James Leva & Camp Mountain
Touring April 7 - 15, 2006 - don't miss - book NOW
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"James
Leva brings the soul of life into a song. If you've a little too
much fast food, cell phone, and concrete, James has the antidote.
Take a seat in his Memory Theater and take in something real." "James
Leva is the Richard Thompson of American traditional music." "Your record is great - really great songs. [...] very inspiring." -Buddy Miller on the new album, "Til I Know" |
With his Memory Theatre album James Leva explored the notion that traditional music is a kind of memory theatre which passes from generation to generation the most profound elements of culture and humanity, truths and understanding gleaned from the experience of those who have preceded us in this world. At the same time, traditional music is beautiful, moving, ever evolving, and lots of fun.
James carries this appreciation for a vibrant, living music tradition, which he learned from masters born around the cusp of the 19th and 20th centuries, into the 21st. The attitudes and techniques he learned from great Appalachian musicians such as Tommy Jarrell, Fred Cockerham, Doug Wallin, the Hammons Family and a host of others throughout Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky, are part of James' life and music and are carried on in his fiddling, singing, guitar and banjo playing and his critically acclaimed songwriting.
In Camp Mountain, James is joined by a band of startlingly talented young musicians whose skills, energy and love for the music light up the stage.
Danny
Knicely- a brilliant young player and singer (mandolin, guitar,
bass & fiddle), he has toured with Tony Rice, Vassar Clements, Larry
Keel & Curtis Burch, and Mark Schatz.
Al Tharp- Al and James played several times at Nyon Festival
and Tonder Festival in Europe with Plank Road. Al has been playing with
the Cajun band Beausoleil for the past 20 years. He's a great banjo,
guitar and bass player. With Beausoleil he's won 2 Grammy's, toured
all over, and played two Presidential Inagurations and the Super Bowl.
Matthew Olwell- Matty is a wonderfully talented young dancer
and percussionist. Camp Mountain feature a dancer because it is part
of the roots of the music we play. Matty performed for years with Footworks
Dance Ensemble. With them he performed in Tim O'Brien's "The Crossing"
and in the London production of "River Dance".
The traditional fiddling styles that James first learned are closely linked to traditional dance, and Camp Mountain also includes great dancing.
Read more on the artists homepage here...
