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A Talk With Alaska’s Fiddling Poet (AUDIO)
By: Mark Hellenberg
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Ken Waldman, Alaska’s Fiddling Poet, makes his first ever Ashland, Ky., appearance, playing Thursday, Nov. 8 at the Paramount Arts Center.
He'll be joined on stage by five stellar old-time musicians, including fiddler Jesse Wells, education director at the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music at Morehead State University; banjo player Brett Ratliff, the program director at WMMT at Appalshop from Whitesburg, Ky.; guitarist Sabra Guzman from Charlottesville, Va.; award-winning singer, songwriter, guitarist and yodeler John Lilly, from Charleston, W.Va.; and special guest Rex Blazer, a Florida-based fiddler who grew up in Ashland, and lived for many years in Alaska.
Waldman combines old-time Appalachian-style fiddling, original poetry and mostly Alaska-set storytelling for unique performances.
Thursday's show concludes Waldman's three-day education residency in the tri-state community. He will introduce the opening sets with a brief poem tied to Alaska and the music, then let the musicians take off.
For his own concluding set, he'll be joined by various musical configurations. By the end, he promises a full-blown Paramount music party with Sabra Guzman's clogging, great old-time stringboard music from the band and special guests.
Tickets and information are available at (606) 324-3175, or at www.paramountartscenter.com. For more information on Ken Waldman, visit www.kenwaldman.com.