," said Giddens. "Dom loves the old stuff and wants to carry on with that style. I'm just somewhere in the middle pulling in some of the classical influence. We have a really nice pot of influences to pull from."

The individuality extends to their style. Dom Flemons dresses in fully buttoned-up flannels, suspenders and soft, felt fedoras. Justin Robinson has a hipster style with neon sunglasses, over-sized bowties and high-top Nikes. Giddens often performs barefoot with her long dark hair hanging down or scooped into pig-tails. But all three deliver unbridled energy, stamping their feet, smiling, shouting and laughing as they go, without ever compromising their tight rhythms.

This year, Giddens is excited to bring another element to the Spoleto stage. She'll show off flatfooting, a traditional mountain dance style where dancers shuffle across the floor, twisting their heels in and out, kicking and jumping in between.

"I don't know if I danced last time," she said. "I definitely will this time."

Jessica Novak is a Goldring Arts Journalism Program writer. Reach her at jlnovak@syr.edu.