Jake Blount, Laurel Premo

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Michelle Lotker

Jake Blount

The Sugar Maple Concert Series will continue showcasing American roots musicians with a Madison performance by banjoist, fiddler and singer Jake Blount. The 2020 Steve Martin Banjo Prize winner, Blount blends bluegrass, blues, and soul influences in his music. In addition to touring as a solo performer, Blount is half of the duo Tui and also a member of The Moose Whisperers. Blount's solo debut album, Spider Tales, appeared on best of 2020 lists for NPR, The New Yorker and The Guardian. With guitarist and fiddler Laurel Premo.

press release: Jake Blount is an award-winning banjoist, fiddler, singer and ethnomusicologist based in Providence, RI. He is half of the internationally touring duo Tui, a 2020 recipient of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize, and a board member of Bluegrass Pride. He is a two-time winner and many-time finalist of the Appalachian String Band Music Festival (better known as Clifftop). Blount specializes in the music of Black communities in the southeastern United States, and in the regional style of the Finger Lakes. A versatile performer, Blount interpolates blues, bluegrass and spirituals into the old-time string band tradition he belongs to. He foregrounds the experiences of queer people and people of color in his work. His teachers include Rhiannon Giddens, Bruce Molsky and Judy Hyman. Blount has shared his music and research at the Newport Folk Festival, the Smithsonian Institution and Yale University, among other venues and institutions. He has also appeared on Radiolab, Soundcheck and NPR's Weekend Edition. He regularly teaches fiddle and banjo at festivals and camps like the Augusta Heritage Center, the Ashokan Center, and Midwest Banjo Camp. Blount tours domestically and internationally as a solo performer, with his duo Tui, and with his band The Moose Whisperers. He has performed and recorded solo, and in ensembles of up to six people. His first full-length solo album, Spider Tales, is out now on Free Dirt Records & Service Co. It debuted at #2 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart, received positive coverage from NPR, Rolling Stone and Billboard among others, and earned five out of five stars as The Guardian's Folk Album of the Month. Spider Tales later appeared on "Best of 2020" lists from NPR, Bandcamp, The New Yorker, the Guardian, and elsewhere.

Sugar Maple Concert Series

This concert series is dedicated to bringing American Roots performers to Madison, and a portion of each show's proceeds goes to help support the annual Sugar Maple Festival. For more information on the festival, and how you can help support our mission of promoting American Roots music, visit us at https://www.sugarmaplefest.org.