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The Clarion \ Oct. 7, 2011
Kruger brothers play Porter Center
By Skip Allsopp
staff Writer
Walking yet again into the halls of the
Porter Center on Thursday night, I can’t
say I was prepared at all for the show that
awaited me. Song after song, I was blown
away by the synchronization, the power,
and the virtuosity of the Kruger Brothers’
performance. Together, banjo player Jens
Kruger, guitarist/vocalist Uwe Kruger and
bassist Joel Landsberg form an unparalleled
trio of sounds guaranteed to leave even just
the occasional fan of acoustic music in awe.
Best of all, they do it without an ounce of
pretentiousness at all. Throughout the show,
the Krugers shared stories (and jokes) of
their time growing up in their home country
of Switzerland and explaining their humble
beginnings. These were hardly the highlight.
but then next to the phenomenal music they
produced how could it be?
The Krugers began the show by performing
a series of choice selections from their earlier
albums. One of the standout songs, and one
that unsurprisingly garnered a standing
ovation, was “Carolina In The Fall,” a truthful
tale of Uwe’s experiences of coming to
America and seeing all of its beauty on tour
The deep, resonating purr of Uwe’s singing
combined with the sweet, melodic chime of
Jens’ banjo made the piece one of the night’s
best performances.
The true highlight of the show however,
came after a brief intermission. Once the
audience had settled, the Krugers returned
to the stage with a string quartet in tow,
ready to perform Jens’ original composition
The Appalachian Concerto. After having
heard it. I’m glad I had a chance to rest my
ears first. The concerto opened with a piece
designed to exhibit different cultures’ styles
of music known as “Morning at Deep Gap”,
which featured a brilliant series of solos
and melodies ranging from Celtic to Arabic
styles.
The show continued on with Jens stopping
between pieces periodically to explain his
inspiration or process for the next piece in
line. The most amazing part however, was
getting to watch Jens’ blisteringly fast banjo
match the lines of the lead violin perfectly.
By the end of the performance not a single
attendee was still in their seat. Rightfully there
should not have been. In one night, a trio of
musicians had exposed an audience to healthy
combination of jazz, folk, blues, classical and
most importantly acoustic music. That is more
than most musicians will accomplish in their
lifetime. The Krugers truly have a gift for
what they do, and with any luck they will have
many more years in their career to do it.
This week in liistory
By Melissa Sullebarger
staff Writer
October 8,1967
Ernesto “Che” Guevara and his supporters
are captured in Bolivia by forces sponsored
by the CIA and executed. Guevara was a
major figure of the Cuban Revolution, and
has since had his image used as a symbol of
counter culture and rebellion. Guevara was a
Marxist, so we can all be sure that he would
be absolutely thrilled by the knowledge that
his face is mass produced by corporations
every day and worn by moody suburban kids
in attempts to annoy their parents.
October 10,1913
Construction of the Panama Canal is ended,
making it the most significant waterway
joining the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It
has been named one of the seven wonders
of the modem world, having admitted more
than 800,000 ships in the years since its
completion. It is also the subject of one of
the most logical palindromes ever “A man,
plan, a canal: Panama.”
October 11,1975
Saturday Night Live debuts on NBC
under the original title, NBC’s Saturday
Night. George Carlin hosts the first episode,
beginning it’s long tradition of humorous
criticism of America’s social structure and
current events.
October 12,1901
Teddy Roosevelt gives the White House its
name, changing it from the previous title of
“the Executive Mansion.” It has housed every
president from John Adams on, although the
current building is not original. The original
home of the Head of State (call it what you
will) was burned by British troops during the
War of 1812 and had to be entirely rebuilt.
Cassie Smatana
French Broad
Mon-Fri 7:30ann-3pm, 5at-Sun 8:30am-2pm
Breakfast & Lunch all Day!
29 W French Broad St
Suite 106
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Right across '
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