jenniferrose
Local weather gave only a glance at autumn before it got bullied by Superstorm Sandy into snapping cold fast. The holiday season is upon us. In the Bluegrass, the season means a few particular things. We’ll have a few basketball games under our belts by the time the family gathers, so Big Blue prognostication and armchair coaching will be in the mix. And Bluegrass music will add its special hue to the Christmas season.
And who better to bring you music that is uniquely Appalachian than Red Barn Radio? Heard in the Lexington area on WUKY on Saturday nights at 8 p.m., the program showcases old time and Bluegrass musicians.
Red Barn Radio is cranking up its fourth Appalachian Christmas event, to be held Wednesday, Dec. 5, at the University of Kentucky’s Chandler Hospital, Pavilion A Auditorium. The facility was designed with top-notch, recording-quality acoustics, so it promises to be a great place to see a show like this.
While this is the fourth time Red Barn Radio has put on a Christmas show, this year is bigger than before and includes some exciting partnerships that will keep the music going even after the event is over. WUKY will simulcast the show live. The hospital will be broadcasting it through every room. WUKY and WEKU will rebroadcast it again closer to Christmas, and KET will broadcast an edited version at a later date as well. ABC, channel 36, will air the program on Christmas day at 12 noon. There is even talk of a DVD to come.
“Red Barn Radio preserves, presents and performs the rich heritage of the Bluegrass and the region,” said executive producer Ed Commons. “We are thrilled to be working with UK HealthCare’s Arts in Health Care initiative to bring the Christmas show to all those family members, staff and community who may need a small window of joy during what can be an overwhelming time in the hospital.”
Jackie Hamilton, director of the UK Arts in Health Care program, is excited about working with Red Barn Radio on the Appalachian Christmas IV event to bring to life the intent of the performance space.
“With the opening of Pavilion A, the first phase of the visual arts program is almost complete; our efforts at this time will be focused on bringing more programmatic and performance art into the space – music, dance, poetry, theater – with an eye forward to interactive art making for patients, families and staff,” Hamilton said.
The lineup for the show includes Berea native Jennifer Rose, whose work in educating young folks in Kentucky as an artist in residence throughout the commonwealth’s public schools is well known. Rose’s vocal and instrumental performances, as well as her dance prowess and teaching, have made her a commodity in demand by teachers around the Bluegrass. She will be performing with her daughter at the event.
Ted Yoder plays hammered dulcimer and sings. If you think you know what that sounds like, you may be surprised. While his repertoire certainly includes spirituals and Christmas tunes, I guarantee a jaw-dropping reaction if you stop by YouTube and listen to Ted Yoder doing a backyard performance of his original tune “Storm.” Follow that with a listen to him doing the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.” You’ll happily while away guilt-free hours on his YouTube channel. Yoder was the 2010 National Hammered Dulcimer Champion, and he is on the bill for Appalachian Christmas IV.
Another fantastic vocalist and multi-instrumentalist appearing that evening is Sam Gleaves. His tenor vocal delivery of lonesome mountain songs will put a chill in your bones. But stick around while he picks up banjo, guitar or fiddle, too. You can dig him up on YouTube as well. For a real treat, look for his performances with his teacher and mentor Sheila Kay Adams.
Pam Holcomb brings the art of storytelling to the event. The telling of stories is fundamental in preserving Appalachian culture. Anyone can read a book out loud, but it takes a talent to tell a story that keeps the listener enraptured. Holcomb taught arts and humanities, speech, oral communications and drama to Kentucky high school students for 29 years.
Mezzo soprano Sherri Philips also will perform, accompanied by pianist Rachel Taylor.
Also joining the program will be host Greg Ives and the “voice” of Red Barn Radio, Tom Brown.
Rounding out the lineup is Grammy winner Larry Cordle. When Cordle’s childhood friend and neighbor Ricky Skaggs recorded Cordle’s tune “Highway 40 Blues” back in 1983, it launched a songwriting career that has not stopped. At last count, Cordle’s songs had appeared on projects that had, to date, sold a combined total of more than 55 million records, by artists such as Skaggs, Alison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent, Garth Brooks, George Strait, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire, Diamond Rio, Alan Jackson, Trace Adkins and many others. He’s a big-ticket name who promises to pack the house at Appalachian Christmas IV.
The holiday season is a rough time for anyone to spend in the hospital. Thanks to the UK Arts in Health Care program and Red Barn Radio, a bit of Bluegrass joy will be floating through the halls and out into the streets. You’ll want to be a part of it.