ETSU'S OLD-TIME PROGRAM

 

Old-Time music is alive and well at East Tennessee State University. The program is home to several bands that focus on recreating and reinterpreting music from the past; groups often research and perform traditional songs and music of the 1920s and 30s. ETSU old-time bands have performed at many prestigious events throughout the United States ranging from concerts held at the John. F Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. to Mountain Stage.

The most recent old-time release features 11 tracks that have been analyzed and performed in a way that pays homage to the original artists by keeping or even accentuating the musical quirks they included in their creative song arrangements. While most tracks come from the Knoxville Sessions, the Brunswick/Vocalion-sponsored location recordings from 1929-30, several songs were also inspired by early cowboy songstress Patsy Montana. Associate professor and director of old-time music Roy Andrade says, “Students who study old-time music are encouraged to gather musical ideas that they can use to build a personal style, and to understand the history and context of the music they learn.”