WOODY PLATT OF STEEP CANYON RANGERS

MUSICAL WATERS

WOODY PLATT OF STEEP CANYON RANGERS

When he’s not traveling across the country and performing onstage with his renowned Grammy Award-winning Americana act Steep Canyon Rangers, singer/guitarist Woody Platt finds himself flyfishing in the ancient rivers and streams near his home in Western North Carolina.

“Fly fishermen tend to really respect the environment and respect the game they catch. When you catch a fish, it’s

almost always a catch-and-release situation,” Platt said. “And you learn as a fly fisherman to be in tune with the way a river moves and flows — where the water stacks up and slows down, how the fish orient themselves in the water.”

With his home situated in the East Fork Valley at the headwaters of the French Broad River, Platt and his family often find themselves traversing the picturesque landscape and immersing themselves in the nearby waters.

“We finally found this place on the river, but the riverbanks were massively eroded from big pasture farming practices in the past, where people would actually shift the river and destroy its natural flow,” Platt said. “So, all of these switch backs and channels were created that ultimately affected the riverbanks and disrupted the

ecosystem with these large sediment deposits.”

Feeling a deep sense of urgency and social responsibility, Platt teamed up with Conserving Carolina, a nonprofit organization based in Hendersonville, which aims to protect land and water sources in Southern Appalachia.

“With the help of Conserving Carolina, we were able to apply for and receive a grant from the North Carolina Clean Water Management fund,” Platt said. “We used the grant to return that portion of the French Broad back to its natural state, where we can once again provide a good habitat and stable riverbanks for native fish, hellbenders and other species that live and thrive in these waters.”

Alongside Conserving Carolina, Platt and his family are continuing their work on other regional river projects with the help of private donations and other local organizations. Though the work to conserve our local land and waters is seemingly never-ending, each project completed and volunteer added is another step towards the protection and preservation of our natural resources here in Western North Carolina.

“We’ve learned a lot and we really enjoy being part of these projects,” Platt said. “Once you put a decent amount of money and effort into a project, it makes sense to continue to work in that area — it makes me really happy to see the positive impact we can have on these precious ecosystems.”

And each time Platt finds himself thigh-deep in a river or stream somewhere, he can’t help but be truly grateful for the experience of complete immersion in the splendor of Mother Nature.

“As a touring musician, I’m typically ‘on the go’ all the time. I don’t get to relax a whole lot and I don’t slow down, at least not until I get into a stream,” Platt said. “The river is a good place for me to slow down, to stand in the moving waters and simply listen to the sound of the stream pushing over the rocks — it’s the sound of beautiful music being made.”

Steep Canyon Rangers.

NO OTHER PLACE HAS had more influence on the development of the banjo in America. Musicians from the western Piedmont and mountain region, including Earl Scruggs, Charlie Poole, and Snuffy Jenkins, among many, are recognized as the creators and popularizers of modern banjo styles.

THE FIDDLE AND BANJO ENSEMBLE

tradition that developed in Surry County’s Round Peak community is embraced and emulated by young musicians around the world. The Mount Airy Fiddlers’ Convention is now an annual gathering place for thousands of young musicians influenced by Round Peak musicians.

TRADITIONAL DANCE EVOLVED over generations with music traditions and flat-footing. Clogging in Western North Carolina is recognized as one of the most highly-developed vernacular dance traditions in the country. Haywood County is where team square dancing first originated in the 1930s. ONE OF THE LONGEST, unbroken ballad singing traditions in America is found in Madison County where singers were first documented by English folk song collector Cecil Sharp prior to World War I. The current generation of singers continues to perform a wide range of ballads, including some brought from the British Isles by early settlers.

THE MOUNTAIN DANCE AND FOLK

FESTIVAL, started in Asheville by Bascom Lamar Lunsford in 1928, is the oldest continuous folk festival in the United States and is the model for the National Folk Festival. MERLEFEST, presented at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro on the last weekend in April, is one of the nation’s largest and most influential “Americana” music events. It was founded in 1988 by Doc Watson in memory of his son Merle.

KEEP IN MIND

As you begin your journey, keep in mind that even though all the events listed occur on a regular basis, it is always best to verify the information before heading out. For the most up-to-date information on venues and events, please visit BlueRidgeMusicNC.com. Happy Trails!

WPAQ AM 740 IN MOUNT AIRY is the oldest live radio show that continues to program regional music from the Blue Ridge. The Merry Go Round program, which is broadcast live from the Downtown Cinema Theatre every Saturday, first signed on in 1948 and presents local old-time, bluegrass and gospel performers.

BLUE RIDGE MUSIC TRAILS PODCAST

The “Down the Road on the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina” podcast highlights bluegrass and old-time music stories, performers, venues, and traditions across the mountain and foothills counties of Western North Carolina. The podcast is hosted by Laura Boosinger, a celebrated musician, folklorist, and storyteller, and produced by Corrie Askew of WNCW-FM. Beginning with short and sweet three-minute episodes in seasons one and two, the popularity of the podcast warranted more content. Episodes for seasons three and four run around nineminutes long and feature multiple musical tracks. These tracks have been assembled in a Spotify playlist called “Music from Down the Road Podcast.” “Down the Road” airs on WNCW-FM (88.7) at 8:50 am on Tuesday mornings (during NPR’s Morning Edition). Recent episodes include: Lots of Great Ways to Learn Music in WNC, Traditional Artist Spotlight: David Holt, Train Songs, and Marshall’s Historic Depot. You can find and listen to all the episodes at blueridgemusicnc.com/listen-and-learn/down-the-roadpodcast