FEBRUARY 11, 2010 ISSUE
Fingers and Feet Will Dance…
…at the Appalachian State Old-Time Fiddlers’ Convention February 19 and 20
Riley Baugus.
Photo by Rosalind Wilson
The Forget-Me-Nots
Watch, listen and learn from talented old-time artists Riley Baugus, the Stuart Brothers and the Forget-Me-Nots at the 2nd annual Appalachian State Old-Time Fiddlers’ Convention on Friday and Saturday, February 19 and 20.
Join musicians ranging from novice to professional at the convention, which features instrument contests, dancing, workshops, jamming and a special Saturday evening concert. Everything is free except a Friday night contra dance at Legends and the Saturday night concert with Baugus and the Stuart Brothers, where donations will be accepted.
The fiddlers’ convention is hosted by the Appalachian Heritage Council, a division of the student-run Appalachian Popular Programming Society (APPS). Trevor McKenzie, chair of the Appalachian Heritage Council, said about 600 people attended the inaugural fiddlers’ convention in 2009.
“It was a healthy mix” of older and younger people at the 2009 event, McKenzie said, noting that some traveled from as far away as Georgia and northern states to attend.
The convention begins Friday, February 19, with a square and contra dance at Legends, with the Forget-Me-Nots performing and Jesse Edgerton calling. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., lessons begin at 7:30 p.m. and the dance begins at 8:00 p.m. The cost is $4 for students and $5 for the general public.
The Forget-Me-Nots are a young fiddle trio—Willa Finck, Maura Shawn Scanlin and Ledah Finck, backed up by David Finck on guitar—who perform Celtic and old-time fiddle tunes. Since originating in 2002, the band has been a frequent performer at area festivals, concerts and fundraisers.
Saturday’s events begin at 10:00 a.m. at the Plemmons Student Union Summit Trail Solarium on the ASU campus. Registration for contests takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Contests for fiddle, banjo, guitar and old-time string band will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with youth fiddle and banjo, novice (two years experience or less) fiddle and banjo and folk song contests from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. A flatfooting contest takes place at 5:00 p.m. followed by an awards ceremony at 6:00 p.m. Cash prizes will be awarded to first-, second- and third-place winners in each category.
Free workshops on fiddle, guitar and banjo will be facilitated by Baugus and the Stuart Brothers—times and locations have yet to be announced. And, said McKenzie, “the entire student union will be open for jamming.” Last year, jam sessions popped up all over the place, he said—“in every corner that was open, they were in it.”
In addition, a luthiers’ gathering takes place throughout the day Saturday in the student union’s Blue Ridge Ballroom. A luthier is someone who makes or repairs stringed instruments.
The convention wraps up with a Saturday evening concert by Baugus and the Stuart Brothers at 8:00 p.m. in the Blue Ridge Ballroom. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., and the suggested donation is $5. Proceeds will benefit the Watauga Arts Council’s Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program. Last year, the fiddlers’ convention raised more than $1,000 for JAM.
Based near Winston-Salem, Baugus is an accomplished old-time banjo picker and singer who quickly wins audiences over with his folksy humor and on-stage banter. Baugus inherited a love of old-time music from his father, a native of the North Carolina mountains, and learned to play by visiting elder traditional musicians throughout North Carolina and Virginia, including National Heritage Award winner Tommy Jarrell.
Baugus’ music and handmade instruments have been featured on the film Cold Mountain, in Appalshop documentaries and in theatrical presentations for Triad Stage. Baugus regularly performs with Polecat Creek, Tim O’Brien and Dirk Powell and contributed to the 2009 Grammy award-winning Album of the Year Raising Sand by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant.
Trevor and Travis Stuart were raised in Bethel and are considered among the best of Western North Carolina’s new generation of old-time music performers. The fiddler and banjo player learned some of the oldest and most beloved tunes of the region through teachers Byard Ray, the Smathers family and Red Wilson.
The Stuart Brothers have performed together for more than 20 years at concerts, festivals, dances and music camps across the U.S. and abroad, including events in England, Germany, Ireland and Russia.
In March, the Appalachian Heritage Council and Watauga Arts Council will host a Black Banjo Gathering featuring the Carolina Chocolate Drops and other African American old-time artists.
Parking for the fiddlers’ convention is available behind the student union and on faculty and staff lots on campus after 5:00 p.m. on Friday and all day Saturday. Food and coffee are available for purchase in the student union.
For more information, including contest rules and a campus map, click to http://fiddle.apps.appstate.edu or call the APPS office at 828-262-2855.
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