gratefully giving Him all the glory for all His many blessings.. Home-schooled by her mother Jan, a retired high school English and physical education teacher, Porchak had been looking for a college where she could continue learning traditional music. As Johnson City lies at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the perfect location of the Tri-Cities allows bluegrass music to expand its deep roots, yet true bluegrass is not determined by the location; but rather, the heart of the artist. She earned a double bachelors in both English and bluegrass from ETSU, and has always possessed a genuine love and talent for music. I still have the program, Trenwith says. At the end of every semester, ETSU bands perform at a Johnson City institution, The Down Home, which opened in 1976. East Tennessee State University graduate student Aynsley Porchak recently pulled off a huge feat when she won the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Championship. I texted Daniel right afterward with a picture of me holding the plaque, saying, This full-time position will be appointed on the basis of outstanding professional attainments, creative accomplishments, and recognition in the bluegrass entertainment field. She frequently makes obscure literary references, and even enjoys literary criticism. Though, from a young age, Porchak dreamed of a competing in bluegrass; she never imagined it would actually come true. Here he is playing with Alison Krauss and ETSU alumnus Barry Bales, then with Krauss and her band, Union Station, in 1991. 2022 SM Living, LLC. She is a connoisseur of tea. Website design and development by Camellia Digital Agency. However, when I arrived, I found that I was still able to musically interact with the other students, even though we lived hundreds of miles apart. He sent me back a text This is an historic first, making her. He first learned to play guitar in one of four Freewill Baptist churches in the Bridgeton, New Jersey, area. She was also given the honor of playing the Grand . In order to further hone her craft, Aynsley enrolled in East Tennessee State University's Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies degree program in 2013, and . Im so excited and honored to be a part of a program I have admired so much since I became aware of it, and the brilliant graduates that have come through it, to join the ranks of successful professionals in the roots music world, not to mention the world class faculty. Roy Andrade, best known for his work with the string band Reeltime Travelers, specializes in old-time music. Aynsley Porchak Fiddle. Her technical prowess is second to none. Monroe did two 15-minute sets, and we played in one of his sets. Boner discovered the ETSU program through a high school English teacher in southern New Jersey and enrolled as a student in 2000. She was introduced to bluegrass in her early teens, and quickly fell in love with the music. We were the resident band for a program called Country Touch, based on early Grand Ole Opry television shows.. Its not unusual for students to secure jobs well before graduation. Sister, father, mother. Aynsley, a native of Woodstock, Ontario, who is a senior at East Tennessee State University I love how expressive it can be, and the fact that its an instrument that is truly challenging keeps me on my toes. Magazine every week in your inbox. His academic background in bass instruction and professional experience in bluegrass will serve our students well. in my area. jazz program, and (there were) lots of classical programs, but nothing like bluegrass Your donations to the Monroe Mandolin Camp are appreciated and will go to help teach students now and in the future. 3739 Balboa St. #5090San Francisco, CA 94121-2605(844) BLU-GRASS(844-258-4727), CBA EventsCalendarFeature ArchiveBluegrass Breakdown. This man came up to our table and he recognized Buddy. Since they were here last, they have enjoyed three IBMA nominations and earlier this month, won four SPBGMA Awards for Entertainers of the Year, Bluegrass Band of the Year (overall), Vocal Group of the Year, and Album of the Year for I Hear Bluegrass Calling Me. We played a Slim Dusty song and, for an encore, a Mac Wiseman song.. One of those is Aynsley Porchak. August 28, 2017 | by John Lawless. Very cool. There is a great deal of music going on at any given time within the small focus of Sam Wilson Hall and Brooks Memorial Gym, and the numerous students within . Following an invitation that the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) extended to its members that they share a memory from "75 years of bluegrass," we thought that we would collect a few to share with you. I love the fact that They handed me the record Flatt and Scruggs at Carnegie Hall! and told me to learn every fiddle part on it, she recalls. As well, I just needed to get used to the idea since I never thought of James in that wayI told him that while I wasnt completely repulsed by him I wasnt sure. The year that film came out, 2000, ETSU alumnus Kenny Chesney had already released a Greatest Hits album, on his way to country music superstardom. can with my music, just keep learning because you can always learn and just continue . Aynsley has been my twin-fiddle buddy going back to when she first started at ETSU. She also looks forward to the As Jack Tottle points out, Chesney was a novice guitar player when he first stepped onto the ETSU campus. Two years later, she won the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championship. She earned a double bachelor's in both English . About the author: Fred Sauceman has worked at ETSU since 1985. 