CHAPEL MUSIC SERIES
THE BAREFOOT MOVEMENT
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Artosphere: The Barefoot Movement
Program 1 hour
About The Barefoot Movement is anything but your standard bluegrass band. They stretch from a strong foundation of traditional Appalachian music, borrowing the best from other rootsbased genres to shape their hallmark sound. In a typical show, you’ll hear elements of bluegrass, blues, folk, rock, country and pop through their narrative lyrics, tight three-part harmonies, hot instrumental riffs, lilting blues scales and catchy vocal hooks. Heralded by CMT Edge as “one of the most promising bands on the bluegrass scene,” the music of the Nashvillebased group The Barefoot Movement is as down to earth as their intention for members of their audience: sit back, relax, take your shoes off and stay a while. All the worries and frustrations of the world melt away as this charming, acoustic band takes listeners back to a simpler place and time. Whether you’re seeking emotional ballads or rip-roaring barn-burners, you can expect a collection of music that offers something for everyone. With two full-length albums, an EP of traditional music, several cross-country tours and appearances at some of the top bluegrass festivals in the United States already under their belt, the possibilities for this act are endless. The group has enjoyed almost non-stop touring including a trip to Burkina Faso, Africa where they were guests of the American Embassy, and in September of 2014, they received a Momentum
Award dubbing them “Band of the Year” by the International Bluegrass Music Association. Crowding around a single microphone, their show is as fun to watch as it is to hear, and often begs the question, how has no one lost an eye from a collision with the fiddle bow? The smiles on the faces of the band are obvious displays of the joy and excitement they feel when performing and the audience shares in the fun. With effortlessly executed transitions, the pacing between the softer and more vigorous numbers constantly has fans on the edge of their seats. The “movement” can be traced back to the teen years of singer-songwriter and fiddler Noah Wall of Oxford, NC. Just as she began penning her first compositions, she met mandolinist Tommy Norris during their senior year of high school. Convinced of their musical chemistry and driven by mutual ambition, they continued to build the band from the ground up throughout their college careers. While Tommy studied classical music and recording engineering at Western Carolina University, Noah chose East Tennessee State, particularly for their bluegrass, old-time and country music program. Here she began to shape her musical identity—under the tutelage of ETSU’s renowned staff—and found an instrumental home in old-time fiddling. With the addition of versatile guitarist
and singer Alex Conerly of Hattiesburg, MS in 2013, the lineup was complete with all the elements that make up the Barefoot sound: lush harmonies, thoughtful instrumentation and memorable melodies. It has now been seven years since The Barefoot Movement took off their shoes and took to the stage. Hard work and talent have taken them from east coast to west, from north to south and even across the Atlantic Ocean. They have appeared in Country Weekly Magazine, RollingStone.com, CMT Edge, “Music City Roots” and “Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour.” Their original music was featured on the Outdoor Channel’s program “Huntin’ the World: Southern Style” and their music video for their popular song “Second Time Around” aired nationally
on the Zuus Country Network. They have been selected as showcase artists at both the International Bluegrass Music Association and the Americana Festival conferences, were first runners up at the 2013 Telluride Bluegrass Festival’s New Band Competition and in 2014, the U.S. Government selected them as cultural Ambassadors for their International Arts Envoy program. While their top-notch musicianship can speak for itself, it’s their witty banter and on-stage chemistry that makes a stage of any size feel like home. As crowds teem with enthusiasm at every performance, and new fans join the fold across the nation, word is surely spreading and the message is clear: barefoot is better. Won’t you join the movement?
Upcoming Artosphere Events: ++Chapel Music Series: The Dover Quartet | May 18 ++Artosphere Festival Orchestra Food & Music Night: Downtown Bentonville Square | May 20 ++Chapel Music Series: Aizuri Quartet | May 20 ++Artosphere Festival Orchestra Russian Masterworks | May 21 Corrado Rovaris, Music Director ++Artosphere Festival Orchestra Heroic Beethoven | May 24 Corrado Rovaris, Music Director
Use our hashtag on social media:
#artosphere
SPONSORS AND FUNDERS
This project is proudly supported by:
MEDIA PARTNERS
INDIVIDUALS Bob & Becky Alexander Emily & James Bost June Carter Tom & Cynthia Coughlin Sandy Edwards Pete & Shirley Esch Hershey & Denise Garner Jeff & Lisa Gearhart Reed & Mary Ann Greenwood Orville & Susan Hall
Rick & Marybeth Hays Malcolm & Ellen Hayward Tom & Jill King Greg & Hannah Lee David & Deborah Malone Margaret & Dick Rutherford Frank & Sarah Sharp Barbara G. Taylor