PUTNEY — Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present contemporary bluegrass, Americana, and folk trio the Kruger Brothers at Next Stage, 15 Kimball Hill on Friday, July 7, at 7:30 p.m.
“Jens Kruger (banjo and vocals), Uwe Kruger (guitar and lead vocals), and Joel Landsberg (bass and vocals) personify the spirit of exploration and innovation that forms the core of the American musical tradition,” say organizers.
Although initially staying fairly close to a traditional repertoire, the Kruger Brothers later turned to songwriting and composition in order to draw more closely from their personal experiences.
Kruger's style of banjo playing is based on the three-finger bluegrass style popularized by Earl Scruggs. His playing is differentiated by long melodic passages and a more complex compositional foundation, often building on jazz or classical themes and techniques.
Kruger is an inductee to the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame and is the fourth recipient of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass (selected by a committee that included fellow banjo players Martin, Pete Wernick, Béla Fleck, Alison Brown, J.D. Crowe, and Tony Trischka).
Originally from Switzerland, brothers Uwe and Jens began playing North American folk music at an early age and say they were particularly inspired by recordings of Doc Watson, Flatt and Scruggs, Bill Monroe, and other progenitors of country, bluegrass, and folk music. Their first public performances were as a duo, busking on the streets of cities throughout Europe.
After gaining a recording contract as well as a radio show on SRG SSR, the Swiss public broadcaster, they teamed up with bass player Joel Landsberg, inaugurating a trio that has been playing together professionally since 1995.
Tickets are $25 in advance, $28 at the door, and $10 for access to the livestream of the concert. Advance tickets are available at nextstagearts.org. Next Stage will provide a beer, wine, and cocktail cash bar. For information, call 802-387-0102.