Abigail Washburn, who will perform at UNC’s Memorial Hall on February 9, is revolutionizing American old-time music. She pairs venerable folk elements with far-flung sounds, and the results feel both strangely familiar and unlike anything anyone’s ever heard before.
Every bit as attuned to the global as to the local, her contemporary versions of traditional bluegrass songs offer a refreshing perspective and draw ties between East and West. The singer/songwriter from Illinois occasionally sings her Appalachian-style folk tunes in Chinese.
Her performance at UNC will feature City of Refuge album collaborator Kai Welch, a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for his indie rock sensibilities and classical training. They are joined by Wu Fei, an internationally acclaimed master of the guzheng, the Chinese zither, who also performed on City of Refuge.
Find out more and buy tickets.
Published February 7, 2013.