Old-time and bluegrass traditions take the stage this summer

Students from the Handmade School, Margo MacSweeney (at left) and Hollace Oakes. Photo courtesy of the Crooked Road.

 
From Virginia Tech

For over 20 years, the Crooked Road has preserved and promoted old-time and bluegrass music throughout Southwest Virginia. Join a talented collection its finest artists for The Crooked Road: “A Living Tradition,” an evening of Appalachian song, dance, and storytelling at the Center for the Arts on Friday, July 10, at 7:30 p.m.

Showcasing artists and traditions deeply rooted in the region, from driving fiddle tunes and flatfoot dancing to rich vocal harmonies and multi-generational musical storytelling, this year’s performance features the Blue Ridge Girls, New Ballard’s Branch Bogtrotters, Lonesome River Band, and rising young musicians from Junior Appalachian Musicians programs alongside students from the Handmade School of Music in Floyd. The evening offers audiences a chance to experience the warmth, energy, and communal spirit that has long defined Appalachian music.

Lonesome River Band

Since its formation decades ago, Lonesome River Band is one of the most respected names in bluegrass music. A five-time International Bluegrass Music Association Banjo Player of the Year and winner of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, Sammy Shelor leads the group, which includes two stellar lead vocalists — Jesse Smathers, guitar, and Adam Miller, mandolin — and the impressive talents of Mike Hartgrove, fiddle, and Kameron Keller, bass. Constantly breaking new ground in acoustic music, the band brings its trademark sound that fans continue to embrace.

Blue Ridge Girls

The Blue Ridge Girls, made up of Jamie Collins, Martha Spencer, and Brett Morris, is a trio firmly rooted in Appalachian folk music. Showcasing skillful musicianship and honey-sweet vocal harmonies, the Blue Ridge Girls performs a mix of traditional standards and Blue Ridge-breathed originals. Each artist’s musical roots run deep, with family backgrounds that connect her to the music of her homeland.

New Ballard’s Branch Bogtrotters

The New Ballard’s Branch Bogtrotters has been playing old-time mountain music in the Galax area since 1986. The group is named for the small stream in Galax where Dennis Hall grew up and still resides. The current lineup consists of Hall, bandleader and guitarist; Eddie Bond, fiddle and vocals; Bonnie Bond, bass and vocals; Josh Ellis, banjo and vocals; and Caroline Noel Beverley, mandolin and vocals. Fiddler Eddie Bond was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2018.

Boys from Bristol

The Boys from Bristol is a rising young duo bringing old-time Appalachian and bluegrass music to new ears with raw talent and deep roots. Inspired by legends such as the Stanley Brothers, Reno and Smiley, and the Johnson Mountain Boys, Easton Compton, 15, and Eamon Russell, 14, channel the spirit of the mountains with a sound far beyond their years. Both are students in the Bristol Junior Appalachian Musicians program, which provides communities with the tools and support they need to teach children to play, dance, and sing traditional old-time and bluegrass music.

Hollace Oakes and Margo MacSweeney

Hollace Oakes, 15, of Snowville and Margo MacSweeney, 16, of Floyd also represent the next generation of Appalachian bluegrass and old-time music. Combining Oakes’ spirited fiddle playing with MacSweeney’s driving clawhammer banjo, the duo brings youthful energy and a deep appreciation for traditional mountain music to the stage. Both musicians are award-winning performers with multiple blue ribbons from the Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention and are well known throughout Southwest Virginia for their involvement in local jams, festivals, and community music traditions.

About the Crooked Road

Spanning more than 300 miles through the mountains of Southwest Virginia, the Crooked Road connects major venues, festivals, jam sessions, and musicians along Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail. The region is home to a rich legacy of old-time, bluegrass, and country music and helped shape the careers of influential artists, including the Carter Family, Jim and Jesse McReynolds, and Ralph and Carter Stanley. Today, musicians, dancers, and educators across the region continue to preserve and share these traditions with new generations.

Related events

Prior to the performance, join Dylan Locke (Floyd Country Store and Handmade Music School) and Crooked Road musicians for “Talk and Step: The Living Tradition of Appalachian Dance,” on Friday, July 10, from 4-5:30 p.m. in the Cube at the Center for the Arts.

This workshop explores the social dance tradition, where the music is played in service of the dancer and every step tells a story. Whether you want to get on the floor and learn the basics of flatfooting or simply pull up a chair and enjoy the old-time rhythms that connect the fiddle and banjo with the dancers, all are welcome. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Tickets

Tickets are $30 for general admission and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Center for the Arts box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.

Venue and parking information

The performance will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall. Convenient parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street and in downtown Blacksburg. Find more parking details online.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Jonathan Boulter at least 10 days prior to the event at 540-231-5300 or email jboulter@vt.edu during regular business hours.