Dirk Powell is a musician whose emotional understanding of American tradition has enabled him to expand on musical roots extending back more than nine generations in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. His instrumental expertise on fiddle and accordion is in wide demand in recording studios as well as concert stages.
A native of North Carolina, Riley Baugus is an old-time fiddle and banjo master with rare and deep understanding of Appalachian music. He is a soulful singer, expert in mountain ballad traditions.
Together, Dirk Powell & Riley Baugus present an authentic and exciting glimpse into the roots of Americana. Their work has been featured in the film Cold Mountain, based on the book by Charles Frazier, who writes:
The term Old-Time Music has always seemed odd to me, since the music in question harks back not to an older but to a younger America, a culture with more direct access to unfiltered and unmediated feelings about death and life, grief and exuberance, loss and desire. It is easy to let this music become only retrospective: either lovingly archived museum pieces, or worse, mere nostalgia. The thing I like most about Dirk Powell's work is that he's not much interested in either of those directions. He's making living music that grows out of a tradition he loves and respects, carrying this particular strand of young America's cultural DNA into the unknowable future--with hope and joy.
Thursday, February 3rd, 2011. 8:30. $12 advance / $15 day of show. Advance tickets available online and at our local outlets.
