For local band Qwister, the dwindling days of summer bring with them a new lineup and a refreshing take on the group’s musical direction moving forward.

On Saturday, Aug. 27, the Jamestown based reggae-jam rock band will give its last performance of the 2016 season at one of its favorite venues: the Southern Tier Brewing Company.

Having performed at the Lakewood brewery a handful of times during the past few months, Qwister will take the stage at the Empty Pint for the last time this year with a new face on lead guitar and a fresh take on some of its older and more recently-penned originals. According to Ryan Melquist, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the band, a recent personnel change and the expansion of new electronic equipment have given the band a new perspective on its future.

“This will be our first full-band show with Nate Mahaffey on guitar,” said Melquist, who also regularly performs solo, duo or trio shows in the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio regions with one or two other members in Qwister. “Nate has a strong emphasis on the jam band component of music in his playing style, which is kind of the direction that we want to head in. He also brings a little bit of a funk angle to his playing, and that has kind of kicked us into a new gear that will hopefully launch us into a different phase for the band.”

Traditionally, the band has thrived off of its reggae roots; touching on a niche that is not currently being thoroughly explored in the Jamestown area. With the addition of Mahaffey and recent equipment purchases made by auxiliary percussionist Zach Imus, Melquist said the band can now afford to infuse more of an electronic, jam rock aspect into its reggae undertones.

Combine that with the fact that Melquist has a long history with Southern Tier Brewing Company, along with his consistent use of a beach umbrella at each of the band’s shows, Melquist said the Aug. 27 show will be a memorable one.

“I love that place,” Melquist said. “I always like to tell people that I was their first official employee they had on payroll when they were first getting started about 15 years ago. I met Phin (DeMink) and the other guys who were helping to get it started back when they were still in their promotional phase. I started working with them on the bottle line back in 2003, just before I moved to Florida, and so it’s crazy to see how much it’s grown over the years.”

As for the stage at the Empty Pint, he said: “The stage is awesome and it’s a great place to see live music on a Saturday, or any day for that matter. We always look forward to it because it’s a real stage and we can put on a complete show there.”

Rounding out the rest of the band are Ryan Ecklund on bass and Nick Campbell on drums and auxiliary percussion. Melquist said he has been playing with Ecklund, who also plays bass with local band Smackdab, for many years, and so having a fresh take on Qwister is instrumental in helping to keep things moving smoothly. As for Campbell, Melquist said the drummer has become his “right hand man” in terms of booking and helping with musical direction in Qwister.

Melquist said the band will also be dropping an album sometime in the coming months. Though it has no title, he said there will be 11 original tracks and releasing it has been long overdue.

For more information about Qwister and its upcoming shows, find the band on Facebook or visit ryanmelquist.com.