Granny’s Mason Jar - First Thursday Concert at HomeBase - Western Carolina University

Western Carolina University’s First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Series returns on Thursday, December 5 beginning at 7pm. The concert and jam session will feature Granny’s Mason Jar performing at HomeBase in Cullowhee on the campus of WCU.

Granny's Mason Jar brings together the talents of Jared “Blue” Smith who has previously played for The Blue Revue and the Bluegrass Lumber Company and Aaron Plantenberg (Common folk, Big House Radio) to continue the tradition of flat picking, Travis picking, and other traditional acoustic guitar styles. Smith and Plantenberg have performed together now since early 2016 and produced a self-titled CD in 2017.

As guitars became more widely available in the early 20th century, they came into the limelight as a lead instrument as opposed to an instrument for accompaniment. The tradition of fiddle tunes in Appalachian music was already centuries old, but the guitar was now more widely available, thanks to the invention of mass production techniques, and the ability to more easily distribute goods through mediums like the Sears Roebuck catalog. The guitar, began to be used to play the lead melodies and it became very fashionable to play old fiddle tunes on the guitar using a plectrum or flat pick. The practice is still alive and well today. Following in the footsteps of Doc Watson, Norman Blake, Clarence White, and Tony Rice, Jared and Aaron will show their expertise while performing duets and solo tunes at this free concert.

The First Thursday concert series is free and open to the public. Pickers and singers of all ages and experience levels are invited to take part in the jam session which starts at 8pm. This session is also open to those who just want to listen. HomeBase is adjacent to the WCU campus at 82 Central Drive, Cullowhee. The First Thursday Series will continue on February 6, 2020.

For more information, call the Mountain Heritage Center at 828-227-7129 or visit mhc.wcu.edu