Be Part of a Tradition Filled With Wonderful Music
Music is part of the family for the performers at the Blue Ridge Music Trails “Traditions” Concert, set for Saturday, November 29, at 7:30 pm at the White Horse Black Mountain Music Hall in Black Mountain. Tickets are $20 ($15 with student ID), and can be purchased online, or by callling (828) 669-0816.
This concert, “Family Traditions,” showcases the talents of two duos for whom the traditional music of the NC mountains and foothills has long been an integral part of their lives. One might say music is in their blood.
Bryan McDowell and Emma McDowell Best – Bryan and Emma grew up around traditional bluegrass music and were influenced by some of the genre's best artists at a very early age. Their interest in music was encouraged as they grew up in the music-rich culture of Western North Carolina, receiving instruction from such acclaimed performers as Madison County fiddler Arvil Freeman and others.
Jacob and Jason Burleson – Jason Burleson started playing banjo at age 11. Initially inspired by his love of Flatt and Scruggs' music, he quickly moved on to the next generation of bluegrass musicians including Tony Rice, David Grisman, and Newgrass Revival, adding guitar and mandolin to the list of instruments he played. Jason joined the band Blue Highway in late 1994.
His son Jacob has been playing an instrument since “he could drag one through the house.” Initially starting on a toy keyboard, he became inspired to play bluegrass music after a trip to IBMA. At the ripe old age of 15 years old he is equally adept on guitar, banjo, dobro and mandolin.
Laura Boosinger – Laura Boosinger, an acclaimed banjo musician, will host this show. Laura’s musical “family” includes many of the region’s finest traditional musicians and the students in her Junior Appalachian Musicians program at the Madison County Arts Center, where she serves as Executive Director.
The Blue Ridge Music Trails Traditions Concert series, intended to showcase regional artists, is also about demonstrating how NC’s music traditions have been passed forward. Doc Watson, Earle Scruggs, Tommy Jerrell, Etta Baker, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, Charlie Poole, Snuffy Jenkins are representative of the influence North Carolina artists have had on the development and popularization of the music across the world. In the Traditions Concerts, artists will feature an instrument or style unique to NC and create a performance to demonstrate the traditions.
The concerts, packed with wonderful music, allow the artists to talk about experiences learning from the masters, developing skill and style, and taking the audience along on the journey.
