Monthly Archives: August 2011

Sherman Hammons at Pioneer Days, 1973

The 2nd Annual Hammons Musical Heritage celebration is fast approaching! The Opera House welcomes those musicians who would like to help us celebrate the profound influence of the Hammons family on the musical and story-telling traditions of Pocahontas County and central Appalachia. Performers will not be judged, but will receive a gift from the Opera House. Registration is free of charge.  So practice together with some friends, and sign up to celebrate Pocahontas County’s rich musical tradition at the Hammons Musical Heritage Celebration!

Musicians may register online, through the EVENT PAGE, or by calling B.J. Gudmundsson at 304-799-3989.

William Elliott Whitmore will open for The Low Anthem at the Pocahontas County Opera House on Friday, September 16 at 7:30 p.m.

On his heralded new album Field Songs, exhilarating young troubadour William Elliott Whitmore lends a voice of absolute conviction and compassion to the struggles and perseverance of the American farmer.  Still based on the small family farm in Iowa on which he was raised, Whitmore is an artist uniquely suited to capture this profoundly important and seemingly vanishing landscape.

It was this powerful connection between artist and subject which resonated so noticeably throughout Whitmore’s recent interview and performance on the popular NPR radio show Talk of the Nation. As he spoke and played songs from his new album, calls came flooding into the station from farmers in the field, one even sitting on a tractor as he spoke. Listening to the show they were inspired to speak of their lives, the time honored rituals which they embrace and of the music which sustains them. (more…)