RU Appalachian Events Committee's Spring Concert ft. Larry Sigmon & Martha Spencer and After Jack
Venue: Bondurant Auditorium (Preston Hall), Radford
Organizations: After Jack, Appalachian Events Committee at Radford University, Unique Sound of the Mountains with Larry Sigmon
Date: Friday, April 28, 2017
Time: 7:00 - 9:15 PM
Event Types: Music
Cost:

Description:
The Radford University Appalachian Events Committee presents their annual Spring Concert featuring the music of Larry Sigmon & Martha Spencer and After Jack on Friday, April 28, 2017 in the Bondurant Auditorium.

Schedule:
• 6:15 PM: Doors Open
• 7:00 PM: After Jack
• 8:15 PM: Larry Sigmon & Martha Spencer

Larry Sigmon was born in Callaway, Virginia. His father, Lewis Eldridge Sigmon, was a locally beloved banjo and fiddle player. Larry taught himself harmonica as a child, and then moved to guitar, learning to play by backing up his father. When he took up the banjo at fifteen, it became his main instrument, and he developed a signature hard-driving, rhythmic style. Larry’s first band was the Sugar Hill Ramblers, a six-piece group that performed old time tunes and old country numbers for six years. He went on to play stints with Carl Scott and Richard Bowman until the late 1980s, when he met bassist Barbara Poole at a local fiddlers’ convention.

Larry and Barbara began performing together, winning countless ribbons in banjo, bass, and folk song competitions and playing at festivals, dances, and other concert venues. Their sound was so distinctive with just the banjo, bass, and Larry’s distinct singing, they became known as the “Unique Sound,” and gained a dedicated local following, particularly among flatfoot dancers. Larry and Barbara drew upon a repertoire of old time and bluegrass songs from Charlie Poole to Jimmy Martin and Bill Monroe, making songs their own through Larry’s strong vocals and Barbara’s double-slap bass. Throughout their eighteen-year career, the duo performed at the Carter Family Fold, the Grand Ole Opry, and mountain music festivals throughout the South, becoming one of the most popular bands in the Blue Ridge Mountains until Barbara passed away in 2008 after a long struggle with cancer.

Larry had quit performing until old-time musician and advocate Martha Spencer arrived to interview him for her online documentary project, Mountain Music Magazine. During their interview, Martha encouraged Larry to play some tunes and the “Unique Sound” was reborn.

The Unique Sound of the Mountains now features Heather Krantz on guitar and vocals, Susan Blankenship on bass and Ashlee Watkins on mandolin, guitar and vocals.

Link: https://www.facebook.com/uniquesoundofthemountains/

After Jack is a musical celebration of togetherness. Named 2014 Americana Vocal Group of the Year by the Appalachian Cultural Music Association, the trio couples a modern sensibility with distinctly old-time energy to blend bluegrass, gospel and folk elements. Combine your most beloved musical memories with a foot-stomping string band and top it off with harmonies that spring straight from the soul of the mountains, and you’ve got After Jack.

After Jack takes its name from the hero of beloved mountain folk-tales, whose quick thinking and good fortune always brought him out on top. Though often labeled “Americana,” their sound, ability to reach the heart of an audience, and the incredible joy that they bring to the stage cannot be adequately captured by one word. With an ambitious touring schedule, the trio can be heard at major festivals and venues all along the East Coast.

Links:

• http://www.afterjackband.com
• https://www.facebook.com/afterjack
• https://www.twitter.com/afterjack

Get your tickets online, by phone or at the door. To purchase by phone, call the Bonnie Hurlburt Info Desk at 540-831-5420.

To purchase online, visit: http://radfordactivities.universitytickets.com/user_pages/event.asp?id=309&cid=26.

Doors open at 6:15 pm.

For more information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/681417818709592/ or https://www.facebook.com/groups/104447406262763/ or email aec@radford.edu or call 540-831-5366.