Grammy Award-Winning Musician Tim O’Brien and the Next Generation of Appalachian Bluegrass
“Music kind of creates a community, and it’s an exalted position to be up on a stage and to be part of the thing that brings people together,” O’Brien said.
Tag / Culture
Fasnacht in Helvetia, West Virginia
After 58 years, Helvetia’s Fasnacht celebration continues to stand as a testament to the Swiss roots of its earliest participants, while also becoming part of a uniquely Appalachian tradition.
For My Indian-American family, West Virginia Will Always Be Home
“West Virginia” is never what people are looking for when they ask where my family is from. The first week of January, my dad and I drove five hours from our house in North Carolina to visit his hometown of Charleston, West Virginia, for a […]
When Your Appalachian Music Roots Show Up on the National Stage, A Reflection on the Whizzbanger’s Ball
If there’s anything to be said about the inaugural Whizzbanger’s Ball at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Glen Jean, West Virginia, it’s that it served as a long-awaited point of intersection for many. During William Matheny’s Saturday afternoon set, the guitarist, songwriter and frontman cracked […]
In North Carolina, A Sanctuary for Local Songwriters Emerges: The East Boone Listening Room
It’s 6:30 p.m. on a Friday night in Boone, North Carolina, and a hush falls over the East Boone Listening Room. “We spent many years trying to find a space like this in town,” says artist and songwriter Sarah DeShields. Boone, which is home to […]
Photo Essay: Exploring Trans and Queer Identity through Appalachian, Christian Iconography
As a queer and gender-nonconforming person navigating life in a region deeply entrenched in Christianity, I find myself straddling two worlds. While I don’t hold any religious beliefs, I cannot deny the profound impact that Appalachian and Deep Southern Christianity have on the queer experience. […]