Laura Boosinger and Josh Goforth to perform for the Songcatchers Music Series

Press release from U.S. Department of Agriculture:

PISGAH FOREST, N.C., July 10, 2017 – Acclaimed musicians Laura Boosinger and Josh Goforth will perform for the Cradle of Forestry in America’s annual Songcatchers Music Series Sunday, July 16.

Now in its 15th year, the series is held each Sunday afternoon in July, beginning at 4:00 p.m. It honors traditional mountain music and the talented performers who preserve it, share it, and make it their own. The Songcatchers Music Series is an official event of the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina, blueridgemusicnc.com/.

Two exceptional musicians and entertainers, Laura Boosinger and Josh Goforth will present a varied set of old-time favorites, originals, a little swing and duet harmonies. They light up a stage with their deep love for the music heritage they both cherish and keep fresh and fun. Both have shared the music of western North Carolina with audiences across the United States and beyond and are actively engaged in inspiring young people to be interested in traditional music.

Boosinger has won glowing reviews wherever she appears. She possesses an “essence of the mountains” spirit that takes you back to the old days when folks huddled around the radio. Her concert performances and recordings have earned for her a well-deserved reputation as one of North Carolina’s most talented singers and interpreters of the music of the Southern region. From discovering the banjo as a college student at Warren Wilson to her current role as director of the Madison County Arts Council and consultant to the Blue Ridge Music Trails, she’s a whirlwind of mountain music activity.

Goforth is an acclaimed fiddler, guitar picker and mandolin player from Madison County, N.C. It seems he was born musical, playing piano in church at the age of four and catching the spark of traditional music in the 6th grade after hearing a performance by Sheila Kay Adams. He was “Fiddling Will” in the 2000 film, “Songcatcher,” and earned the title of “Master Fiddler” in 2005 from the iconic Fiddler’s Grove Festival after winning the competition three times. Goforth garnered a Grammy nomination in 2009 for his collaboration album with David Holt, “Cutting Loose.” His musicianship, positive energy and big smile warm stages around the world.

Concerts take place in the Cradle’s covered outdoor amphitheater and move indoors if the weather is stormy. The stage show begins with warm-up music at 4:00 by Transylvania County’s talented band of youngsters, the Creekside Crawfish. Boosinger and Goforth play from about 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Local old-time musicians are often on-site to jam informally at 3:00 p.m. before the concert.

Concert-goers are welcome to arrive early and enjoy indoor and outdoor exhibits, two interpretive trails, the Giving Tree gift shop, and food from the Café at the Cradle. Some bring cushions for the concrete seating in the amphitheater. The site, including the amphitheater, is wheelchair accessible.

The series continues with Amy and Bob Buckingham on July 23 and Pretty Little Goat on July 30.

Admission for all shows is $6.00 for ages 16 and older; $3.00 for youth 15 and under and America the Beautiful and Golden Age pass holders. The Cradle of Forestry is located on Hwy. 276 in the Pisgah National Forest, six miles north of Looking Glass Falls and four miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway. For more information call 828-877-3130 or go to www.cradleofforestry.org.

Visitors enjoy mountain music at the Cradle as it fits into the late 1800s-early 1900s feel of the historic site. On this land, part of the Biltmore Estate during that time, modern forestry was first practiced and America’s first forestry school prepared students for conservation careers.