Kinnfolk Presents: Star Above The Mountain

One night only at the Spot on Kirk: Kinnfolk presents Star Above the Mountain, a collection of traditional Irish tunes and brand-new Celtic folk music celebrating Roanoke, Virginia.

Celtic music brims with references to place. From the rocky road to Dublin to the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, these tunes are played in sessions not just in Ireland and Scotland, but all around the globe. Traditional music, like other forms of folk art, draws heavily on themes of place, history, people, and legends to tell stories of community. These are precious cultural memories and they live anew each time a singer lilts a melody or a fiddler touches bow to string.

Star Above the Mountain seeks to bring our hometown, Roanoke, into the global tapestry of Celtic traditional music. For the past year, Josh and Julie Kinn have explored the Star City and channeled their inspiration into a new collection of original compositions. You will hear songs about the railroad. You will tap your toes to tunes named after familiar local landmarks like McAfee’s Knob. You may even hear an Appalachian story sung in Scots Gaelic.

Since releasing their newest album, "The Knotted Circle", last fall, the duo have continued to explore what it means to create and participate in Irish traditional music while living in America. “Traditional music is less of a line and more of a circle,” says vocalist and bodhran-player Julie Kinn. “It’s constantly self-reflecting, reaching backward as it weaves the present and looks to the future. And with people from countless countries around the world participating, that circle has become quite knotted…in a very beautiful way.”

Kinnfolk will be joined onstage by Paul Brockman (fiddle), Brandon Davis (uilleann pipes and whistle), Dennis McKim (guitar), Burt Mitchell (whistle and Irish flute), and Tim Sauls (banjo and bouzouki). Opening music will be provided by the Appalachian Piping Academy.

Star Above the Mountain is made possible by support from the Roanoke Arts Commission and Local Colors. The project is funded by an Art Matters Grant through the City of Roanoke and the National Endowment for the Arts. To learn more about Roanoke’s 2022-23 Year of the Artist, visit https://roanokearts.org/yota/.

Friday, June 30th 2023

Doors 7:30pm | Starts 8:00pm

$10 Advance | $15 Day of Show