Betse & Clarke at The Robin

Please bring proof of vaccination or a negative test! Masks required  while indoors and not actively drinking. BYOB from Sleepwalker (next  door to The Robin) is permitted for this show.

8PM show, 7:30 doors

ARTIST WEBSITE

https://youtu.be/I9UIka0hv4g (from a house concert during their UK tour, September 2016)

https://youtu.be/AkEcUoLdBKs (outdoor performance)

Regular folks, exceptional music: This duo from the heartland (Kansas City, Missouri) has its roots in Ozark old time music, honoring traditional songs and tunes that resonate with human experience.

For each concert setting, Betse & Clarke take an audience on a musical field trip. Betse Ellis plays powerful and beautiful old time fiddle tunes, sings traditional Ozark songs, and shares her own songs with themes relating to human experience. Expect her to tell some stories along the way, featuring personal moments with her fiddle mentor Violet Hensley. Long known for her energetic style in her former band The Wilders, Betse’s earned a level of maturity while maintaining her contagious enthusiasm. Clarke Wyatt is an engaging finger-style banjo player, drawing inspiration from great traditional and inventive banjoists of earlier decades such as Mike Seeger and John Hartford. His guitar style is rooted in old time traditions, with sparks of ingenuity inspired by the likes of Norman Blake. The combination of deep reverence for tradition and commitment to creativity makes this duo a captivating act to witness. They are dedicated instructors as well as performers and enjoy teaching at camps and workshops as well as private instruction. While tradition is important to Betse & Clarke, they are musical innovators and are inspired to make music beyond the old time genre. Over the last year, Clarke has developed a compelling electric guitar technique and is working on a series featuring his drum kit practice with a variety of talented electric guitarists. Betse is working on free improvisation and new compositions on her fiddle, sometimes on an electric five-string.

Together since 2014, this musical couple has traveled across the United States, Canada, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.

Performance Highlights: Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival ~ Walnut Valley Music Festival ~ John Hartford Memorial Festival ~ Portland Old Time Music Gathering ~ Ozark Folk Center ~ Guinness International Bluegrass Festival (Co. Waterford, Ireland) ~ Bluegrass Music Festival at Ulster American Folk Park, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland) ~  Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival (Dumfries, Scotland) ~ House concert tours for Home Routes (Canada) ~ Folk Alliance International Conference (as official showcase artists and music camp teaching staff)