Blue Ridge Parkway Update with Rita Larkin

Blue Ridge Parkway News

Sounds of the Mountains Series to Warm up Winter

Don’t let cabin fever set in after the holidays. Just a short drive from the High Country, you can experience the Sounds of the Mountains concert series at the Yadkin Arts Council in Yadkinville. The Blue Ridge Music Center and arts council are presenting the seventh edition of this winter showcase of Appalachian Roots Music on the last three Saturday evenings in January at the wonderful Willingham Theater on the campus of the Yadkin Cultural Arts Center.

The Burnett Sisters Band

Becky Buller Band & Violet Bell

7:30 p.m., Saturday, January 14 Tickets: $30

Becky Buller is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and 10-time International Bluegrass Music Association award recipient. She and her band have traversed the globe playing for audiences. Her compositions have been recorded by Ricky Skaggs, Rhonda Vincent, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, and The Infamous Stringdusters, to name just a few.

Opening act Violet Bell is rewilding Americana music. Lizzy Ross’ rich soprano intertwines with Omar Ruiz-Lopez’s fiddle, guitar, banjo, and harmonies to create a lush and sinuous sound. Together, they draw on a thread of untamable energy and natural magic passed down through generations of storytelling.

Rissi Palmer Photo by Samantha Everette

Becky Buller

The Burnett Sisters Band with Colon Ray & Tray Wellington Band

7:30 p.m., Saturday, January 21 Tickets: $25

For The Burnett Sisters Band, it’s all about family. Growing up playing music together in North Carolina, the sisters’ sound is focused around the type of breathtaking vocal harmonies that can only come from the unique bond shared by siblings, expertly complemented by tight instrumental arrangements and a bona fide love of the traditional songs they play.

Tray Wellington opens the show. From learning traditional bluegrass to studying diverse genres such as jazz, progressive bluegrass, blues, rock, and more, Wellington has played with some of the most accomplished musicians in the world. Before reaching the age of 21, he has received a number of awards and accolades, including two awards from IBMA–2019 IBMA Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year and 2019 Momentum Band of the Year (with Cane Mill Road).

Rissi Palmer & Laurelyn Dossett & Friends

7:30 p.m., Saturday, January 28 Tickets: $30

Rissi Palmer’s gift lies in reaching across all musical boundaries. While she started out making her mark in country music, she is equally at home in R&B, bringing the entire spectrum of popular music to bear on what she calls “Southern Soul.” A few highlights throughout her musical career include performances at The White House, New York’s Lincoln Center, The Grand Ole Opry, and MerleFest.

Singer-songwriter Laurelyn Dossett lives and writes in the North Carolina piedmont, and her songs reflect the stories of the region. Dossett is a frequent performer at regional music festivals such as MerleFest and the North Carolina Folk Festival. She is known for her work with Triad Stage to bring original music to the critically acclaimed “Brother Wolf,” “Beautiful Star,” and others, and worked with the North Carolina Symphony to produce “The Gathering: A Winter’s Tale in Six Songs.”

Information and tickets are available at BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org or YadkinArts.org. BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY