Not to be confused with bluegrass or country, the aptly named genre of old-time music is one of the oldest forms of music in North America outside of indigenous music. Stemming from music of the British Isles and Africa, it puts heavy emphasis on the fiddle, banjo and mandolin, as well as a social connection between friends and neighbors. It has become heavily associated with the Appalachian region.
Stuart’s Opera House in Nelsonville hosted its monthly Old Time Jam Night on Jan. 16. The event is an offshoot of its Old Time Music Week, now renamed to the Happy Hollow Hootenanny, and has been held monthly since mid-2023.
The jam nights are typically hosted by Joe Burdock, a fiddle player and luthier in the Athens area. Zeke Hutchison, who filled in as instructor for the session, said he wanted to try to create a welcoming environment for his first time instructing a jam night.
“I haven't done one of these,” Hutchison said. “Joe Burdock, this is his baby. What I would like to see out of it is to see who shows up and what they're playing, see where they're at, what they're interested in, and try to play some tunes together and see where that goes.”
Hutchison is a mandolin player and grew up in Belmont County, Ohio. He began playing music at age 12, eventually forming The Hutchison Brothers Band in Athens in 1975.
The jam nights allow people from around Southeast Ohio to take part in the traditional music of the region. Adam Remnant, the assistant director of arts education at Stuart’s, said anyone of any skill level is encouraged to come.
“It's tailored to really any skill level,” he said. “So it's kind of unique in that aspect, where people might have old time fiddle jams happening that are typically more advanced players getting together to jam, and beginners can kind of try to keep up, but that can be challenging. So this tries to be accommodating to all skill levels.”
Hutchison said the social aspect of old-time music is something he hopes more people can experience.
“I am glad to see so many people in our area that are new to the music and seem to be sticking with it,” he said. “I know our scene here locally is highly social.”
The jam nights are divided into two hour-long blocks, with the first hour being instruction on tunes and the second being an open jam session for anyone to lead.
Nick Weiland, a participant from Logan, Ohio, who mainly plays the upright bass, said he has always been drawn to folk and old-time music because of the energy and joy it brings.
“It’s simple, yet beautiful,” Weiland said. “There's a lot of energy in it, and beginners can participate and feel that energy. You don't have to be at an accomplished level to really enjoy it and dig in.”
Weiland said although he does not attend every jam night, he enjoys supporting the work Stuart’s does.
“Stuart’s does a fabulous job of bringing in quality music and encouraging music through their arts program,” he said. “I’m happy to support them.”
The next Old Time Jam Night will be Feb. 20 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Stuart’s. The event is free for all and no experience is required. On Wednesday, Stuart’s also announced the third annual Happy Hollow Hootenanny at Snow Fork Event Center on September 25-28. Details can be found at happyhollowhoot.org.
