This concert airs February 27, at 7 p.m. EST, but with ticket purchase, you can watch again, any time, during an included 72-hour rebroadcast! Tickets can now be purchased at: https://noonchorus.com/jake-blount-vox-hunters/
Blackstone River Theatre is excited to welcome back Rhode Island favorites, The Vox Hunters, and also offer the BRT debut of the incredibly talented Jake Blount. Jake Blount is an award-winning banjoist, fiddler, singer currently based in Providence, RI. He is a 2020 recipient of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize. Blount specializes in the music of Black communities in the southeastern United States, and in the regional style of the Finger Lakes. He is also half of the internationally touring duo Tui, and a board member of Bluegrass Pride. A versatile performer, Blount interpolates blues, bluegrass and spirituals into the old-time string band tradition he belongs to. He foregrounds the experiences of queer people and people of color in his work. His teachers include Rhiannon Giddens, Bruce Molsky and Judy Hyman. He has claimed first place in both the Banjo and the Traditional Band categories at the prestigious Appalachian String Band Music Festival. Blount has shared his music and research at the Smithsonian Institution, Yale University, and Berklee School of Music, among other institutions. He has appeared on Radiolab, Soundcheck and NPR’s Weekend Edition and regularly teaches fiddle and banjo at festivals and camps like the Augusta Heritage Center and the Ashokan Center. His first full-length solo album, “Spider Tales,” debuted at #2 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart and earned five out of five stars as The Guardian’s Folk Album of the Month.
Armand Aromin and Benedict Gagliardi – The Vox Hunters – are musically bound by a shared love of traditional Irish music, which originally brought them together, as well as an eclectic and ever-growing amalgam of songs both inside and far outside the realm of folk music. Combining Aromin’s multifaceted fiddle playing, Gagliardi’s self-developed concertina style, and a pair of complementary voices, The Vox Hunters will present their exciting repertoire of driving dance tunes blended with an unorthodox collection of interesting songs. They are touted as strong tradition-bearers in their generation, and their genuine affinity for the music is evident in the emotion they draw from it. Their three mantras are: “Sing Local,” “Sing Often,” and “Roger Williams for President.” Last year they released their second album, “Fresh From The Board: Music From The Ocean State Songster, Vol. 1.” Blackstone River Theatre favorites, The Vox Hunters offer an all-natural connection to the living tradition of folk music.
