Kanawha Valley Friends of
Old-Time Music and Dance
Creating a passionate community, welcoming all to discover and celebrate the living traditions of music and dance since 1981!
FOOTMAD PRESENTS!
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CONCERTS
Enjoy nationally and world-acclaimed musicians in intimate concert settings in the Kanawha Valley's finest theaters.
2025-2026 concert season!
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COMMUNITY DANCES
2nd Fridays
7:00 to 9:30 PMKanawha United Presbyterian Church
1009 Virginia St East
Charleston WVNever danced?
That’s ok, beginner friendly. -
WHITEWATER WHIRL
Contra Dance Weekend
2026 May 1, 2 & 3A mini dance vacation in
WV’s New River Gorge areaThree days of dance, music and fun!
Join the Facebook group "Friends of Whitewater Whirl Contra Dance Weekend" for updates.
COMING UP!
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OTWB WEEKEND
FEBRUARY 6 & 7
WV Culture Center
Chareleston WV -
OTWB CONCERT
3 BANDS
Saturday - FEB 7
7:30 PMOur OTWB4 concert will host Tessa McCoy and The State Birds led by national champion fiddler Tessa McCoy with Cody Jordan on claw-hammer and 3 - finger banjo, Chance McCoy on mandolin, Jesse Milnes on guitar, Joanna Burt-Kinderman on bass. Of course that's until they all start swapping instruments.
Opening the show will be duo Erynn Marshall & Carl Jones, from Galax VA. Southern song-duets and powerful fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo tunes comprise their diverse sets. Erynn and Carl play with spontaneity and vitality.
In the middle, we have the Chucktown Allstars bluegrass group from right here in the Kanawha Valley -- Jakob Thomas, Trent Greene, Jake Stover, Stefan Cotter and Josh Thomas.
Friday night's square dance and Saturday's workshops are ticketed separately OR treat yourself to a weekend pass and save $$.
Jamming before the concert in the Great Hall (or whenever and wherever you can) is encouraged!
CONCERT TICKETS
$25 in advance
$30 at the door
$10 Students
Children under 13 admitted free -
OTWB WORKSHOPS
Saturday - FEB 7
11 AM to 5 PMHarmony Singing
Dulcimer
Fiddle I & II
Bluegrass Banjo
Flat Pick Guitar
Mandolin
Bluegrass Jam Tips
Songwriting
Recording Techniques
Returning this year!
Jeff and Victoria Bosley will teach practical techniques for recording sessions and live performances during each of the three time slots. After the instruction, a limited number of musicians will be live recorded for possible inclusion in an upcoming episode of The Wallace Horn Friendly Neighbor Show. Call early to sign up to be recorded.WORKSHOP FEES ARE
PER SESSION
3 DIFFERENT SESSIONS AVAILABLE$20 - Adult
$15 - Student -
OTWB SQUARE DANCE
Friday - FEB 6
7:00 PMMusic by Robin Kessinger and Friends
Robin Kessinger (guitar)
Edwin McCoy (fiddle)
Mike Smith (bass)Caller
Steve BallmanTICKETS
At The Door
$10 Adult
$5 Under age 25
FREE Under age 13
Community Bulletin Board
Upcoming events in and around the region.
To display event details, click on the image for the event.
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Charleston Acoustic String Jam
The Charleston Acoustic String Jam group meets on Wednesday evenings. All welcome. Come to play. Come to listen.
When: Every Wednesday. 5 pm for dinner, 6 - 8 pm musicWhere: The Bears Den (back room), 405 Capitol Street, Charleston WV (Corner of Capitol and Washington Sts)
More info: Good acoustics in the room. Food service is excellent.
Join Facebook Group for info & updates: facebook.com/groups/acousticstringjam/
Event Calendar
To display event details, click on the calendar item image
Additions or corrections
for Community Bulletin Board
or
Event Calendar
Send to kvfootmad@gmail.com
Trad Music via Radio / Internet Streaming
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WV Public Radio
Weekly Schedule
The Thistle & Shamrock
Created weekly in the foothills of the Scottish Highlands
Sunday: 7 to 8 PM
Red Barn Radio
Sunday: 8 to 9 PM
Ozark Highlands Radio
Featuring musical performances, past and present, as well as segments on the cultural history and tradition of the greater Ozarks region.
Sunday: 9 to 10 PM
Beale Street Caravan
Capturing and exporting the sounds of Memphis and the Delta region.
Sunday: 10 to 11 PM
World Cafe
Premier public radio showcase for contemporary music serving up an eclectic blend that includes blues, rock, world, folk, and alternative country.
Daily: 12 to 2 AM -
WTSQ
WTSQ is Charleston, WV’s freeform community radio station. Playing indie, alternative, Americana, talk, whatevs.
Honky Tonk Holiday
Host: John Lilly
Classic country sounds. Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, Lefty Frizzell, Melba Montgomery, George Jones, the Louvin Brothers and others will be joined by some of today’s shining lights in the world of honky-tonk music.
Sunday: 6 to 8 am
wtsq.org/show/honky-tonk-holiday/
Shows: wtsq.org/the-shows/ -
WVPR - Mountain Stage
Since 1983, Mountain Stage has been the home of live music on public radio. Produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting and distributed by NPR Music, each two-hour episode of Mountain Stage can be heard every week on nearly 300 stations across America, and around the world via NPR Music and mountainstage.org.
Recorded in front of a live audience, Mountain Stage features performances from seasoned legends and emerging stars in genres ranging from folk, blues, and country; to indie rock, synth pop, world music, alternative, and beyond.
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WVPR Podcast -Appalachian Music
Archived podcasts about Appalachian music (and other topics). Includes an interesting 30 minute video of the 2014 Clifftop Festival (Appalachian String Band Music Festival).
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WVPR Podcast - Folkways
The Inside Appalachia Folkways Project expands the reporting of the Inside Appalachia team to include more stories from West Virginia as well as expand coverage in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Ohio
THROUGH THE LENS
Traditional Music Rings Out in West Virginia
by Amos Perrine, 15 August 2023
at NoDepression.com
“Being no stranger to traditional music in West Virginia (my first article for ND, in 2009, was about the Morris Family Old Time Music Festival), each year I attend the Appalachian String Band Music Festival, better known simply as Clifftop. This year I also visited the second annual Hammons Family Fiddle & Banjo Contests and World Class Jam in Marlinton, West Virginia.
The Hammons Family Fiddle & Banjo Contests and World Class Jam
Named for Pocahontas County’s highly revered Hammons family (nine of whom were inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame in 2020), the Hammons Contests consist of an open fiddle category and two for banjo (traditional and bluegrass), with youth divisions in each.” ….
Ramona Hardy, Second Place, Youth Fiddle Contest - Hammons Family Fiddle & Banjo Contests 2023 - Photo by Amos Perrine
See Amos Perrine’s complete gallery of images from the Hammons Family Fiddle & Banjo Contest and from the Clifftop festival at NoDepression.com
Also, a fabulous, high energy video collecting scenes and sounds
from Clifftop 2023 by Craig Evans
For more postings of
Music and Dance Events
check out FOOTMAD's Facebook page
facebook.com/KVFOOTMAD
FOOTMAD appreciates Fund for the Arts major donors (10,000+) who keep culture strong in the Kanawha Valley: City of Charleston, Cecil I. Walker Charitable Trust, Daywood Foundation, Spilman Thomas & Battle, Truist Foundation of West Virginia, WSAZ.
