Foghorn String Band will bring a mix of old-time, bluegrass, classic country and Cajun music to Athens County.
The band will perform at Stuart’s Opera House in Nelsonville on Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. The performance will take place on the Stuart’s Opera House stage, with the back of the band facing the main house and the audience sitting on the stage.
“This is a special backstage show. Attendees will enter through our breezeway on our east Washington Street entrance. There will be signs to take the elevator and walk through the backstage as if you're an artist,” Chloe Musick, marketing and public relations director of Stuart’s Opera House, said.
For Foghorn String band, this intimate performance isn’t necessarily uncomfortable. The band plays a variety of venues, from bars to festivals.
“We like to do both aren't scared to just play in a bar, and we aren't scared to play a concert or a festival. It's fun. We have a lot to choose from because we have so many songs,” Caleb Klauder, a member of the band who does vocals and plays the mandolin and fiddle, said.
The array of Foghorn’s songs includes country, original songs composed by Klauder, and old Ameircan songs and ballads, with an emphasis on American fiddle music.
“We specialize in American fiddle tunes from the Appalachian area or the Midwest region of the United States,” Klauder said. “We also focus a lot on the old traditional ballads and songs that come from the American ... repertoire, like the Carter family, and many other bands that are not known by the public at all.”
Much of the music they perform has no definitive origin.
“Really a lot of the songs don't have sources, although we might reference the source that we got it from. No one quite knows where these tunes came from.” Klauder said.
The band considers themselves musicians as well as historians, passing down the history through their performances.
The band consists of Klauder, Reeb Willms on guitar, Nadine Landry on upright bass and Stephen ‘Sammy’ Lind on banjo and fiddle. Each of the band members also provide vocals.
The band has been together for over 15 years, each member bringing a unique part of musical talent and insight into each performance. Due to this, the band has performed in many locations around the world, including Malaysia and Ireland.
The band keeps a very minimal set and production for their performances.
“(It is) very intentional on our part has to be, like, a really true representation and presentation of the songs.“ Klauder said.
Stuart’s supports the arts and arts education in southeastern Ohio.
Dan Trolli, a senior majoring in community and public health studies, said that a lot of people grew up around country and older music, making an old time stringband applicable to all age groups.
“Pretty much all ages enjoy that type of music because that's what they grew up with,” Trolli said.
