Evento

The Steel Wheels with guests The Dan River Girls at The Blue Ridge Music Center

The Blue Ridge Music Center kicks off its 2017 Roots of American Music Concert Series with the Bluegrass and Beyond sounds of The Steel Wheels and opening act The Dan River Girls.

Some things come to be in their own time, of their own accord. Such has been the case with The Steel Wheels. In the beginning, it was simply a matter of four young men whod happened to cross paths at a formative moment in each of their lives reveling in the shared experience of plucking acoustic instruments and blending their voices. But over the years, what had begun organically as a pure lark evolved into a mission: to fuse the personal with the universal, the deeply rooted past with the joys and sorrows of everyday existence.

Hailing from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, The Steel Wheels are familiar with the traditions of folk music and the sound of Appalachian string bands. Theyve been drawing on those steadfast traditions for more than a decade. Yet their name also evokes a sense of forward motion, which is clearly reflected in their most recent album, Wild As We Came Here (May 2017).

Wild As We Came Here is a significant leap for the band, which started its journey in 2004. Wagler, Dickel, and Brubaker studied at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, about an hour from Charlottesville. All four members of the band grew up in Mennonite families. Wagler and Dickel were in a punk/alternative band until acoustic music lured them in.

Wagler soon started crafting songs and learned flat-picking. Dickel took classes on building guitars. They briefly played as a duo before Brubaker joined on fiddle. Lapp eventually came on board after getting to know the band from the local folk circuit. In 2010, following a variety of EPs and LPs, the ensemble officially branded itself as The Steel Wheels, a tip of the hat to steam-powered trains, industrial progress, and the buggies of their Mennonite lineage.

Then as now, The Steel Wheels style weaves through Americana and bluegrass music, folk and old-time music, and the acoustic poetry of the finest singer-songwriters.

The Steel Wheels are also known for being the founders of, and host band for, the annual Red Wing Roots Music Festival held in Mt. Solon, VA. The 5th annual Red Wing Roots Music Festival will held this July. www.redwingroots.com

What sets The Steel Wheels from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia apart from many bands is the combination of their stellar instrumentals, accentuated by the one of a kind lead vocal of Wagler, and keenly supported by strong harmonies. Country Standard Time

The Steel Wheels are:
Trent Wagler (guitar, banjo and lead vocals), Eric Brubaker (fiddle), Brian Dickel (upright bass), and Jay Lapp (mandolin)

www.SteelWheels.com

The Dan River Girls are three sisters from W inston-Salem, North Carolina.. They study voice with Martha Bassett and traditional instrumental music with Rex McGee and enjoy performing around the area.

The Dan River Girls are:
Fiona Burdette age 17 (mandolin and cello), Ellie Burdette age 15 (bass), Jessie Burdette age 12 (fiddle and violin)

www.DanRiverGirls.com