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MHM Presents an Old-Time Multicultural Celebration of Music and Dance in Blowing Rock Saturday, June 7

June 2, 2014. Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music will bring to the Blowing Rock School stage a multicultural celebration on Saturday, June 7, at 7:30 p.m. The concert, which is billed as Old Time Music East and West, presents three local groups who represent widely diverse traditions. The familiar strains of Appalachian Old Time Music will be heard, but in addition there will be the Old World Music rooted in Eastern Europe, and local Mexican American dancers who wish to preserve traditions of their homeland.

SheetsFamilyBand
The Sheets Family Band

The Sheets Family Band will represent the familiar traditional Appalachian style. Randy Sheets (banjo), Kelly Sheets Snider (fiddle) and Deborah Jean Sheets (guitar), who live in the Bethel community, are celebrated for their close harmony singing and energetic instrumentals. They embody the values of homemade and homegrown music and lifestyle. They enjoy singing Carter Family favorites and playing old time fiddle tunes with claw hammer style banjo.  Members of this band have represented our region at the National Folk Festival, the Library of Congress, the Kennedy Center and numerous festivals in the Appalachian region.

Danza de los Viejitos
Danza de los Viejitos

Danza de los Viejitos is a local troupe engaged in preserving their Mexican heritage. In this special presentation, the traditional dance they will offer mocks how Spaniards (conquistadores) aged and became decrepit. The choreography is improvisational and represents man’s eternal fight against death as the old men dance vigorously to scare off the spirits of death, demonstrating that they are still strong and capable of executing intricate foot stomping.

Bandana klezmer
Bandana Klezmer

Bandana Klezmer plays music originated in the villages and ghettos of Eastern Europe, where itinerant Jewish troubadours performed at joyful events, particularly weddings.  The Klezmer sound is similar to that of a big band or jazz. Through the years following the oppression of the Jews in Europe, it was neglected and almost forgotten; however, with the immigration of Jewish people to America, the music has been revived by such bands as Bandana. This group named their band for their local community, Bandana which is near Spruce Pine. They are Andy John (cello and harmonica), Michael Hunt (Yiddish hammered dulcimer and bass drum with cymbal), Meg Peterson (accordion and vocals), Naomi Dalglish (fiddle and vocals), Rob Levin (guitar, fiddle and vocals), and Marc Rudow (fiddle and vocals). Their music, which is from the Carpathian mountain regions in Eastern Europe, expresses the joys and sorrows of the Jewish experience.

Tickets are $20.00 in advance and $ 22.00 at the door. Student tickets are $11.00. Children 12 and under are free. Prices include the new NC state tax.    Advance tickets may be purchased online though the Mountain Home Music website: www.mountainhomemusic.com

Tickets may also be purchased at the Mast Store (Boone and Valle Crucis), Fred’s Mercantile on Beech Mountain, Kudzu Music in Boone, and at Pandora’s Mailbox and the Dulcimer Shop, both in the Martin House on Main Street in downtown Blowing Rock. For more information, click to www.mountainhomemusic.com or call host Rodney Sutton at 828-964-3392.

Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music participates in the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina, a function of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. Find other musical experiences in the area on www.blueridgemusicnc.com ..