Mike Mitchell Trio and The Wildmans to play the Bright Box Theater in Winchester, Virginia, this January the 25th at seven o’clock. The venue is located at 15 North Loudoun Street. Tickets for the performance are eight dollars in advance, and twelve dollars the day of the show.
Buy tickets here: http://www.brightboxwinchester.com/events/mikemitchelltrio/
“Traditional and then some…” MMT comes down from the blue Ridge Mountains, bringing powerful new songwriting with catchy hooks. “The songs have staying power, and hang with the listener for days…”
Backed by Bluegrass veteran, Tommy Moss, on banjo and Jazz great, Tom Klingelhofer, on upright bass, Mike fronts this power trio with guitar, fiddle, and unforgettable voice.
Mike’s “Dead Center’ album debuted in May, 2017 at #1 spot on Airplay direct downloads chart and continues to chart in their top 40. His current album, “Small Town” is in production and will be released in Februrary of 2018 at the Folk Alliance International Conference in Kansas City.
Produced by Mark Schatz, it features 10 of Mike’s original tunes, with Schatz on bass, Jarrod Walker on Mandolin, Sammy Shelor and Tommy Moss on banjos, Claire Lynch and Jesse Smathers on harmony vocals.
Mike is at home on the Bluegrass/Americana stage and the Singer/Songwriter venues. His critically acclaimed recordings have earned him a respected name within the regional industry, and a growing fan base in the US and Canada.
Mike is also the founder and director of the Floyd Music School. Honored at the White House by President Obama, and recognized by Virginia’s Crooked Road for the teaching of traditional Appalachian music, Mike has mentored young people to first place wins at regional fiddle competitions, first chair positions in the Roanoke Youth Symphony, and music majors at top American Universities. The Wildman family are recent graduates of the Floyd Music School…
The young acoustic string band, The Wildmans, come from the hills of Floyd, Virginia, in the heart of the Appalachian mountain music tradition. From campsite jamming at festivals and fiddler’s conventions and classical music education comes the foundation for musical exploration that sets this group apart, taking the audience on a musical journey that reflects the growth and passion of these talented young musicians.
The band features the precocious talents of siblings Eli on mandolin and Aila on fiddle and vocals, family friend and award winning old time banjo player Victor Furtado, all backed up by bandmom Deb Wildman on bass. Highly skilled instrumentals and soulful vocals applied to traditional tunes with a smattering of old time, bluegrass, blues, and jazz combine to create a fresh new sound – old tunes fueled by young spirit.
Their set combines fiddle tunes, ballads and folk songs of the Appalachian tradition with twentieth century classics, as well as original instrumental compositions by band members Eli and Victor.
The group has appeared on stages large and small, performing in festivals such as Red Wing Roots, Chantilly Farm’s Bluegrass and BBQ festival, RoosterWalk, Floyd Fest, and Floyd Yoga Jam. They also regularly represent young talent along the Crooked Road in regional fiddler’s conventions, and the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax invited the group to open for the Steep Canyon Rangers in July 2017. Having shared the stage with talents such as Danny Knicely, Sammy Shelor, Sierra Hull, Billy Strings, Darol Anger and Joe K. Walsh, these young musicians are making their way in the American stringband scene.