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Native American/Celtic Artist to Play Free Concert at Shatley Springs; Ashe Appreciation Night April 12

Arvel Bird

Arvel Bird, a violinist and Native American flutist, is coming to Shatley Springs next week for a free concert as part of Ashe County Appreciation Night. Arvel will be performing with Kimberly Kelley.

The show is presented by Shatley Springs Inn and Celtic Force Enterprises on Thursday, April 12, at theInn. The concert is free and starts at 6 p.m. The historic Shatley Springs Inn is located just off Highway 16 north ofJefferson. Seating is limited and reservations are available at 336-982-2236.

Bird is known around the world for his dramatic connection between Celtic and Native American traditions, stirring up scenes that echo from North American memory.  Dubbed “Lord of the Strings” by fans and music critics, his music evokes the soul of North American history and is thoroughly entertaining, but also enlightening and humanizing.  In a language and experience that captures the hearts of all audiences, he’s emotional without being condescending, intellectual without being pretentious.  One measure of any art form is when the medium is so mastered that it becomes transparent, allowing its message to be seen, heard and felt.  Arvel Bird has achieved that mastery.
Bird’s first private violin teacher in Salt Lake City saw his early potential.  She brought the magic of music to life and taught him to play with passion.  Bird attended Arizona State University on music scholarship, and later transferred to Champagne/ Urbana, IL where he studied classical violin with renowned Hungarian violinist Paul Roland at the University of Illinois.
As he worked to develop his own music style and a large and loyal following, Bird went wherever the music called him, which led him away from classical and towards Bluegrass, Appalachian, Folk and Celtic.  During his years in the Midwest, Bird won the Indiana State Fiddle Contest four times while still perfecting a variety of musical styles.

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Bird returned toArizonain 1986 and was quickly hired by Glen Campbell to tour worldwide for six years.   In 1991, he moved to Nashville and also toured with Loretta Lynn, Tom T. Hall, Ray Price, Louise Mandrell, Clay Walker, and others.

His dream to record and perform using the violin as a lead instrument – completely contrary to theNashvilleview of the fiddle as a backup or side-musician instrument -began in 2001.  The result was a fusion of both his Scottish (Clan Kennedy) and Native American (Southern Paiute) roots that are uniquely his own and intricately woven throughout his songs. Bird has released 20 CDs and two DVDs, earning him numerous music awards.  In 2009, he took home top honors for Best Instrumental Album and Best Producer/ Engineer (with Grammy-winning producer Tom Wasinger and Nashville engineer Chas Williams) at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards for Tribal Music Suite: Journey of a Paiute.

In 2007, he was voted Artist of the Year by his fans and peers at the Native American Music Awards. Bird led with six nominations at the 2010 Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, and took home honors for Best Traditional Instrumental.

His continuously evolving music is delighting audiences worldwide. His most recent album, Titanic Centennial: Commemorative Special Edition, released in September 2011, is a fusion of traditional and contemporary Celtic music, in a tribute to the passengers, crew and musicians aboard the Titanic that fateful night in April 1912.

Although based inNashville,TN, Bird is permanently on the road, connecting with audiences the old-fashioned way. . . live. This is where Arvel’s emotionally driven performances thrive, igniting concert venues, symphony halls, festivals and more, leaving his audiences inspired, transfixed and transformed.

This is the first Ashe County Appreciation Night being hosted by Shatley Springs and is celebrating the reopening of the restaurant and Ashe County by providing free entertainment, on an international level, with those that dine with them that evening. The historic Shatley Springs Inn is located just off Highway 16 north ofJefferson. Seating is limited and reservations are available at 336-982-2236.