The Horse Flies

Web Site

Members: Judy Hyman, Jeff Claus, Richie Stearns, Taki Masuko,  Jay Olsa, and Rick Hansen.

(Thursday Convocation only)

“... demented, post-modern mountain music…”  –Robert Christgau, Village Voice, New York

“Brilliantly peculiar ... new music with gnarled and twisted roots.”  –Daniel Gewertz, The Boston Herald

“I call it weird, wicked, wild and wonderful.”  –Jonathan Takiff, Philadelphia Daily News

One of the earliest bands to bring truly inventive ideas and energy to traditional American fiddle music, The Horse Flies have created a unique sound that remains fresh, powerful and captivating. Artful original songs, a wild groove-oriented approach to fiddle music, esteemed instrumental skills, and emotive singing come together as old-time fiddle music meets alternative rock, minimalism, modern songwriting and world percussion.
The Horse Flies released their eighth album, Until the Ocean, in June 2008.

“The Horse Flies will always be a niche band (too dark and weird for "folkies" and too "folky" for rockers), but Until the Ocean makes for an awfully sturdy bridge between the two, and is without a doubt the greatest "Yankee gothic/northern Appalachian/neo-traditional/college folk-rock" album of 2008.”     –James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide's Favorite Folk and Favorite Pop Albums of 2008

Don Pedi, this year’s inaugural L. Allen Smith Visiting Performer

Web Site

" powerful, sweet and subtle"
Old Time Herald

"master instrumentalist..."
Boston Globe

"virtuoso!"
Asheville Citizen Times

For over thirty years Don Pedi has charmed audiences with his unique "Fiddle-Pick" style of playing the dulcimer. Drawing on decades of association with many of the best musicians in the southern mountains, as well as his deep commitment to preserving the old-timemusic, Pedi carries on the tradition in an electrifying and pioneering style unrivaled on the Dulcimer.  From 1974, when he entered his first fiddle contest, to his retirement in 1982, Pedi had won over thirty first place trophies and awards.  Don currently performs solo, as a duo with Bruce Greene, or in a group with Bruce. In 2003 Don represented Appalachia at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. His music has even appeared in such motion pictures as "Songcatcher" and "The Journey of August King."

Sparky and Rhonda Rucker
Web site

Sparky Rucker’s performing career spans more than forty years and has made him an internationally recognized folklorist, musician, historian, storyteller, and author. He accompanies himself with fingerstyle picking and bottleneck blues guitar, banjo, and spoons.

Rhonda Rucker is an accomplished harmonica, piano, banjo, and bones player, and also adds vocal harmonies to their songs. Sparky and Rhonda Rucker perform throughout the U.S. and abroad, singing songs and telling stories from the American folk tradition. In addition to cowboy music, Civil War music, and Appalachian music, their repertoire also includes a variety of old-time blues; spirituals; ballads; work, slave, and railroad songs; and a few of their own original compositions.
Sparky and Rhonda have numerous recordings, and their 1991 release, Treasures and Tears, was nominated for the W.C. Handy Award for Best Traditional Recording.

Whitetop Mountain Band
Web site

The Whitetop Mountain Band is a family-based band from the highest mountains of Virginia, an area rich in the old time music tradition. The band, which originated with Albert Hash in the 1940s, has deep roots in mountain music. When a teenager, Hash, a well-known and beloved fiddler and luthier, played with Henry Whitter of “Grayson & Whitter”, who recorded during the 1920s. The tune “Hangman’s Reel” that Albert recorded is the version played by so many old time musicians today. He also taught such luthiers as Wayne Henderson, Audrey Ham, and many others to build instruments.

In the 1970s, Albert’s brother-in-law, Thornton Spencer, and his wife, Emily Spencer, joined Albert in the Whitetop Mountain Band. The band continues today with Thornton Spencer on fiddle and Emily Spencer on banjo and vocals. Their daughter Martha Spencer plays with the band as well. She is a multi-instrumentalist and dancer who has participated in many Master flatfoot dancing workshops and performances. Additional members include Jackson Cunningham, Spencer Pennington, and Debbie Bramer.

Known for their high energy and charisma on stage, The Whitetop Mountain Band is one of the most popular dance bands of the Appalachian Mountains. Their shows are very versatile and entertaining, containing everything from fiddle and banjo instrumentals to powerful solos and harmony vocals on blues, classic country, honky tonk, traditional bluegrass numbers, old timey ballads, originals, and four part mountain gospel songs.

John Haywood
Web site

John Haywood grew up in Floyd County, Kentucky. He became interested in the banjo from listening to recordings of Roscoe Holcomb and “Banjer” Bill Cornett and learned from Lee Sexton and George Gibson. John plays both clawhammer and two-finger style and has won competitions both at the Tazewell Fiddlers Convention and the Morehead Fiddlers Convention. In addition to performing solo, he also plays in two old time groups, The Travelin’ Snakes and Rich and The Po' Folk. John is also a visual artist whose work frequently uses images of mountain musicians. Haywood currently resides at the head of Little Doubles Creek near Hindman, Kentucky, with his wife, Kelli Brooke Haywood, and his daughters, Deladis Rose and Ivy Pearl Haywood.

Loyal Jones

In the Friday afternoon symposium, Loyal Jones, author of Country Music Humorists and Comedians, will share information from his continued research about the humor that has accompanied folk, country, bluegrass, and gospel music, both before and after these genres became attractive to commercial interests. He will also speak about country music performers who have used comedy as a central component of their presentation.

Loyal Jones is the author of nine books and dozens of articles on Appalachian culture, including Laughter in Appalachia: A Festival of Southern Mountain Humor. For twenty-three years he was director of the Appalachian Center at Berea College.

Berea College Bluegrass Ensemble

The Berea College Bluegrass Ensemble was founded in the fall of 1999 to give Berea College students with background or potential in bluegrass music an opportunity to play in a “working” bluegrass band with weekly rehearsals, performances and travel. The group’s founder, Al White, has performed professionally with many bluegrass bands including the Bluegrass Alliance and the McLain Family Band, and teaches Appalachian Instruments at Berea College.
Members are selected by audition, and typically remain with the group until they graduate from Berea College. The band’s recent tour of Japan marked its second visit there, the first being in 2006. The Bluegrass Ensemble also toured Ireland in 2004 and 2007.
Current band members include Will Haizlett, mandolin; Darrin Hacquard, guitar; John Bradley, bass; Andrew Taylor, fiddle; Micah Ruell, lead vocals; and Al White on banjo and fiddle.

Note: Please note that the Celebration of Traditional Music is designed to showcase traditional, old-time Appalachian music. To remain true to its underlying ideal, the Festival does not feature modern Bluegrass music.