Hank, Pattie & the Current

Location: R.A. Fountain

Tonight’s show also features the Eastern North Carolina Suzuki Performance Collective as opening act, a quintet of Pattie’s fiddle students. 

Bluegrass visionaries Hank Smith on banjo and Pattie Hopkins Kinlaw on fiddle add original & innovative twists to traditional bluegrass music, creating a soulful brew of tunes flavored with classical, Motown, jazz, & pop influences. They’re a couple of hard-hitting bluegrassrers who moonlight as symphonic classical musicians, and in this band they’ve forged their unique sound by refreshingly embracing their myriad of musical influences. Their overall musicianship, vocal harmonies, impassioned delivery and innovative arrangements captivate all generations of music lovers–a perfect act for our family-friendly space.

Pattie, of course, is from Martin County and an ECU grad who’s stayed close to home. Hank, who also teaches banjo with Russell Johnson in the UNC Bluegrass Studies Program, is originally from Florence, SC. He moved to Raleigh to be closer to his first bluegrass band, Barefoot Manner, which still plays together on special occasions.

The Current includes bass player Stevie Martinez, who also performs with the Asheville Symphony, and guitarist Billie Feather, who holds numerous degrees in guitar and engineering.

ENC Suzuki’s Performance Collective is an ensemble of advanced student musicians who share their talents through performances and service in the local community. Through collaborative music-making, students develop artistry, leadership, and confidence while learning how music can bring people together. The Collective celebrates the Suzuki belief that music education nurtures both skilled musicians and compassionate citizens.

Performing tonight in the Collective: Ben Saunders, Josiah Rose, James Murray, Gianna Murray & Tristan Pierce.

 

Tags: alt-Americana, bluegrass, Concert, jazz, original