Musical Musings of Fort Collins

Lineage Music (www.lineagemusic.com) is the brainchild of Chad Fisher, a well-established mandolinist currently with the Lineage Music Project.  What is so unique about this bluegrass band is the seasoned band members, including Evan Neal, Doug Crowl, Mike Fritz, Lydia Demi-Smith and Richard Boot, who perform regularly in town, will be accompanied by the students of Lineage Music taking center stage.  Those who get the spotlight are as young as five years of age, as sharing music across generations helps foster the community, which is music at its finest.
Presented are three of the most talented and determined Lineage Music students.  Each is young and fearless, with Eli paving the way for new and exciting sounds with bluegrass as the backbone.

Sammy ‘T-Rex’ Davison

This past January,  Sammy won first place in the under 18 novice division at the Colorado Fiddle Championships at the Denver National Western Stock Show. Did I mention she was 10-years-old? Sammy has a fearlessness which now carries over into her third musical instrument – upright bass. Evan Neal of Lineage Music Project is thrilled to have Sammy under his tutelage.  As Sammy explains, “You get to experience what it’s like to be a different part of the band in bluegrass. If you are playing the bass it’s more of a lower sound, it keeps everybody up on the top and it keeps the tempo right. Playing the fiddle is more of a melody thing to give some move into the music. Then, with mandolin, you have two parts, you play the melody and chopping.” Common sense coming from ‘T-Rex’, an uncommon talent with a healthy appetite for live performance.
May 8, Lineage Music Recital, with backup from LMP, Laurel ES, 4pm
May 19, Emerging Artist Showcase, KRFC 88.9 fm, 7-8pm

Grace Kuch

Grace started music lessons at a very early age, and has become rock steady on mandolin, guitar and piano.  Like fellow musicians Eli and Sammy, Grace is quite comfortable performing at various venues in Old Town Fort Collins, with the opportunity to perform with Lineage Music Project musicians most frequently at iconic Avogadro’s Number.  Grace is currently putting in ample practice time on all of her instruments, with her fourth being the recent addition of electric guitar.  At ten years of age, Grace is a seasoned attendee of bluegrass festivals in the area, including RockyGrass and the Midwinter Bluegrass Festival (actually all three of these artists have many combined years at the festivals and their accompanying workshops).  The impact made on Grace, along with Sammy and Eli, of having the opportunity to play with some of the top names in the bluegrass world is profound, as there are simply no barriers in this genre to play with the best at the great bluegrass festivals in collaborative Colorado.
May 19th, Emerging Artist Showcase, KRFC 88.9 fm, 7-8 pm

Eli Slocumb

Listening to the song “Rockslide”, a fusion of wicked bluegrass mandolin picking with fast-paced guitar elements, one would not venture to guess this was written by someone born in the 21st century. Talented 13-year-old mandolinist, Eli Slocumb, has the good fortune of his dad Benjamin providing solid guitar backing to his original song and others at ongoing public performances throughout town. Such is the musical world of bluegrass, which lends itself so well to building the community with multi-generational collaborations. Further reinforcement of the cohesive bluegrass culture is found in Eli’s newest role, a mentor for fellow Lineage Music student Grace Kuch. Look for “Rockslide’” to be featured on an upcoming KRFC 88.9 fm CD project in the form of a partnership between The Rising Artist Mentorship Program (RAMP) and Parker Recording.

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