Country, Blues, Bluegrass Jam at the Reeves
Join local musicians for a free Bluegrass/Country/Blues Jam in the Reeves cafe (or under the marquee in nice weather) every second Thursday of the month. Free to watch, free to play.
Join local musicians for a free Bluegrass/Country/Blues Jam in the Reeves cafe (or under the marquee in nice weather) every second Thursday of the month. Free to watch, free to play.
Join local musicians for a free Bluegrass/Country/Blues Jam in the Reeves cafe (or under the marquee in nice weather) every second Thursday of the month. Free to watch, free to play.
Join local musicians for a free Bluegrass/Country/Blues Jam in the Reeves cafe (or under the marquee in nice weather) every second Thursday of the month. Free to watch, free to play.
Join local musicians for a free Bluegrass/Country/Blues Jam in the Reeves cafe (or under the marquee in nice weather) every second Thursday of the month. Free to watch, free to play.
Join local musicians for a free Bluegrass/Country/Blues Jam in the Reeves cafe (or under the marquee in nice weather) every second Thursday of the month. Free to watch, free to play.
The Burnett Sisters are presented by Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music.
For the Burnett Sisters Band, it’s all about family. Growing up playing music together in Boone, North Carolina, the sisters’ sound is focused around the type of breathtaking vocal harmonies that can only come from the unique bond shared by siblings, expertly complemented by tight instrumental arrangements and a bona fide love of the traditional songs they play. To assign a genre to The Burnett Sisters Band would be to oversimplify the breadth of their musical influences – at a typical show, an old-time fiddle tune might be followed by a Patty Loveless song, a driving bluegrass standard or a soaring a capella gospel harmony number. With a repertoire that’s equal parts old-time and bluegrass, country and gospel, this Billboard charting band navigates the diverse source material effortlessly, diving into the songs with an attention to detail and an appreciation for nuance that lends an authenticity and a feeling of genuine expression rarely matched in today’s traditional music. Make plans to catch the 2022 Merlefest Band Competition Winners as they return to the Mountain Home Music Stage.
Sierra Hull’s positively stellar career started early. That is, if you consider a Grand Ole Opry debut at age 10, called back to the famed stage a year later to perform with her hero and mentor Alison Krauss to be early. She played Carnegie Hall at 12; at 13 signed with Rounder Records and issued her debut, Secrets, and garnered the first of many nominations for Mandolin Player of the Year. She played the Kennedy Center at 16 and the next year became the first bluegrass musician to receive a Presidential Scholarship at the Berklee College of Music. As a 20-year-old, Hull played the White House.
It’s only a two-hour drive to Nashville from her tiny hometown hamlet of Byrdstown, Tennessee. Hull credits her family for paving the first few miles to Music Row. Her mother, holding her as a toddler, taught her to sing. She ran next door to hear Uncle Junior pick mandolin, and listened intently to the church choir on Sundays. Her Christmas gift- a full-sized fiddle- proved too daunting. While waiting for a smaller replacement, her father showed her some notes on the mandolin. Hull was hooked, soon known as the eight-year-old wowing the locals at bluegrass jams.
She found inspiration in Krauss, Ricky Skaggs, and Sam Bush. And, just as importantly, affirmed her own sense of identity in the album covers of Rhonda Vincent, the queen of bluegrass. She heard the words of her parents, prepping her for life’s big moments yet to come, repeatedly instilling the mantra: Hard work, more than anything, will get you somewhere. It certainly did.
In 2010, Hull captured her first IBMA award for Recorded Event of the Year. She was shedding the prodigy tag, turning virtuoso, and releasing her second album, Daybreak, with seven of her own original compositions. In Byrdstown, she hosted an eponymous annual bluegrass festival.
“There’s a voice in the back of my head telling me to keep working, to keep moving forward,” Hull says. “You have to keep progressing and introducing new things.”
By 2016, Hull had reached a more mature place in her life and in her art. She tapped legendary bluegrass musician Bela Fleck to produce her third album, Weighted Mind. A departure from her opening pair of records that blended progressive elements with traditional structure, Hull let go of whatever preconceptions existed- both hers and those of her audience- and birthed a Grammy-nominated masterpiece.
“I created from a more vulnerable, honest place by asking myself what kind of music will I make if I’m not at all concerned with genre,” says Hull. “What do I want to say with my music? What do I want to feel when I stand onstage and sing these songs? I needed to have a deeper connection.”
