The ETSU Bluegrass Band, The Skinner Family, and The Dixie Bee-Liners to Perform at Kingsport Renaissance Center

The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance and City of Kingsport’s Cultural Services Division will present The ETSU Bluegrass Band, The Skinner Family, and The Dixie Bee-Liners as part of the “Celebrate Our Appalachian Heritage Concert Series” on Friday, February 16 at 7:30 PM at the Kingsport Renaissance Center, 1200 E. Center Street.

“The show will feature some of the finest young musicians in our region,” noted Bill Hartley, Executive Director of the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance. Hartley added that the performances of these younger musicians demonstrate the region’s musical heritage is still alive and growing today. Admission for the concert is $10; Seniors and Students $8. Tickets will be available at the door or can be purchased in advance, including credit card orders, by contacting the City of Kingsport Cultural Services Division at (423) 392-8417.

The East Tennessee State University (ETSU) Bluegrass band is comprised of members of the ETSU Bluegrass, Old-time, and Country Music program. Initiated in 1982, the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass and Country Music program has gained an international reputation for excellence. The program is the only four-year program in bluegrass music in the nation and offers instruction on the various bluegrass instruments, performance in a variety of band situations, vocal harmony, music theory and performance skills for acoustic players, songwriting, and selective internships in instrument building and recording studio.

Past graduates include numerous International Bluegrass Music Association and Grammy award winners, including Kenny Chesney and Tim Stafford. The program has worldwide appeal, drawing students from across the country and world. In the past the ETSU bluegrass band has performed in Russia and Japan, at the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and at NATO headquarters in Belgium. Known for their high-octane harmonies and stunningly beautiful original songs, The Dixie Bee-Liners are creating quite a buzz! The six-piece band enjoys a cult following that reaches far beyond their southwestern Virginia home. Their critically acclaimed debut EP spent six weeks in the Top Ten of the Roots Music Report Bluegrass Chart, and RMR's Robert Bartosh has called them "the next big thing in bluegrass music."

The Dixie Bee-Liners have been featured live on BBC Radio Scotland, NPR, and the Food Network. Their music can be heard across America and around the world, from hometown and college radio to Sirius Channel 65 and XM Radio. The band's crossover favorite "Lord, Lay Down My Ball & Chain" is featured in the forthcoming film "American Shopper," and they are currently recording their highly anticipated first full-length album.

The Skinner Family Band is a traditional bluegrass band from Bristol, TN. The band members include Jason Skinner on banjo, Jennifer Skinner on guitar, Zayn Skinner on mandolin, Alyssa Skinner on dobro, and special guest Teddy Helton on bass. Jason Skinner is the leader of the band and is one of the best in the country at Don Reno style banjo playing. Zayn, 11 years old, and Alyssa, 8 years old, are both amazingly talented. Although they are young, their instrumental skills rival bluegrass musicians three times their age. Jennifer Skinner's strong solid rhythm guitar holds it all together. The Skinner Family relies heavily on the music of Reno and Smiley, Bill Monroe, and Flatt and Scruggs. This performance is a part of “Art Nights, City Lights,” a performing arts series featuring music, dance, theatre and storytelling at the Kingsport Renaissance Center. Future concerts in the series will be held on March 16, 2007 and April 27, 2007. These shows will feature bluegrass, old-time, Celtic, and other styles of music with performances by Fire in the Kitchen, Celtic Air, Wires and Wood, and Kody Norris, Tom Isaacs & the Watauga Mountain Boys For more information about the concert series, contact the City of Kingsport Cultural Services Division at (423) 392-8414 or (423) 392-8417, or visit their website. The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to telling the story of the living musical heritage of the Appalachian mountains and the cultural traditions that sustain it. The BCMA is funded in part by grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the Tennessee Arts Commission. For more information, call (276) 645-0111.