Old Time Country and Bluegrass Concert at WheatonArts

MILLVILLE – As a host of the “New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music” exhibition in the Museum of American Glass, Nov. 8 through Dec. 31, WheatonArts will present a wide spectrum of public programs including two concerts and a series of workshops exploring the instrument making process. The first concert, Old Time Country and Bluegrass, is Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Event Center.
Iveta Pirgova, Folklife Center Director at WheatonArts, explains, “The origins of modern country music can be traced to folk songs and ballads brought to North America by settlers from the British Isles. In America, musicians all over played country music and added their own creativity and regional playing styles to develop new sounds and rhythms. Jimmie Rodgers, a guitar player and singer from Mississippi, added the influences of blues musicians to his music and became country music’s first major star. In the West, musicians combined Mexican music with American country music to create country western or western swing music. In the East, musicians in the Appalachians used faster rhythms and vocal harmonies to create a style known as bluegrass.”
The Concert Schedule:
Steve Byrne – Byrne has been playing finger picked acoustic ragtime blues on many period guitars over a 40 year career. Although he plays several styles, his love is the Piedmont style from the Southeastern coastal region of the U.S. Piedmont style is an imitation of the piano; the thumb plays the left hand of the piano (base) and the fingers play the right (melody). He’s played many venues over the years. Some of his favorites are the New Jersey Folk Festival, Bridgeton Folk Festival and several “Guitar Wizards” concerts at Cumberland County College. During his performance Byrne will talk about the people who wrote and played these wonderful songs and the songs themselves.
Bel Aire Boys – “This bluegrass band originated around three years ago to play for our own entertainment, and the entertainment of anybody wanting to hear good, traditional bluegrass music,” says band member Jim LaFerriere. It is composed of five “all-star” caliber musicians who have been playing bluegrass for over 25 years. They are: Rich Favretto on banjo; John Brown Jr. on guitar and lead vocals; Ron Hall on vocals and mandolin; Paul Unkert on upright bass and vocals; LaFerriere on vocals and guitar. They have put together a set, which will include both traditional (Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, and Carter Family music) and a few more modern, yet still traditional sounding songs such as Bob Dylan’s instrumental “Nashville Skyline Rag,” showcasing the talents of the entire band.
The Towheads – The Towheads is a band of siblings who play traditional Irish music. Haley, nine years-old, is a three-time Mid-Atlantic Regional Under 12 Irish Fiddle Champion, and has successfully represented the U.S. in the All Ireland competition for the past three years. She’s also won various other competitions including the Maryland State Under 13 Fiddle Championship, the Bethlehem Celtic Fest and the New England Fiddle Fest. Thirteen year-old Dylan, is a multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, banjo and mandolin. He won in the Under 15 Accompaniment Competition at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Irish Music Festival and is representing the U.S. at the All Ireland this year. Newt, 15 years-old, is the percussionist, playing Irish bodhran and beat box. The band has performed at Hershey Park, the Down Jersey Celtic Celebration at Cumberland County College, Cold Spring Village Celtic and Folk Festivals, and other local festivals.
The Snake Brothers – The Snake Brothers are an acoustic quintet who have been playing and singing around the Delaware Valley for over 25 years. Their wide-ranging material is a mix of old rock and roll, doo-wop, bluegrass, a cappella, western, gospel, folk, and originals. They have performed at a wide range of festivals and municipal events in and around the Delaware Valley. They have appeared at the New Jersey Folk Festival and provided the soundtrack for a New Jersey Network documentary, Bayshore Artists: Celebrating Our Sense of Place, where John Langston’s song South Jersey Waltz was featured. The Snake Brothers are: John Langston, guitar, banjo, and resonator guitar; Rob Ward, mandolin, fiddle and guitar; Eric Waltman, acoustic and electric basses; Mark Ternosky, harmonica; and Ernie Trionfo, guitar. Everyone sings, and a lot of numbers feature four or five part harmony. Band member Rob Ward said, “The Snakes play music because they love it and they want to share the feeling.”
Concert ticket prices: Adults $10.00; WheatonArts Members $9.00; and at the door $15.00. Children 12 and under are free but require a ticket. Call 800-998-4552 or 856-825-6800 to order tickets or for more information visit www.wheatonarts.org.
The Folklife program at WheatonArts has provided multicultural, multigenerational programs and educational resources since 1995, engaging and serving over 53 ethnic and cultural groups throughout South Jersey.
WheatonArts is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Dec. 31, 2011. Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Admission: Adults $10.00, $9.00 Senior Adults and $7.00 Students. Children five and under are free. All children 17 and under are admitted free on Sundays through December 18, 2011. (WheatonArts received a $35,000 PNC Arts Alive grant by The PNC Foundation. Through this grant WheatonArts offers free admission to all children 17 and under every Sunday through December 18.) Free to shop and stroll except during outdoor special events.
For more information about WheatonArts, call 856-825-6800 or 800-998-4552, or visit www.wheatonarts.org.
WheatonArts strives to make exhibits, events and programs accessible to all visitors. Provide two weeks notice for additional needs. Patrons with hearing and speech disabilities may contact WheatonArts through the New Jersey Relay Service (TRS) 800-852-7899 or by dialing 711.
Funding has been made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. WheatonArts receives general operating support from the New Jersey Historical Commission, Division of Cultural Affairs in the New Jersey Department of State. Additional funding provided through a grant from the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism.