Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
|
|
 |
|
|
| Montana Young, Whitetop Mountain Band perform at MHS |
Sixteen-year-old Patrick County fiddle player Montana Young performs at Martinsville High School on Saturday. Also on the program was the Whitetop Mountain Band, who prompted some in the audience to break into dance. |
| More Photos |
Sunday, June 28, 2009
By KIM BARTO - Bulletin Staff Writer
It was a little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n’ roll when Montana Young and the Whitetop Mountain Band performed in concert Saturday night at Martinsville High School.
Montana, a 16-year-old Patrick County fiddle player, opened the show with a mix of some traditional bluegrass tunes and a liberal amount of rock songs from the past and present. She was accompanied by Amy Stuart and Dean Smith, who alternated playing cello, dobro and guitar.
Next, the five-piece Whitetop Mountain Band’s high-energy bluegrass prompted the crowd to clap along and some members of the audience to start flatfoot dancing on the side of the stage.
The show was presented by the Lions Club and the Martinsville-Henry County Tourism Office. The Lions Club sold out the Rives Theatre when it booked Whitetop Mountain Band a year and a half ago, Jim Clark told the audience Saturday.
“Ever since then, y’all have been buggin’ me, ‘When are you gonna get ‘em back?’” Clark quipped. “Well, here they are.”
Tourism Director Debbie Robinson has accompanied both groups on tour and called them “very, very talented musicians. You couldn’t ask for better ambassadors for the state of Virginia.”
Whitetop Mountain Band, a family-based group from the highest peak in Virginia, is made up of husband and wife Thornton Spencer on the fiddle and Emily Spencer on the banjo and vocals; their daughter, Martha Spencer, on guitar and vocals; Jackson Cunningham on mandolin, guitar and vocals; and Debbie Bramer on the standup bass.
Cunningham and Martha Spencer, who are engaged, also play together as the Whitetop Mountaineers. They and the Whitetop Mountain Band have toured around the world and “had people dancing all over the place,” Robinson said.
“It’s really fun to watch them. They really get into it,” Montana said. “It’s fun to watch other people who really love the music.”
First, Montana started the show with the traditional “Blackberry Blossom,” and then she sang and played fiddle on a version of Bill Monroe’s “Walk Softly on this Heart of Mine.”
In addition to older songs such as “Tennessee Waltz,” she also sang and played “Where did you sleep last night?” by the grunge rock band Nirvana, Janis Joplin’s version of “Summertime,” and “Gold Dust Woman” by Fleetwood Mac.
Of her own performance, Montana said, “It was nice to be back on stage,” and also “fun to get to do those songs.”
Montana said she could not remember the last time she played a large concert. She took a three-year break from the fiddle but has since picked it back up and started guitar lessons, as well.
She broke out her guitar for one song, playing rhythm and singing Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page.”
“I promise it won’t be anything fancy,” she warned before starting the song. “I ain’t too good on this thing yet.”
Montana finished her set by singing and playing fiddle on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Call Me the Breeze.” After a standing ovation from the audience, she gave a solo encore of the fast-paced “Florida Blues,” a classic bluegrass tune she learned at age 10 as an apprentice of Woolwine fiddler Buddy Pendleton.
“I think it’s great,” said audience member Bill Hager in between sets, calling Montana “a very talented young lady.”
“I hope they do more shows like this around here,” Hager said.
His daughter, Amanda Hager, 12, said Montana’s playing was “great” and could not choose one song as her favorite.
“I liked all of them,” she said.
In Montana’s performance, “I like her solos the best” because “I like old-time music,” said Joe Gilley. Gilley travelled from Williamsburg to see Whitetop Mountain Band play.
“It’s traditional mountain music,” he said of the band. “It’s not fancy, but it’s really good” with “good harmonies.” |
| |
|
|
.jpg)
.jpg)