Sounds of Appalachia

We are so excited to have the Sounds of Appalachia String Band coming back to perform at the Museum on July 19. They first performed here back in March at our 4th Annual Southeast Cowboy Gathering during the Dutch oven cooking contest and they were wonderful. Despite the usually hot March weather, they played all afternoon under a canopy at the back of a chuck wagon and the seats in front of them had people in them all day long. The band has a great energy and enthusiasm that seems to spread to their audience. You can tell they genuinely have fun with what they do.

Belive it or not, the Sounds of Appalachia String Band is not a formal band. One member, Dr. Danny Byrd, describes them as a "get together" band. That is, they "get together" and play about once a week. Of the nine members in the group, only about 5 - 7 of them acutally "get together" at any given time. Their conflicting schedules seem to keep them from all getting together at the same time. Afterall, this is just a hobby for them.

That's right - this is a hobby band. The members come from all walks of life and have been playing thier respective musical instruments for varying lengths of time. What brought them together is a love of music and chance meetings that began about three years ago. Perhaps this is what gives them that fresh feel and explains why they appear to thoroughly enjoy what they do in front of a crowd.

March marked their first public performance as a band, and this month will be their second public performance. Of course, they all appear to be seasoned professionals. You'd never would have guessed back in March that this group had never performed in front of an audience before.

With a names like the Sounds of Appalachia, you can probably guess what type of music they play - bluegrass of course! Dr. Byrd describes it as more of a pre-bluegrass. In an interview, Dr. Byrd said that this music is made for dancing and typically has "more rhythm and than tune." The songs and music played by the Sounds of Appalachia come from the mountain areas of Virgina and North Carolina. You may find that many of the songs are familiar but have a slightly different sound that you are accustomed to hearing and there's actually a reason why. This style of music originated in England, Ireland and Scotland and made its way to the United States when people immigrated here. They songs and music were never written down, but were instead passed down orally through the generations. As the immigrants spread across the county and passed songs down through their familes, the songs began to take on different sounds in different areas of the country.

If you find yourself in the Cartersville, GA area on July 19, don't miss this show. It's sure to be a good time for all who attend.