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2009 National Bands
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Kenny and Amanda Smith
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Winners of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s prestigious Emerging Artist of the Year award in 2003, the Kenny and Amanda Smith Band combines gutsy, heartfelt vocals, brilliant instrumental talents and a powerful, contemporary sense of song choice and arrangement into one of the most compelling new sounds in bluegrass today. Born of the intensely personal musical and romantic connection between Kenny and Amanda Smith, the band shares an all-too rare sense of intimacy and cohesion where each musician feels an almost telepathic connection. Musicians call it being in the groove, where the group collectively accents each beat in precisely the same way. Whatever it’s called, this band has it in spades. Joining Kenny and Amanda will be Aaron Williams on mandolin and Zachary McLamb on bass. |
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Junior Sisk and Rambler's Choice
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Ramblers Choice is gaining great recognition as one of the best traditional bluegrass bands to hit the scene in decades. Junior’s soulful and sometimes haunting vocals, reminiscent of the late, great, Carter Stanley, who happens to be his hero, have captivated audiences for years. With the brand new release of their debut album on Rebel Records, ”Blue Side Of The Blue Ridge", the band has once again captured something magical. The pleasant mix of old and new is sure to offer something here for everyone. Joining Junior is long time singing partner and cousin Timmy Massey on bass, Darrell Wilkerson on banjo, Chris Harris on mandolin and Billy Hawks on fiddle.
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Chance McCoy and the Appalachian String Band
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Chance McCoy is a master in the art of mountain fiddling. The roots of his music reach all the way back to ancient Scotland, Ireland and Africa, blended through the melting pot of early America and distilled in the mountains for centuries into a unique music still being passed from one generation to the next. Hailing from West Virginia, a state known for its rich and long standing music tradition, Chance is widely known for his powerful fiddling which has earned many blue ribbons, including the West Virginia Championship. The Appalachian String Band is a group of some of the finest old time musicians touring today. Adam Hurt, Banjo: deemed a "banjo virtuoso" by the Washington Post, draws on diverse musical influences from the North Carolina piedmont, the mountains of central West Virginia, the Ohio River Valley, and beyond to create his own elegantly innovative clawhammer banjo playing. Danny Knicely, Guitar: Danny is a fourth generation Appalachian multi-instrumentalist from a Virginia family steeped in mountain music tradition. Aimee Curl, bass and Harmony Vocals: Aimee, of Loudon County Virginia, has an unmistakable breathy sound and sultry style combine in a musician with incredible depth. |
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Sawmill Road
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Original, dynamic, creative, diverse, captivating. These are easy words to throw around. Sometimes, however, they just plain fit. These are the things you hear when audiences, critics and other musicians are describing SAWMILL ROAD. It is an amazing collection of seasoned players who perform at a level that always brings a powerful mixture of bluegrass styles to any stage. The band is made up of Bruce Johnson on fiddle, Steve Spurgin on bass, Charlie Edsall on guitar, Dick Brown on banjo and Mark Miracle on mandolin. |
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Steve Smith and Hard Road with Bill Evans
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Strong vocals and virtuosic playing are signatures of the Hard Road sound as Bluegrass veteran Steve Smith and singer/songwriter Chris Sanders introduce the cream of the new crop in Nate Lee, Aaron McCloskey and Ashleigh Caudill. Steve Smith and Hard Road evolved into a full working group as a result of the success and chemistry of the musicians who came together to work on Steve's original live studio recording Hard Road released in 2004. The chemistry in the studio became an excellent rapport onstage and on the road. In the Hard Road line-up Aaron brings exciting new guitar tunes to the group and a musical sophistication beyond his years. Nate brings virtuoso fiddling and both elegant and searing hot licks to the Hard Road sound. Ashleigh is the foundation keeping exquisite time with exquisite tone, be it bluegrass or jazz. It is easy to hear that singing has been Chris' life and she has found an ideal song-writing partner in Steve. And Steve is the wise man who unites this diverse group of musicians with his compelling songs and inspiring musicianship. When his smoky tenor joins with the other voices in the band, a deep connection is heard and felt. The Meltdown is thrilled to announce the Steve Smith and Hard Road will be joined by banjo great, Bill Evans for the 2009 festival. San Francisco Bay Area musician and Virginia native Bill Evans has been involved with bluegrass music and the banjo for over twenty-five years as a player, teacher, writer and historian. He occupies a unique niche in the banjo world: celebrated worldwide for his traditional and progressive bluegrass banjo styles as well as his innovative original compositions, he also enjoys a reputation as an outstanding instructor as well as being an expert player of 19th century minstrel and classic/parlor banjo styles. |
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~ The Durango Meltdown . PO Box 448 . Durango, CO 81302 . 970.259.7200 . Email Us ~ |