Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05
May 8, 2008 issue
Story by Anna Oakes
Members of the original Red Clay Ramblers, a North Carolina string band, kick off the 15th season of Mountainhome Music, a music series showcasing local and regional performers of Appalachian music, on Sunday, May 25, at 8:00 p.m. at the old Blowing Rock School Auditorium in downtown Blowing Rock.
Founded in 1994, Mountainhome Music has produced about 200 shows with hundreds more performers. Attendance averages around 200 people per show, although concerts sometimes draw as many as 300 to 400.
The program has used a number of different venues in Boone and Blowing Rock over the years, but this year, Mountainhome Music will spend its entire season in Blowing Rock, with the exception of one Christmas show at Grace Lutheran Church in Boone.
“The Blowing Rock community has been really good to us,” said Joe Shannon, founder and executive director of Mountainhome Music.
Three artists—banjo and guitar player Steve Lewis, multi-instrumentalist David Johnson and mandolin and fiddle player Scott Freeman—have been with Mountainhome Music since its beginnings, performing with their own acts and together as a sort of “house band,” accompanying other artists. About twice a season, the three get together for a concert as the Mountainhome Bluegrass Boys.
“It’s always real spontaneous,” Shannon said. “The audience loves it.”
A lot of the Mountainhome Music audience, namely tourists and seasonal residents, experience Appalachian music solely through this program, Freeman said.
“[Shannon is] preserving a lot of this music that otherwise you wouldn’t get to hear as much,” Freeman said. “You have a real attentive audience—people are really interested in what you have to play for them. If you’ve been to a show, you come away with the feeling that it’s about the story and the music, and not so much how many people we can cram in.”
Advance tickets, available at Pandora’s Mailbox in Blowing Rock, Fred’s General Mercantile in Beech Mountain, Rydell Music Center in Boone, Mast General Store in Boone and Valle Crucis and Blue Moon Guitars in West Jefferson, are $12.50 for adults, $10 for high school and college students and $5 for kids. Adult tickets are $15 at the door. A family ticket (two adults and up to four children) is $30.
All concerts start at 8:00 p.m. Unless otherwise noted, all shows are at the old Blowing Rock School Auditorium on Sunset Drive in Blowing Rock. For more info, call 828-964-3392 or click to www.mountainhomemusic.com.
Date: Sunday, May 25
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Location: Old Blowing Rock School auditorium
Cost: $$12.50 adults, $10 students, $5 kids in advance/$15 at door
The 15th season of Mountainhome Music runs May to December. Here’s a schedule.
May 25: Mike Craver, Bill Hicks, and Jim Watson of the original Red Clay Ramblers, with Joe Newberry
May 31: Mountain Voices and Strings: Steve and Ruth Smith, Randy and Deborah Jean Sheets
June 7: Trains, Planes, and Automobiles: David Johnson & the Dixie Dawn Band
June 14: Scottish Fiddle and Fun: Jamie Laval and Ashley Broder
June 21: The Cook Shack Community
July 5: Bluegrass & Brass: MHM Brass & Bluegrass Boys
July 19: Back to Bluegrass: The Circuit Riders
August 9: An Irish Blessing: Little Windows
August 23: Celtic & Classical Music: Puddingstone
August 31: Labor Day Celebration: Mountainhome Bluegrass Boys
Hayes Performing Arts Center, Blowing Rock
October 4: International Bluegrass: Johnny Possum and Good Time Hootin’ Band (from New Zealand)
October 11: David Johnson and the Studio Band
October 18: Bluegrass and the Blues: Strictly Clean & Decent
November 25: Christmas Tree Concert: Wayne Henderson & Friends
Hayes Performing Arts Center, Blowing Rock
December 6: An Appalachian Christmas
Grace Lutheran Church, downtown Boone