Enlisting bassist Ethan Jodziewicz (and Fleck on two cuts), and harnessing vocal contributions from Krauss, Abigail Washburn, and Rhiannon Giddens, Hull trusted her foundation of influences to support this artistic leap. Months later she was taking home the Mandolin Player of the Year. After a near-decade of consecutive noms, Hull broke that last glass ceiling, becoming the first woman to win the prestigious title. Of all the numerous awards and achievements Sierra Hull has earned, that one occupies a special place on the mantel. Then she took home a pair to join it, winning again in 2017 and 2018.
Hull has maintained a rigorous touring schedule, as well. Even when off the road, she is frequently guesting with friends and legends, joining such icons as the Indigo Girls, Garth Brooks, and Gillian Welch, and performing at the Country Music Awards with Skaggs, Brad Paisley, and Marty Stuart.
She says she’s ready, now, for something new. Currently in the midst of work for the follow-up to Weighted Mind, her next album will consist of all original songs. Beyond that, there are tantilizing ideas she won’t divulge for collaborations and, perhaps, an all-instrumental record. There is a plan, but not a timetable, which is just fine.
“I love playing music. It’s all I ever wanted to do. I don’t see it, necessarily, as a bad thing that I’m slow to make albums. I want my albums to be something I can be proud of.”
The Jeff Little Trio is presented by Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music.
About the Artists
Jeff Little. Jeff Little is an award-winning musician from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. With few exceptions the piano does not play a prominent part in Americana or Appalachian music and is rarely the lead instrument. But Jeff Little is an exception and a remarkable one. Jeff has not only been recognized as a critically acclaimed musician but also a true music innovator.
Jeff as well as his trio stay busy traveling the country performing concerts with an energy and dedication to their music that is evident at every show. Performances include The Smithsonian Institution, The National Folk Festival, American Piano Masters, The Barns of Wolf Trap and many theatres, performing arts centers, and festivals. Jeff has been featured on National Public Radio and PBS many times and has also taken his music around the world for the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs performing in Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Oman, France and Tanzania. In 2014 Jeff was inducted into the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame. In addition, Jeff is Artist in Residence for the Popular Music Program at Catawba College in Salisbury, NC.
Steve Lewis. Steve Lewis is an award – winning guitar and banjo player from Todd NC and is one of the most respected acoustic musicians in the country. Steve is well known for his flat picking on guitar and his mastery of the five – string banjo. Steve has won many championships for his guitar and banjo playing. Some of the prestigious events include the Walnut Valley Nationals, Merlefest, the Galax Old Time Fiddlers Convention, Renofest and the Wayne Henderson Guitar Competition. Steve is also a two-time national champion on the banjo.
Luke Little . Luke Little is a young and talented mandolin player whose musicianship and style expand well beyond his years. Luke’s performances include the National Folk Festival, PBS Song of the Mountains, The Richmond Folk Festival and The Moss Center for the Performing Arts at Virginia Tech.
An Evening of Traditional Music & Storytelling is presented by Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music.
About the artists
Laura Boosinger’s concert performances and recordings have earned for her a well-deserved reputation as one of North Carolina’s most talented singers and interpreters of the music of the Southern mountains.
Conventions, festivals, workshops and family concerts each provide a unique opportunity to showcase Laura’s talents as she features a variety of traditional stringed instruments, including old-time banjo, guitar, Appalachian dulcimer and fingerstyle Autoharp.
Josh Goforth must have been born musical—he was already playing piano in church at the age of four—but it was an experience he had in the sixth grade that really lit the fuse of his precocious musical career. A performance at Goforth’s middle school by Sheila Kay Adams caused him to start thinking about the musical heritage and stories of his native Madison County, NC. Josh was able to listen and learn from local masters like Gordon and Arvil Freeman and Jerry Adams. Goforth is a highly accomplished storyteller and acoustic musician playing close to 20 different instruments.
After high school he went to East Tennessee State University to study music education with a Euphonium concentration, and to be a part of ETSU’s famous Bluegrass and Country Music Program. In 2000, he played fiddle for the movie Songcatcher, both onscreen and on the soundtrack. He has toured extensively with a variety of ensembles, including the ETSU Bluegrass band, David Holt, Laura Boosinger, and with several bluegrass bands like Appalachian Trail, the Josh Goforth Trio, the Steep Canyon Rangers and Open Road. He has performed in all 50 US states, all over Europe, Asia, and Australia. In 2000, 2003, and 2005, he was named Fiddler of the Festival at Fiddler’s Grove and, after winning the third title, was designated “Master Fiddler” and retired from that competition. He has performed at the Grand Ole Opry, the Lincoln Center, as well as Carnegie Hall. In 2009 he was nominated for a Grammy for his album with David Holt entitled “Cutting Loose”. He currently is on faculty at the Academy for the Arts in Asheville and performs all over the world.
