Announcing “Local Night @AppTheatre” Artists Series New Program Showcases High Country Musicians in 2023

Last Updated on December 28, 2022 12:26 pm

BOONE, NC – Shortly after a group of passionate local residents gathered in December2011 at the first “Save The Appalachian Theatre” Task Force meeting, a subcommitteemet to craft a positioning statement that provided clarity for the organization’s mission,values, and beliefs. At the top of the list of how the historic theatre could achieve theirambitious mission was the phrase, “through outreach to, and inclusion of, local, regional,and national artists in our programming.”

Twelve years later, the aptly named Appalachian Theatre of the High Country is pleasedto announce their newest initiative, “Local Night @AppTheatre,” a series specificallydesigned to showcase the talents of High Country musicians for whom the venue wasrestored and renovated.

App Theatre Executive Director Suzanne Livesay said, “This new series, co-presented bythe Appalachian Theatre and Joe Shannon's Mountain Home Music, is scheduled for selectThursday evenings in January, February, and March 2023. Each performance featureslocal artists and area student groups as opening acts, with shows starting at 7 p.m.”Livesay noted that tickets are only $10 for adults and $7 for students, and announcedthe inaugural line-up as follows:

Courtney Wheeler, Executive Director of Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music, said, “Weare thrilled to partner with our friends at the Appalachian Theatre to showcase many ofthe talented performers and future performers in the High Country. Mountain Home Musichas been presenting local artists since its inception almost 30 years ago, and theopportunity to present them on the Doc Watson Stage at the App Theatre was a dreamof our founder Joe Shannon. Nothing brings people together quite like the arts, and wefeel fortunate to have this beautiful theatre for the community and artists alike.”

In keeping with the App Theatre’s mission to serve, “as a quality home for diverse artistsand audiences with a special focus on programs that celebrate our distinctive Appalachianheritage,” what follows are profiles of each artist on the inaugural “Local Night@AppTheatre” series:

Trevor McKenzie is a historian and musician based in western North Carolina. He is theDirector of the Center for Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University, where heteaches about regional history, folklore, and music. He has performed with regionalgroups including Nobody’s Business, The Little Stony Nighthawks, and the Elkville StringBand. He is the author of “Otto Wood, the Bandit: The Freighthopping Thief, Bootlegger,and Convicted Murderer behind the Appalachian Ballads,” available through UNC Press.McKenzie is a member of SouthArts’ Emerging Traditional Artists cohort and the recipientof an NC Arts apprenticeship to study regional fiddle traditions with master fiddler andbanjo player Paul Brown.

Jackson Cunningham is a luthier and musician steeped in the traditions of his home inGrayson County, Virginia. Cunningham learned his skills as an instrument builder fromneighbors such as the late Audrey Hash Hamm and continues these traditions throughhis own Cunningham Handmade Instruments. Jackson’s skills as rhythm guitarist,mandolin player, and singer are noted both regionally and abroad, with performancesand tours at folk festivals and venues across the US as well as Europe and Australia. Heis the leader of the string band Nobody’s Business and performs as part of the duo TheWhitetop Mountaineers.

The Page Brothers’ performance of “Django Reinhardt Birthday Celebration” celebratesa jazz pioneer born 113 years ago. Reinhardt is widely recognized as one of the world’sgreatest guitarists. Django combined his love of early American jazz with elements fromhis Romani heritage to create an intoxicating style known as jazz manouche. This programwill feature his most celebrated compositions, collaborations with violinist StephaneGrappelli, as well as bebop and modern jazz tunes done in Django’s inimitable style.

The group performing on January 26th is modeled after Reinhardt’s classic “Hot Club”ensemble: two guitars, violin, and acoustic bass. The Page Brothers (twins Andy andZack) will be joined by violinist Meade Richter and guitarist James Schaller for an excitingnight of acoustic, string-driven jazz! The Page Brothers are co-led by guitarist Andy Pageand bassist Zack Page.

Utilizing a rotating line-up of the finest musicians in Western NC, the group keeps a busyperformance schedule in the Southeast playing a variety of jazz styles from manouche tostraight-ahead to fusion. They have performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival inSwitzerland, Japan’s Muroran Jazz Cruise, and for jazz workshops in Germany. Work withvarious jazz ensembles, theater companies, and the cruise industry has taken them to all50 U.S. States, the Caribbean islands, the Mediterranean, Australia, South America,Europe, and the Far East.

The Burnett Sisters grew up playing music together right here in Boone, North Carolina.The sisters’ sound is focused around the type of breathtaking vocal harmonies that canonly come from the unique bond shared by siblings, expertly complemented by tightinstrumental arrangements and a bonafide love of the traditional songs they play. Toassign a genre to The Burnett Sisters Band would be to oversimplify the breadth of theirmusical influences – at a typical show, an old-time fiddle tune might be followed by aPatty Loveless song, a driving bluegrass standard or a soaring acapella gospel harmonynumber.

With a repertoire that’s equal parts old-time and bluegrass, country and gospel, thisBillboard charting band navigates the diverse source material effortlessly, diving into thesongs with an attention to detail and an appreciation for nuance that lends an authenticityand a feeling of genuine expression rarely matched in today’s traditional music.

Mary Green is a multi-instrumentalist who grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains nearBoone and has a master’s degree in Appalachian Studies. Her expertise in the region’scultural arts coupled with experience as the director of educational services at the awardwinningAppalachian Cultural Museum, at Appalachian State University, equip her withmultiple views of Appalachian culture.

Mary teaches workshops for mountain dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, traditionalAmerican guitar styles, traditional song, and concertina (D/G) and has coordinated, andperformed at, numerous festivals, events, and concerts presenting regional traditions toschoolchildren, adults, newcomers, and tourists. She has conducted dulcimer playing andtraditional arts residencies in the public schools and teaches music in Ashe County PublicSchools.

She is joined onstage by Aaron Ratcliffe, who plays and teaches old-time music on anumber of instruments, and he is a skilled flatfoot dancer and dance caller with deeproots in western North Carolina. Aaron hails from Ratcliff Cove at the foot of Big StompMountain (Ratcliff Mountain) in Haywood County, NC, where his father’s side of the familyhas lived for seven generations. His dad played piano and organ, and his mother workedas a choir director and pianist at local churches. Following in their footsteps, Aaron startedout playing gospel music on piano, then guitar, in church.

Brooks Forsyth hails from Valle Crucis, North Carolina, and is a musician of Appalachiaand beyond. He began playing on street corners and barbecue restaurants and has sincebecome a Nashville recording artist. Brooks’ musical style encompasses a variety ofgenres, particularly within Americana. He has a large repertoire of original songs and aversatile guitar style consisting of both flatpicking and fingerpicking techniques.Throughout the last 16 years, he has performed solo and with a diverse group of musicalensembles across America.

The King Bees, Rob “Hound Dog” Baskerville and Penny “Queen Bee” Zamagni call themountains of North Carolina home but travel the world with their Blues and AmericanRoots music. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the band and the 20th year of NewRiver Blues Festival which they created and produce in Ashe County.

All tickets for this concert are reserved seating at a price of $10 for adults and $7 forstudents plus taxes and fees. Please note that events, days, dates, times, performers,and prices are subject to change without notice. Follow @AppTheatre on Facebook andInstagram for up-to-the minute event updates throughout the winter season. For ticketsand more information on all events, or to join the theatre’s eblast list and purchasememberships, please visit the ATHC website at www.apptheatre.org.

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