Press release from the Hot Springs Greater learning Foundation in Thermopolis:
Nashville-based duo, The Cantrells, will perform in Thermopolis, Friday, October 15, at 7 p.m., in Hot Springs County School Auditorium.
The man-and-wife team deliver a combination of folk, bluegrass, western swing and old-time traditional music. It is said that Emily “sings like an angel” and Al plays the fiddle “like the devil.”
They are often recognized from their soundtrack work for Robert Redford’s film, “A River Runs Through It.” They also played guitar and fiddle in the church picnic scene.
A house concert will be held Wednesday., Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. Tickets are limited to 30 and are available at Broadway Bygones.
Al learned to play the fiddle as he made his way around the British Isles and Norway. He returned to America, playing through the Southwest as part of the “Chuckwagons of the West” shows.
Emily began playing piano at age four. Her clear, rich soprano attracted attention, and she sang harmony vocals with the popular bluegrass band Hot Rize.
The two met in Colorado in 1983, when she auditioned Al to play in her bluegrass band. They were married two years later and have been performing together ever since. An accomplished guitarist and songwriter, Emily wrote most songs on their latest albums, “The Heart Wants What it Wants” and “Dancing with the Miller’s Daughter.”
The Cantrells are sponsored with support from the Western Arts Federation (WESTAF), Hot Springs Greater Learning Foundation and Hot Springs County Schools.
In addition to the two public concerts, the Cantrells will work with music students for a three-day artist residency.
Advance tickets for the regular concert are available at Broadway Bygones adults $8, over 65 $5; at the door adults $10 over 65 $7. Students are free.
“There is nothing like being able to interact with the performers,” said Jacky Wright, Hot Springs Greater Learning Foundation committee chair. “We want young people to have that experience; that’s why we’ve worked hard to be able to provide school programs and free student tickets.
“In our small community, people can really be close to the performers and see and hear the nuances that you miss on television and the internet.”
FMI: Ellen Sue Blakey, 307-864-3391, ellensb@rtconnect.net
