PUTNEY — Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present an evening of contemporary bluegrass, roots, and folk music by the Mike Block & Joe K. Walsh Duo and The Stockwell Brothers on Saturday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m.
Drawing on contemporary and international influences, Mike Block and Joe K. Walsh bring an exciting and personal perspective to American roots music. Block is a pioneering cello player, singer, composer, and educator; Yo-Yo Ma has called him the “ideal musician of the 21st century.”
At home in a wide range of musical styles, he is passionate about cross-cultural collaboration through music, and is committed to inspiring individuals and connecting communities. As a cello and vocal soloist with Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble since 2005, Block has toured extensively throughout the world and earned a Grammy Award in 2017 for their album Sing Me Home.
Mandolinist and songwriter Joe K. Walsh has toured internationally and collaborated with the likes of Darol Anger, the Gibson Brothers, and the progressive string band Joy Kills Sorrow. The first artist to graduate from the Berklee College of Music with a focus on the mandolin, Walsh serves on the faculty of his alma mater as he continues to explore ways to create new acoustic roots music.
Bruce, Barry, Alan, and Kelly Stockwell's music spans traditional and progressive bluegrass/folk styles, but their trademark acoustic sound features new singer/songwriter material recast with banjo, alternative rhythms, and three-part harmonies.
Featuring 2005 Merlefest bluegrass banjo contest winner Bruce Stockwell, The Stockwell Brothers have toured throughout the United States and in Canada and Europe, performing alongside artists ranging from Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, and Earl Scruggs to Mary Chapin Carpenter, Jonathan Edwards, and Asleep at the Wheel. The group has recorded with Mike Auldridge and Phil Rosenthal of the bluegrass supergroup The Seldom Scene.