Meet the Fine Tuned Musicians
The Blue Ridge Music Trails’ Fine Tuned project is a mentorship and collaboration-based project aimed at professional development for emerging artists playing traditional music in Western North Carolina. For their work on the Fine Tuned project, The Allen Boys and DaShawn Hickman collaborated with Kelley Breiding to merge two strains of traditional Surry County music.
Mitchel Fonville grew up in Mount Airy, NC. He learned the Sacred Steel tradition of music through his church and family community. He’s the bass player for the Allen Boys, the praise band for the House of God Church-Mount Airy. Mitchel describes his music as “heart-felt” and “feel good” music. His style is influenced by blues, funk, and gospel music, and he plays music “to understand everything.” His favorite thing about collaborating with Kelley Breiding is “her joy when singing.”
Cam Moore grew up in Mount Airy, NC. He is the guitarist for the Allen Boys but also plays drums, bass, and keyboards. He describes his Sacred Steel style of music as equal parts gospel, blues, rock, and jazz fusion. Cam’s biggest musical influences include Eric Gales, Jubu Smith, Jarius Mosee, and Jimi Hendrix. He says that he plays for the love of the music, “I’ve been playing music for as long as I can remember. It was never forced but always desired.” His favorite aspect of the Fine Tuned project has been “being able to collaborate with someone who has a different musical background to create something unique.”
Ranzy Moore grew up in Mount Airy and plays drums for the Allen Boys. He also plays bass and sings background vocals in different band configurations and describes the music he plays as feel good, dance music, and music driven by its overall feel. Ranzy’s biggest influences include all types of gospel, soul, and R & B music, as well as performers such as James Brown and Stevie Wonder. He plays music because of the love in and around the style and community. He’s enjoyed collaborating with Kelley Breiding and DaShawn Hickman because of the diversity of perspectives the ensemble provides.
DaShawn Hickman is a pedal steel guitarist and vocalist from Mount Airy, NC. He describes his music as gospel, blues, jazz, and inspirational/storytelling, and he “loves to see people’s reactions and feelings toward the style.” His chief musical mentors include his mother, Alice Hickman, Leonard Moore, Terrance Fonville, and the Campbell Brothers. DaShawn says he plays music “because it’s an extension of who I am. I believe in the music I play.” In his work with the Allen Boys and Kelley Breiding, he has appreciated the openness of the musicians to bridge two different styles.
Kelley Breiding resides in Crumpler, NC. She spent over a decade learning the Round Peak style of music in Surry County. She’s well versed in that style as well as classic country music, western swing, blues, and rockabilly. On the music she plays, Kelley comments “you might say my music is a general sampling of all the early forms of southern roots music. If it’s old, I’m sold!” Kelley learned to play by ear and spent time immersed in the music. Her musical inspiration come from Dix Freeman, Fred Cockerham, Kyle Creed, and Tommy Jarrell. Kelley’s biggest musical influences are old time and Texas swing as well as country and jazz vocalists. She says she plays music because she likes “expressing emotions through music and encouraging other people to escape with [her] into the songs and the stories they tell. Kelly says of her work with the Allen Boys and Dashawn Hickman, “I have been able to abandon my often quite structured thinking and find new ways to be creative and explore ideas just to have fun trying different things.”