2023 California Bluegrass Association. While playing local bars and restaurants like the Chuckey Trading Company, Chesney earned his Mass Communications degree from ETSU in 1990. concert later this month when the Bluegrass Pride Band will open for The Earls of Home-schooled by her mother Jan, a retired high school English and physical education teacher, Porchak had been looking for a college where she could continue learning traditional music. Well you get all sorts of creative solutions, as we. Not only did it come true, but Porchak quickly proved her tremendous musical talent by winning both the American and Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Championships. She also keeps busy with sessions work recording for other musicians. Aynsley spends her time off the road as a private fiddle instructor, session musician, and author. Aynsley Porchak, a recent graduate of the ETSU Bluegrass, Country & Old Time Music program has won the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championship, just one year after winning the US competition last year. ETSU now offers a four-year degree in that field, and it has since 2010. As a girl in Wellington, New Zealand, she would gather with her family around the piano while her father, Gordon Bain, played old songs like Its a Long Way to Tipperary. When she was eight, she started taking classical violin lessons. Left to right: Henry Johns, Danny Stewart, and Haley Stiltner. This is a labor of love,but every dollar = a cup of coffee whileI work at keeping this resource up to date.Thanks for whatever you send my way! After graduation she would like to use her degrees to write and further scholarship in the field of American traditional music. TENNESSEE BLUEGRASS BAND From east Tennessee. Despite busy weekends touring to places like Branson, Missouri; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; and Nashvilles famed Station Inn, Porchaks academic work continues. with a double major in bluegrass and English, was actually scheduled to perform with While literary analysis of both sacred and secular song lyrics is an approach that is largely overlooked in this region's traditional music, it nonetheless provides insightful perspective on the art form itself. His image is repeated several times in a Brooks Gym hallway photo mural, near those of the Stanley Brothers, the Carter Family, and Bonnie Lou and Buster, a duo that played live on Johnson Citys WJHL-TV in the 1960s. Aynsley is also an experienced contest fiddler. More information about bluegrass at ETSU is available online. One of those great bands is Carolina Blue from Brevard, NC. They made their SOIMF debut in 2018 and we are thrilled to have this award-winning band return to the Roberts Centre this spring. Her victory allowed her to fulfill another dream, an appearance on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, where she played the tune Fiddle Patch.. ", 2023 East Public Relations | www.EastPublicRelations.com. Formed in 2020 by Aynsley Porchak (fiddle), Lincoln Hensley (banjo), John Meador (guitar), Gracie Meador (bass) and Tim Laughlin (mandolin). She was introduced to bluegrass in her early teens, and quickly fell in love with the music. Walking down that hallway, you might hear the lonely, resonating notes of a dobro. Opening Act-The Mosley Brothers. Click here to view the 2022-23 East Tennessean production schedule. Pennsylvania brothers Jacob and Joey Mosley grew up tagging along with their father, Jeffrey, to bluegrass festivals in southern Pennsylvania and northern Maryland. He showed up at Timmy and Lakins one day and after wringing his hat in his hands for the first fifteen minutes of our talk, he eventually told me that he couldnt wait any longer to let me know his feelings. Sign up today to receive A! dont mind, but Mr. Spicher, Ive just got to tell you, Im such a fan of your music, top U.S. fiddle championship the previous four years, twice placing as high as sixth, They select their own material, arrange it, and record it. Madly, crazy in love withBLUEGRASS!! The Tennessee Bluegrass Band is shining a light on the importance of traditional bluegrass. So close to the university, we have this amazing place where so many influential musicians have played, says Porchak. Aynsley Porchak. She applied successfully for a Public Performance Scholarship and enrolled. Formed in 2020 by Aynsley Porchak (fiddle), Lincoln Hensley (banjo), John Meador (guitar), Gracie Meador (bass) and Tim Laughlin (mandolin). Aynsley Porchak(Photograph contributed / ETSU). While literary analysis of both sacred and secular song lyrics is an approach that is largely overlooked in this region's traditional music, it nonetheless provides insightful perspective on the art form itself. Her thesis topic is the music of the Louvin Brothers, Charlie and Ira, from the Sand Mountain region of northern Alabama. Two years later, she returned to Nashville and won the U.S. Grand Masters Fiddle Championship. Aynsley Porchak readily admits to being a quirky individual. She confesses to having My Profile put her in the car seat and drive around the country block playing music. But it was good ear training, listening to what people were singing and trying to match it on guitar.. The appointment is for one academic year and is renewable. Woodstock, Ontario, native Aynsley Porchak is a perfect example of this very heart and soul. Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park Accepting Entries for Quilt Show, World-Folk fusion ensemble comes to Big Stone Gap, 'School of Rock' on stage in Jonesborough, Appalachian Music Project announces children's choir, 'Beauty & The Beast Jr.' is at Knoxville Children's Theatre, Southwest Virginia Museum hosts Wise JAMS, Bristol Virginia Historic Preservation Award Program Seeks Nominations, @Southwest Virginia Cultural Center & Marketplace, @University of Virginia's College at Wise. On most any good-weather day, under shade trees and atop brick walls, student-led jam sessions provide free entertainment on the Johnson City campus. Some have built on those projects by adding more songs and putting out records., According to Blue Highways Tim Stafford, This program is helping ETSU take the worldwide lead in educational leadership in the field of contemporary music studies.. When Carolina Blue co-founder Bobby Powell left the group, he took the name Carolina Blue with him and the remaining members formed a new band. A violin in Porchaks possession that is too precious for public performance belonged to her great-grandfather, Cazmir Porzak, who left Poland in 1913 when he was 16 with only the clothes he was wearing and his treasured instrument. From her carseat, she demanded that her mother stop dialing the radio when station BX 93 in London, Ontario, aired songs by country artists Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, and George Strait, whose sidemen played the fiddle. It could take me a while, I said, before I knew - it could be days, could be weekscould be monthscould be years! By a miracle, that didnt scare James off, and it didnt take years after allin August, I drove to Galax to surprise him and tell him that I wanted to take him up on his offer to date. During the spring semester of 2019, there were 35 student bands, operating under the auspices of what is now the Department of Appalachian Studies. May 16 1932-July 5 2019Recorded on The Vox (Custom Sho. Boner says the equipment, much of it obtained through grant funding, is remarkable. Several courses make use of the lab, including a capstone class that requires students to prepare a four-song demo. Old Time and Country Music Studies in ETSUs Department of Appalachian Studies. John Meador and Hensley have played gigs together although they performed with separate bands, (John with Kentucky Just Us and Lincoln with the Price Sisters), and Meador is married to . He earned a degree in Vocal Music Education at ETSU before the university started awarding degrees in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies. Takes the music extremely traditional Bluegrass . This week's (and last weekend's) adventures were one for the books!! She is the first person to win both competitions. collected die-cast cars as a youngster) led to her hobby of photography. Colleen Trenwith and the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band became household names in New Zealand. In addition to awarding bachelors, masters, and graduate certificates, ETSU bestowed doctor of education (Ed.D. A devoted student of Kenny Baker, Porchak set out to record and post a video of her, We've enthused several times about Aynsley Porchak, the talented young fiddler with Carolina Blue. I feel very blessed and honored to be named a Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies adjunct faculty member. As I argue, one particular duo of Appalachian musicians, the . She was introduced to bluegrass through the music of Kenny Baker and Bobby Hicks, and quickly fell in love with the music. He was like a one-man bluegrass band. Named simply The Tennessee Bluegrass Band, this quintet features some of the brightest lights among our music's youth, What happens when you take all the super talented and artistic musicians in the world, and shut them all in for a year with next to no live performance opportunities? On each day four back-to-back classes in bluegrass banjo and four back-to-back classes in old-time banjo will be held, and there is a stellar set of instructors, including Greg Cahill and Jeff Scroggins on the bluegrass side. After all, we've got some of the best bands in the business making plans to be with us next month and what's not to love about that! Majors & MinorsCost EstimateRequest InfoVisitApplyGive. Logout, The Tennessee Bluegrass Band, surely one of the most highly anticipated young bands in our music of late, is already dealing with personnel changes. Website design and development by Camellia Digital Agency. 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