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Event
The Larry Keel Experience w/ Dangermuffin
Genre: Americana/Roots Rock/Bluegrass
Cover: $12 ADV/$16 DOS
Doors 8PM / Show 9PM
THE LARRY KEEL EXPERIENCE
Larry Keel is described by some reviewers as the most powerful, innovative and all-out exhilarating acoustic flatpicking guitarist performing today. Keel has absorbed the best lessons from his Bluegrass family upbringing, both sides deeply steeped in the rich mountain music culture and heritage of Southwest Virginia. From there, he has always integrated that solid musical grounding and natural-born talent with his own incomparable approach to flatpicking the guitar and composing original music. He's also got a knack for choosing interesting and appealing material from all realms of music with guts, whether it's a tune written by a fellow song-writer/musician friend, or a tasty cover from any number of genres all over the map. The combination is pretty irresistible, and has earned Keel the highest respect and billing among the top acoustic musicians alive, and some now gone: Tony Rice, Chris Thile,Vassar Clements, Sam Bush, Del McCoury, John Hartford, Bill Monroe, Peter Rowan, and Darol Anger to name a few. And his fierce, high-spirited energy also appeals to young rockers, jammers and alt country pickers and fans who are equally drawn to Keel's deep rumbling voice, his earthy and imaginative song-writing, and his down-home-gritty-good-time charm. Keel regularly collaborates with JamBand and Rock giants Yonder Mountain String Band, Keller Williams, Jorma Kaukonen, David Nelson, Little Feat, Rebirth Brass Band, Dirty Dozen Brass, Railroad Earth, members of String Cheese Incident and Leftover Salmon, amongst others.
Keel has a variety of musical formats swirling around the calendar each year: look out for his core band, The Larry Keel Experience (featuring Will Lee on soulful, blues-grass 5 string banjo, penetrating vocals and exceptional song-writing contributions and Jenny Keel on upright bass, with impeccable timing, solid yet imaginative bass lines and vocal harmonies), Larry Does Jerry (Keel performing the music of Jerry Garcia), Keller Williams and The Keels, Jeff Austin and the Here and Now (featuring the Keels), Keel paired with artists such as Drew Emmitt, Danny Barnes, Peter Rowan, Sam Bush, and a multitude of guest spots in great bands on the tour circuit: Traveling McCourys, Steep Canyon Rangers, Infamous Stringdusters and Greensky Bluegrass, to name a few.
Throughout his career, Keel has released 14 albums and is featured on 10 others. The most recent release, March 2012, is CLASSIC, the 3rd album recorded by Keel and his powerhouse ensemble, Natural Bridge. The project is filled with originals written variously by Keel, the band members or by musician/song-writer friends. Keel recently launched a new event concept and website, Fishin and Pickin, which combines 2 unique but thoroughly complementary pleasures: the satisfying thrill of sports fishing, and the energizing intensity of live music. The musician fisherman or even the fishin music-lover will find up-to-date, useful and amazingly entertaining music tips, tablature, show calendars and links to like-minded acts and artists, plus new music downloads. Larry's also been involved in the development of Fishin N Pickn Workshops and Camps, hosted on live water properties, that teach pickin musicians how to advance their 'chops' on their instruments, and having the chance to catch some big fish in the process. Bass and Grass has been taking place in Georgia each year in the fall, always with a fantastic roster of musician-instructors, and outstanding bass fishing! Similarly, Keel hosts Trout and Tunes in May each year, featuring fishing styles and mountain-music study and entertainment all set in the misty mountains of West Virginia.
For Keel the musical mission is always clear: to let technical skill, honest emotion and fearlessness connect the playing and singing to audiences, to entertain and to thoroughly enjoy the experience of creating and sharing in music.
DANGERMUFFIN
"How can we be whole?"
It's a question asked in one way or another by anyone who allows him or herself to dig deeper into their own existence than the simple day-to-day drudgery that seems to fuel our society.
"I want to know it and sing it from my soul," answers Dan Lotti in the opening moments of Dangermuffin's transformative fifth album, Songs for the Universe. From those first questions in "Ancient Golden Star" a song inspired by a Cherokee creation myth it's clear that this Folly Beach-based trio has matured even further in their musical craftsmanship.
Taken at face value, the album's 17 tracks can still energize a backyard campfire or an early morning jog, just as Dangermuffin always has over their eight-year career. But listen closely to Lotti's words, and you'll discover another world of stones unturned and long-hidden truths. Archetypes of the sea, the sun and the Phoenix are prevalent throughout the collection (very nearly a concept album) that plays like a sacred scroll of sage wisdom set to the laid-back roots-based sounds they've built their national following upon.
And though you can take a man away from the beach, you can't take the ocean from a man. In 2014, the newlywed Lotti migrated north to the mountains of western North Carolina. His focus on personal and spiritual growth shows itself prominently on Songs for the Universe.
"Since moving, a lot of my time has been spent in meditation and doing private yogic practices, abstaining from alcohol and connecting with plants," says Lotti. Guitarist Mike Sivilli and percussionist Steven Sandifer who remain on Folly Beach and in Charleston, S.C., respectively also subscribe to holistic, plant-based lifestyles (not always an easy feat for a group of men on tour, burning up the miles between interstate exits).
If a vegan rock band surprises you, consider that Dangermuffin are simply an embodiment of a new consciousness building across their generation, where respect for the Earth and its healing powers outweigh the distractions of modern existence. Even the musical frequencies Dangermuffin employs are chosen for their nurturing potential. Songs for the Universe was recorded entirely in 432 and 444 Hz the former of which was the frequency preferred by Vivaldi and chosen by violin maker Stradivarius for his renowned violins. Today, the gold standard for musicians is 440 Hz, but Lotti questions whether we sacrifice much of music's potential by holding rigidly to that framework.
Like the secret chord in Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" that "pleased the Lord," utilizing ancient frequencies lets Dangermuffin seek vibrations that affect the body beyond the eardrums.
"In the record, you can hear pitch shifts where we work with sound healing and frequencies that are harmonious with the human body," says Lotti. On the album's cover, the band's ubiquitous muffin vibrates like a star in space, surrounded by the 17 archetypes present throughout the songs (a zia for "Lady of Fire," a serpent for "Snakecharmer").
Recorded at Charleston, S.C.'s Truphonic Studios, the album contains the influence of Appalachia but still maintains the salty vibes of the Carolina coast, perhaps best heard in "Little Douglas," a lighthearted song about 'herbal' enlightenment that features Keller Williams on bass and backing vocals.
In the end, Dangermuffin are still a band you can kick back to, beer in one hand and lover swinging from the other. But like all art worth experiencing, there's plenty more to explore when you're ready to delve in. So put on Songs for the Universe, and please, relax.
"We, as humans, have a universal heritage that's been almost entirely eradicated," says Lotti. "Our goal with these songs is to try to connect with some of that wisdom before it's gone completely. And by connecting with that heritage, there's a lot of hope and healing that can take place."
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LocationAsheville Music Hall (View)
31 Patton Avenue
Asheville , NC 28801
United States
Categories
| Minimum Age: 21 |
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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