Photo Courtesy of Artist
Traditional Appalachian Music
Ashe County, NC
Trevor McKenzie is a musician and Appalachian scholar living in Ashe County, North Carolina. He plays traditional music from along the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and Virginia, both as a solo artist and with regional string bands. He has performed and taught at festivals and music gatherings across the United States, Canada, and Europe. McKenzie serves as the Director of the Center for Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University, a public-facing research Center founded in 1978 to illuminate and sustain the region's rich history, cultures, communities, and ecology.
For Riverlore, Trevor will be presenting:
"Ancient New: Exploring the Oldest River in North America” by Tom Hansell, Trevor McKenzie and Julie Shepherd-Powell
Ancient New is a multi-media presentation that tells the story of human interaction of the New River through song, story, and dance. This project is a collaboration between filmmaker Tom Hansell, musician Trevor McKenzie, and dancer Julie Shepherd-Powell. Hansell has spent the past decade documenting life along the New River valley. During this live media performance, he will provide context for the images with spoken word, while McKenzie and Shepherd Powell provide a live soundtrack, weaving traditional songs punctuated with flatfoot dance from riverside communities.