So we here at WMMT couldn’t be more excited to announce that it is officially Seedtime Week here at the Appalshop! The 26th Annual Seedtime festival will kick off on Thursday evening with a very special Seedtime edition of our acclaimed, long-running live performance bluegrass series (the best Live Performance Radio this side of WSM, if you must know), Bluegrass Express Live.
Normally at BGX, if we have an opening band in addition to our headliner, the opening band gets a short set while the headliner plays a longer, two-set show. We’re so excited about both of our groups on Thursday, however, that both The Tommy Webb Band and Heather Berry & Tony Mabe will receive equal time and equal billing!
Some information on the two artists that will kick off Seedtime 2012:
The Tommy Webb Band
The Tommy Webb Band is an Eastern Kentucky-based bluegrass band that has been winning fans both here at home and across the country since their founding in 2005. They have released four full-length albums, including the 2011 release From Rock n’ Roll to Bill Monroe. The album, and its title track especially, became a favorite here at WMMT quickly after its release, and has spent a great deal of time charting among the top 35 bluegrass albums nationwide. Webb is a Floyd County (Ky.) native, and we’re thrilled to bring him and his band back to the Appalshop stage for a performance close to home.
Heather Berry & Tony Mabe
Heather Berry is a Virginia native who combines lovely, affected, “song-bird” vocal work with Mother Maybelle-style arch-top guitar accompaniment to create a captivating mixture of bluegrass and folk. She is accompanied by the versatile Tony Mabe, who plays everything from the autoharp to the mandolin to the guitar to both Scruggs and clawhammer-style banjo. The couple have recently signed with Mountain Fever records and have just put out a brand new record, the self-titled Heather Berry & Tony Mabe Show, as well as a single, “Walk Slow,” which quickly became a hit here at WMMT.
We couldn’t be more excited to be able to have both The Tommy Webb Band and Heather Berry & Tony Mabe kick off the 2012 Seedtime festival. Just as with every BGX Live!, the show begins at 7:30! Call WMMT this week at (606) 633-0108 or email us at wmmtfm@appalshop.org to make your reservation. As always, tickets are $15 / $5 for students and kids. See you Thursday night!
For more on Seedtime 2012, including artist info and a full schedule, check out seedtimefestival.org.
Great music tonight! Wish I could be there!