By Sarah Jayne Johnson
The Other Years perform "Red Tailed Hawk" for "Lost River Sessions" presented by WKYU-TV.
This fall the "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concert series will return to University of Kentucky's campus. Starting Friday, Aug. 31, the series of free public concerts will kick off at noon, in the Niles Gallery of the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music, located at UK's Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library and Learning Center. The opening act is folk duo The Other Years.
Heather Summers and Anna Krippenstapel of The Other Years are both originally from Louisville, Kentucky. They were neighbors growing up and their friendship was more of a sisterhood. Their style of music brings back old-time traditions in the lyrics and acoustics.
Krippenstapel plays the fiddle and guitar, and is known as the harmony master. Her duo partner, Summers, is known for her guitar and banjo play, as well as vocals. While The Other Years take audiences back to a musical era that once was, they are still able to make the sound contemporary despite its appealing rusticity.
The annual concert series, “Appalachia in the Bluegrass,” celebrates the old-time roots of American folk music, while simultaneously representing a variety of different musical expressions. There will be 13 different performances by different artists, duos and groups from Appalachia.
This year's series artists and their performance dates are:
- The Other Years, Aug. 31;
- Songs and Stories of Kentucky's Suffragists, Sept. 7;
- Don Pedi, acclaimed dulcimer player, Sept. 14;
- Finn Magill, fiddler with a Brazilian twist, Sept. 21;
- Miller and Milnes, country and old-time music duo, Sept. 28;
- Sparky and Rhonda Rucker, storytelling and singing duo, Oct 5;
- Stray Local, indie folk band, Oct. 12;
- The Blue Eagle Band, four-piece acoustic group, Oct. 19;
- Brett Ratliff, Appalachian born and raised singer and multi-instrumentalist, Oct. 26;
- Golden West Cowboys of the Golden West, Nov. 2;
- Robert Tincher, master singer and storyteller, Nov. 9; and
- The Wooks, accomplished folk band, Nov. 16;
Each Friday concert will begin at noon at the Niles Gallery.
The Niles Center is a collaborative research and performance center maintained by the UK College of Fine Arts, UK School of Music and UK Libraries.
For more information on the concert series, contact Niles Center Director Revell Carr at revell.carr@uky.edu or visit the website at https://finearts.uky.edu/music/john-jacob-niles-gallery-and-center-american-music.