Orville Hicks. Born on Beech Mountain in Watauga County, Orville Hicks grew up in a family steeped in the storytelling tradition that he carries on today. His mother, Sarah Ann Harmon Hicks, told tales to her children as nighttime entertainment and to pass time while they were doing tedious farm work. Orville remembers her telling stories to keep the children happy while bundling galax for delivery to a marketer in Avery County and while preparing farm produce for canning and drying. From his mother, Orville learned the classic “Jack and the Heifer Hide,” “Jack and the Giants,” and other children’s tales.
As a young man, Orville often visited the home of Ray and Rosa Hicks, who lived over the ridge from his homeplace in western Watauga County. “Ray would sit there and tell me a tale or two. I never thought there was anybody like Ray. So I learned from him and he encouraged me to tell tales. I got to knowing him like a second dad, and Rosie, like a second mom.” Ray Hicks, a National Heritage Fellowship Award recipient, encouraged Orville to develop his own style and repertory and began recommending Orville as a substitute when he himself could not accept an invitation. Orville represented Ray at the North Carolina Folk Heritage Awards in 1991 and accepted the award certificate for Ray.
Orville has become a regular performer for groups visiting the Appalachian Cultural Museum in Boone; he was a featured performer at the N.C. Stories festival-opening of the new Museum of History. In 1997, the North Carolina Folklore Society presented him its Brown-Hudson Folklore Award.
Conversations with Orville become extraordinary because of his ability to work in stories. Fellow workers and social acquaintances often enjoy Orville’s taking a tall tale motif and incorporating it into a joke on himself. He also has a special skill of using a local story or joke to foster group relationships and connections to community history. A new context for his verbal art is Orville’s job as a supervisor at the US 321-Aho Road Recycling Station between Boone and Blowing Rock. There Orville greets all kinds of people: locals, summer residents, tourists, and Appalachian State University students. His conversations have transformed a modern recycling site into a community institution that connects people and local traditions.
What is most remarkable about Orville Hicks, however, is the bright delight he brings to the enactment of this process, for he is a tale teller who enjoys the joke as much as his listeners and catches us into his story world with infectious laughter that punctuates his tales.
The NEW spectacular Highland Echoes show is our Scottish performing arts programming, where we use Scottish Highland Dance and music to tell the story of Scotland’s migration. All the legends, mystery, and history surround the Story of the Scottish Diaspora. This is our story, and we express it the way those before us expressed their stories…through the arts.
Residents and visitors in the Watauga county area have the chance to witness a music and dance spectacle like none other when the international Highland Echoes Music & Dance Company performs its full-length stage show “Highland Echoes” at the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country this July.
Formed in 2018 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit Highland Echoes offers inspiring and educational programs to engage the youth in Scottish cultural heritage with a focus on the Indigenous Scots Gaelic Language and the dying culture of the Highland people.
“Experience the magical journey of our Scottish Heritage: An Unforgettable Journey Through Music and Dance.”
The original theatrical production, ‘Highland Echoes’, is back due to popular demand as it celebrates Scotland’s vibrant culture, history and heritage in the Americas. Featuring Scottish Highland dancers and musicians from all over the world, this show is an unforgettable experience that will transport you to Scotland’s lush landscapes and rustic charm. With exciting dance performances, captivating choruses, blazing Bagpipes and tartan dress, ‘Highland Echoes’ is sure to provide a unique and memorable experience for audiences of all ages.
Scottish dance with innovation, musicians with a vibe of Riverdance meets the Outlander soundtrack, and a show so culturally rich it leaves audiences searching for their Scottish Clans. Audiences love all things Scottish, and when combined with vibrant musicianship and synchronized dance, it’s spectacular!
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 – 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Concert
Thursday, July 6, 2023 – Matinee Showtime 2:00 pm / Dance Workshop 3:00 pm – This year, we will offer a new program just for children on July 6th at 2:30 PM. The shorter 45 minute matinee is created with the child’s interest in mind featuring Highlights from the Highland Echoes show. A workshop station will be held after the show in the community room to explore dance, bagpipes, Scots Gaelic, and Scottish drumming interactively. Due to the capacity limit of the workshop space, only the first 100 ticket buyers will have access to the workshops. Please get your tickets early.
Thursday, July 6, 2023 – 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Concert
Friday, July 7, 2023 – 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm – Concert
Saturday, July 8, 2023 – 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm – Concert
Sunday, July 9, 2023 – 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Concert
Please visit website for ticket pricing and parking information at highlandechoes.com/tour/