Roots Music Stomp – Oliver Strand

At a Glance

Event Description

Roots Music Stomp – Oliver Strand brings the sounds of early American banjo music to the UNITED Theatre in Westerly on Sunday, October 18. Multi-instrumentalist Oliver Strand joins series host Craig Edwards for an evening exploring the musical traditions that flourished long before bluegrass became one of America’s most recognizable acoustic music styles.

The performance takes place at 6 p.m. in the UNITED’s Gallery Events Space, where the monthly Roots Music Stomp series introduces audiences to musicians who specialize in preserving and performing traditional American music.

For listeners familiar with the fast, rolling banjo sound associated with bluegrass, Strand’s appearance offers a chance to hear something different: the varied rhythms, picking techniques, and musical influences that helped shape the instrument’s history.

Oliver Strand and the Banjo Before Bluegrass

Oliver Strand is a musician, writer, craftsman, and educator whose interests span traditional music and the decorative arts. In addition to performing on multiple instruments, he builds mountain banjos, makes handmade Windsor chairs, and teaches sculpture at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

His musical specialty is the world of banjo playing before the emergence of modern bluegrass.

Strand explores clawhammer playing, along with a variety of two- and three-finger picking techniques that were common in earlier American musical traditions. His repertoire draws on jug band music, ragtime, blues, and popular music from the late 19th century.

These styles reflect a period when the banjo was heard in a remarkably wide range of musical settings, from rural dance gatherings to urban entertainment.

Strand’s approach offers listeners an opportunity to appreciate the banjo not simply as a bluegrass instrument, but as one with a much broader musical history.

The Musical Roots of Modern Bluegrass

Bluegrass banjo playing is closely associated with Earl Scruggs, whose influential three-finger technique helped establish the driving sound of the genre during the 1940s.

But the banjo’s American musical history stretches back much further.

Before Scruggs helped popularize the modern bluegrass style, musicians developed numerous approaches to playing the instrument. Clawhammer techniques emphasized rhythmic downstrokes, while fingerpicking traditions produced everything from delicate melodies to intricate dance music.

These methods appeared in old-time string bands, blues performances, ragtime arrangements, and other forms of popular entertainment.

Strand’s exploration of these earlier styles provides an opportunity to hear how different generations of musicians approached the same instrument, and how their techniques contributed to the development of later American music.

Craig Edwards and the Roots Music Stomp Series

Roots Music Stomp is hosted by Craig Edwards, a musician whose command of traditional American music has earned him a reputation as a walking encyclopedia of American roots music.

Edwards performs on fiddle, guitar, banjo, mandolin, and button accordion, drawing from an extensive repertoire that includes Appalachian old-time music, blues, bluegrass, Cajun, Celtic, folk, swing, zydeco, sea chanteys, and roots rock.

Each month, Edwards welcomes a guest musician with expertise in one or more traditional musical styles. Rather than presenting a conventional concert built around a single genre, the series explores the relationships among different musical traditions through performance and collaboration.

With Strand as October’s guest, the focus turns to the banjo’s earlier history and the variety of sounds that preceded modern bluegrass.

The combination of Strand’s specialized knowledge and Edwards’ wide-ranging musical background makes the evening particularly appealing to listeners interested in American folk music, acoustic instruments, and musical history.

An Intimate Setting at the UNITED

The performance takes place in the Gallery Events Space at the UNITED Theatre, a restored cultural landmark in downtown Westerly.

The UNITED presents a year-round calendar of concerts, films, author appearances, and community programming, with events ranging from nationally touring performers to smaller gatherings devoted to regional arts and culture.

The Gallery Events Space offers a setting suited to the Roots Music Stomp series, where the focus is on individual musicians, their instruments, and the stories behind the music.

For audience members who enjoy discovering lesser-known musical traditions, this monthly series provides an alternative to larger concerts while offering opportunities to hear accomplished musicians explore the foundations of American popular music.

Tickets and Event Information

Roots Music Stomp – Oliver Strand begins at 6 p.m. on Sunday, October 18, at the UNITED Gallery Events Space, 5 Canal Street in Westerly.

Tickets are available through the UNITED Theatre. The venue notes that event tickets are nonrefundable and nontransferable.

Guests requiring accessible seating or other accommodations are encouraged to contact the box office before purchasing tickets.

To purchase tickets, click the Event Ticketing link below.

Featured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people, location, or activities shown.