J.E. Broyhill Civic Center Presents 22nd Traditional Musicians Showcase

HUDSON, NC (January 16, 2020) — Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s J.E. Broyhill Civic Center will present the 22nd Annual Traditional Musicians Showcase on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. The theme for this year’s event is “Caldwell Traditions Old and New.”

Designed to highlight the achievements of local musicians, the series has presented more than 200 musicians since its first show in 1998.  Over the years, more than 230 area musicians have been featured.

Local band Strictly Clean and Decent featuring Patrick Crouch, Kay Crouch and Ron Shuffler will once again host the event with Mark Bumgarner as emcee. The year’s event will feature Alan Darveaux and Slight Departure, Will Willis and the Older Brothers, Reath Jackson, The Benson and The Classics Trio.

Strictly Clean and Decent is an acoustic trio steeped in American roots music. Multi-instrumentalists Kay and Patrick Crouch have worked with bassist Ron Shuffler for 30 years, playing a variety of musical styles. They will be joined by Tom Kuhn on bass. Kuhn worked with Strictly Clean and Decent on its 2015 tour of Germany and its 2017 tour of Ireland.

Slight Departure has played to audiences in nine states from Indiana to Florida. It may well be the only band in the country featuring the Appalachian dulcimer as lead instrument, played by co-founder and dulcimer builder Alan Darveaux. Other members include co-founder Jeff Haslam on mandolin, David Wiseman on fiddle, Don Hogan on guitar and Joseph Hasty on bass.

Reath Jackson interprets classic country with expression beyond his years but also modern country hits that require soaring bluesy lines. His band includes Kevin Clement on lead guitar, Rob Cline on drums and Randy Matheson on bass.

The Classic Trio performs chart-topping hits from many genres including rock, country and popular music. The Classic Trio features Buck Smith on bass and drums, Mike Church on guitar and Don Hogan on guitar.

The Older Brothers collaborate on compositions and arrangements to create music that defies categorization. The band consists of Will Willis on guitar, Simon Everett on bass, Kyle Teeters on drums and Sabine Mader on saxophone.

The Benson is a trio that performs rock and jazz influenced music with arrangements both intricate and well-executed. It hosts the open mic night at Liquid Roots Brewing Project, which has become a weekly gathering of performing artists. The band is made up of AJ Herrick on guitar, Daniel Reece on drums and Ryan Cavanaugh on bass.

Mark Bumgarner will emcee the showcase. He performed with local bands Long Time Gone, C&M Traveling Show and Longrider but currently is known as a singer/songwriter in the Asheville area as well as host of the MerleFest songwriting contest. In addition to emceeing, Bumgarner will perform a Long Time Gone reunion segment with Patrick Crouch on guitar, Kay Crouch on drums and Tom Kuhn on bass.

Tickets for the Traditional Musicians Showcase are $11 for adults and $5.50 for students and children.

The civic center will also host “Dinner and a Show” in conjunction with the showcase. Entrée choices include roast pork loin and NC trout. The meal will be served at 5:30 p.m. at the civic center, prior to the 7:30 pm show. Cost for the dinner is $16 per person, and reservations are required. 

For a complete menu and tickets to both the dinner and the show, visit www.broyhillcenter.com or call 828-726-2404.