A new show highlighting heritage music entitled “The Crooked Road’s Music & Dance Spectacular: Celebrating Southwest Virginia’s Heritage Music” will be presented Friday, July 8, at 7:30 p.m. at the Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech.
Come hear The Crooked Road like never before, with the masterful acoustics and ambiance of the Moss Arts Center. This showcase of heritage music bands features a robust line-up of talents that highlight Southwest Virginia’s music traditions.
A force of bluegrass, the Junior Sisk Band hails from the Virginia Blue Ridge. The members are masters of instrumentation and songwriting, and the band is well-known and well-recognized from organizations such as IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) and SPGBMA (Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America) for their talents. Bringing a legacy of old-time sounds to the stage is the Whitetop Mountain Band, an award-winning family ensemble that has long-time traditional roots in the Whitetop area of Southwest Virginia. The band has been an essential force in preservation of traditional music techniques, tunes and education.
Dori Freeman, an Appalachian singer and songwriter, highlights her roots with traditional ballads and new favorites with her father, Scott Freeman, and grandfather, Willard Gayheart. Their family’s history highlights the importance of generational legacy as well as the Galax music scene. Justin Golden unites the Virginia blues with heritage music of SWVA. Singing everything from country blues to Americana, soul, indie roots and beyond, Golden brings his songwriting and guitar talents to heart-and-soul issues.
Traditional dance is highlighted by percussive dancer Becky Hill, who is dedicated to creating innovative choreography rooted in Appalachian music and dance. Eugene Wolf, of the Brother Boys and long-time Barter Theatre resident actor, helps weave the collective narrative of song and experiences on the stage.
To purchase tickets and for more information, please visit https://artscenter.vt.edu/performances/crooked-road-music-dance-spectacular.html. Tickets are $30 general admission and $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under.
The Crooked Road and this project are supported, in part, by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
For more information about The Crooked Road, visit www.thecrookedroadva.com, call (276) 492-2400 ext. 2409, or email: info@thecrookedroad.org.
