Steel Blossoms with Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno

Schedule

Fri Aug 06 2021 at 07:30 pm to 09:30 pm

Location

The Evening Muse | Charlotte, NC

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With skilled harmonies and musicianship, they sing about life’s challenges, all with a refreshing sense of humor.
Steel Blossoms
Steel Blossoms is the musical collaboration of Sara Zebley and Hayley Amour, artists (and former elementary school teachers) who met by chance at a festival in their home state of Pennsylvania, where each was performing with separate groups. They recognized an instant chemistry and a shared perspective on music and life. The pair’s decade long partnership has been punctuated by light and dark moments that have made their way into the songs they write. With skilled harmonies and musicianship, they sing about life’s challenges, all with a refreshing sense of humor.
A self-titled album released in Spring of 2019 on Billy Jam Records and at the end of 2019, Steel Blossoms was invited to join the 2020 Alan Jackson tour. Like the rest of the world, Steel Blossoms put all their touring plans on hold because of the devastating pandemic. But in trial and tragedy, there is always beauty beneath the surface if you look hard enough. Sara and Hayley wrote an entire album’s worth of inspiring music during the shutdown and recorded 10 of their favorites in December 2020 during a magical session with producer Sadler Vaden of Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit. Steel Blossoms are expected to release this piece of work, which they consider to be their magnum opus, by the end of 2021.
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Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno
Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno’s self-titled record is old-soul roots music to its core. Though both just out of college, the duo’s musical talents extend far beyond their years. Produced by GRAMMY-winning Cajun roots heavyweight Joel Savoy at his Louisiana studio, Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno (coming March 12, 2021 on Free Dirt Records) is not some soulless collection of songs imitating previous masters of American music. Rather, the pair has responded to one of the darkest eras in American history with an album of stunning breadth and originality. The eleven tracks elegantly reprise the deep threads of old-time and classic country present throughout Leva’s debut album—she did grow up in rural Appalachia outside Lexington, Virginia, the daughter of celebrated old-time musicians, after all. However, the pair fluidly meld this traditional backbone with fresh iconic melodies, expanded production, and the tightly wound vocal harmonies of indie folk. It’s an artistic statement made from this moment but built to last.

Both Leva and Calcagno grew up in the Appalachian stringband tradition, have noted parents in the old-time scene, and spent formative years running wild around festival campgrounds. They are steeped in an instrumental culture of hard-picking and virtuosic musicianship; indeed there are plenty of online videos of them tearing through all-night jam sessions. Leva recently joined Calcagno’s former teen stringband The Onlies, releasing an album of fire-breathing fiddle tunes in late 2020. However, what sets Leva and Calcagno apart—in addition to their work as instrumentalists—is their almost preternatural talent as songwriters. Great pickers don’t necessarily make great songwriters; it’s an entirely different art to be able to translate the world of rural Appalachia into a country song that can still make a personal point. As young artists stepping into the spotlight during one of the most brutal periods in our history it’s clear they’ve built something that can last, something that speaks to our present time while reminding us of the best parts of where we came from.
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Where is it happening?

The Evening Muse, 3227 N Davidson St, Charlotte, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Tickets

USD 10

The Evening Muse

Host or Publisher The Evening Muse

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