Emerging Artists at the Weinberg
On Sunday, September 28th at 7:00PM, the Weinberg Theater begins it’s series of five performances by emerging artists with the Carolina Chocolate Drops. You can watch them on YouTube here. From the Weinberg website:
It doesn’t get any better than this—authentic African-American stringband music straight from the rolling foothills of the Piedmont. The amazingly talented Rhiannon Giddens, Justin Robinson, and Dom Flemons—better known as the Carolina Chocolate Drops—are passionate about keeping an entire music genre alive and kicking for a new generation. Their love for the rich tradition of banjo and fiddle stringband music shines through in every song, and their enthusiasm is contagious.
The emerging artist series is something new for the Weinberg. From the City of Frederick website:
The name may not be familiar to you quite yet, but that’s the point. During the 2008-2009 season, The Weinberg Center wanted to try something different and started an Emerging Artist Series. The Carolina Chocolate Drops are the first of five emerging artists who will grace the stage of the Weinberg this season. Who are the Carolina Chocolate Drops? The Carolina Chocolate Drops are leaders in the revival of the old-time black string band music of the Piedmont region of the Carolinas – a rich banjo and fiddle tradition that was the antecedent of Appalachian old-time music, bluegrass, ragtime and blues. The group’s members – Justin Robinson, Rhiannon Giddens and Dom Flemons – have been acclaimed for their spirited interpretations of this back porch foot-stomping music that reached its height of popularity in the 1920s and 1930s. They honed their skills under the tutelage of octogenarian fiddler Joe Thompson, one of the last black traditional string band players alive today. Tickets to this event are general admission and are $20 in advance, and $25 at the door.
This young group is the hottest thing to hit the old-time music community in decades, and have grabbed the attention of folks like Taj Mahal, Mike Seeger, Alice Gerrard, and John Sebastian (Sebastian is appearing with Dave Grisman on Oct. 17th at the Weinberg.) They posses a contagious enthusiasm and are not stuck in the past. They will play contemporary and sassy R&B and will bring a flare like no other.
I’m not sure if the other four emerging artists are booked yet. I can’t find anything on the Weinberg website that mentions any other upcoming live performances as being by emerging artists.
