Why not gather up your family and friends and head on over to the Blowing Rock School Auditorium this Saturday night, October 13th, for what promises to be a lively show that will appeal to folks of all ages. This week’s Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music Concert, “The Best of Old Time Mountain Music”, coincides with the peak of the fall foliage leaf peeping, offering a chance to see and hear the colorful line-up of musicians who will grace the stage for this JSMHM fall concert here in the High Country. This is the last show of the year in Blowing Rock as a part of its 25th Silver Anniversary Concert Season. It features two outstanding traditional mountain music acts – The Sheets Family Band and the duo of Trevor McKenzie and Steve Kruger. The performance gets underway at 7:30pm.
The Sheets Family Band plays old time string band music from western North Carolina. The band features Randy Sheets on banjo, Deborah Jean Sheets on guitar and Kelly Sheets Snider on fiddle. Celebrated for their harmony singing and energetic instrumentals, they embody the values of homemade and homegrown music and lifestyle. Their old time mountain style takes inspiration from the music of the Appalachian Mountains and beyond. You’ll hear a variety of lively fiddle tunes, gospel songs and ballads. Members of the band have represented our region at the National Folk Festival, the Library of Congress, the Kennedy Center and numerous festivals in the Appalachian region. Randy and Debra Jean have been a part of the old-time music scene in the Boone area since they arrived back in the late 70’s. Now with a grown daughter who has started her own family, their audiences get the benefit of hearing some incredible mother/daughter duets from two women who have that special harmony singing style that only genetics can produce!
Trevor McKenzie is a multi-instrumentalist – playing fiddle, guitar and banjo – and singer who is originally from southwest Virginia. The progeny of cattle farmers, he first gravitated to old-time music through an early interest in regional history and a keen desire to avoid doing manual labor. Though only mildly successful in the latter ambition, he gathered a respect for the communities, historical events, and stories, which continue to build the canon of traditional music. Encouraged initially by family and church music, his formal musical training began at Jim Lloyd’s Barbershop in Rural Retreat, Virginia. In recent years he has continued to learn from and be humbled by skilled musicians from along the Appalachians and around the world. McKenzie currently lives in Deep Gap, where he performs as a sideman with several regional acts including the Elkville String Band and the Laurel Creek String Band. On weekdays, he puts his historical knowledge and dusting skills to work in the archives of the W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection at Appalachian State University.
McKenzie will be joined by Steve Kruger, an award winning fiddler, banjoist, and singer currently residing in Pembroke, Virginia. Kruger and McKenzie’s collaboration, “The Freshet”, is an album of traditional songs and fiddle tunes from northwestern North Carolina. Funded in part by a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, it is set for release at the end of this year. The duo’s set will include arrangements of songs from such local legends as Lee Monroe Presnell and Frank Proffitt.
This concert is supported by the following private sponsors: Tony and Lynn Barbour, Dr. Julia Tyson Snyder – DDS, Michael and Jane McKee, and Rodney Sutton – in memory of North Carolina Heritage Award winner for flatfoot dancing, Robert Dotson. Business Sponsors include: Anne and Alex Bernhardt Foundation – a component fund of the North Carolina Community Foundation; Mast General Store, Mountain Time Publishing, and the High Country Press. Additional support is provided by Boone TDA, Watauga County Arts Council, and Grassroots Funds from the NC Arts Council. JSMHM is also proud to be included as a site on the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina (BlueRidgeMusicNC.com).
The newly renovated Blowing Rock School Auditorium is located at 130 Sunset Drive, Blowing Rock, NC.
Tickets cost $18 in advance and $20 at the door. Student tickets are $5. Children 12 and younger are admitted free. Advance tickets may be purchased online and at the Mast General Store (Boone and Valle Crucis), Fred’s Mercantile on Beech Mountain, Stick Boy Bread Company(345 Hardin St, Boone), plus Footsloggers and Pandora’s Mailbox on Main Street in downtown Blowing Rock.
Tickets, directions and more info can be found at the JSMHM website – www.mountainhomemusic.org
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