Bill Kirchen
Grammy nominated guitarist, singer and songwriter Bill Kirchen is one of the fortunate few who can step on any stage and play those trademark licks which drove the seminal Commander Cody classic “Hot Rod Lincoln” into the top ten nationwide. Named “A Titan of the Telecaster” by Guitar Player Magazine, he celebrates an American musical tradition where country music draws upon its origins in blues and bluegrass, and in the Western swing of Texas and California honky tonks.
A winner of multiple Wammies over the years, in 2002, Bill Kirchen was one of three artists inducted into the Washington Area Music Association Hall of Fame along with Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana) and John Phillip Sousa. A Kirchen performance recalls a half century of guitar legends from C&W virtuosos like Merle Travis, Joe Maphis and Grady Martin to rock legends like Scotty Moore, James Burton, Duane Eddy, all the way to Jimi Hendrix, and extends their brilliance into the present.
The Harris BrothersTwo brothers who grew up playing music and singing in a musical family in the foothills of N.C., Reggie and Ryan play a wide range of music from old-time string band music to blues, country, rock and nearly everything in between!
For more than decade, the Harris Brothers have been burning up venues throughout western North Carolina. With Ryan on bass and lead vocals and Reggie on guitar and harmony vocals, the pair have been proving that it doesn’t take more than two people to create a big sound. The Harris Brothers’ musical evolution began when the boys were small children growing up in Caldwell County.
The Harris Brothers also soaked up the sounds and rhythms of Appalachia. From fiddle tunes and old-time to bluegrass, they heard and absorbed it all. According to Reggie, each new style that came through the house only fueled his desire to hear more styles of music. The dueling guitars and improvisation of the Allman Brothers Band led to the jazz artists of the 1950s and ‘60s. The modern stringband music of the Dave Grisman Quintet led to the discovery of gypsy jazz giant Django Reinhardt. And above all, the various styles of music pushed the brothers to improvise.