Discover “Crankies” at an Appalachian Music Workshop and Concert

Discover “Crankies” at an Appalachian Music Workshop and Concert by Elizabeth LaPrelle and Anna Roberts-Gevalt

When:  Saturday, January 18, 2014. Crankie Workshop from 4-6 p.m., Concert at 8 p.m.

Where:  Seeker’s Church, 276 Carroll Street, NW, Washington, DC.  The Seeker’s Church is across the street from the Takoma Station on Metro's Red Line.

Admission:  Workshop — $15 FSGW members, $20 general public.  Concert — $15 FSGW members, $20 general public.  Workshop plus concert — $25 FSGW members/$30 general public.

Information and Reservations: fsgw.org or contact Marty Summerour at 703-981-2217 or msummerour@cox.net.

Way before Youtube or even motion pictures, there were “crankies,” illustrations on a roll that was hand-cranked to produce the effect of an animate tapestry.  Appalachian singers Anna Roberts-Gevalt and Elizabeth LaPrelle have revived this traditional art and incorporated it into their show which combines fiddle and banjo music, ballads, harmony singing, storytelling and flatfoot dancing.

The duo is based in southwest Virginia. Elizabeth LaPrelle has made a name for herself as a mesmerizing ballad singer whose heartfelt and powerful singing won her prizes at regional fiddlers’ conventions since the age of eleven. She recorded three solo albums, and her singing was featured on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered and American Public Media’s Prairie Home Companion.  She has sung and taught Appalachian ballads and unaccompanied singing at music camps and workshops across the country.  Anna Roberts-Gevalt is a well-known fiddle and banjo player who is now making a documentary about the Kentucky Clodhoppers, a central Kentucky stringband.  She recently produced a compilation album, The New Young Fogies, which showcases young traditional musicians.  She teaches at fiddle camps throughout the southeast, and is currently faculty coordinator of the Cowan Music School, Kentucky¹s only traditional music school.

To see a crankie in action visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycmpn1bLN14#t=36.  For more information about the performers, visit their website at http://www.annaandelizabeth.com/.

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Founded in 1964, FSGW is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.  The Society seeks to further the understanding, investigation, appreciation, and performance of the traditional folk music and folklore of the American people.  You can learn more about FSGW by visiting our web site, fsgw.org.

Photo Credits:

Black & white tintype is by LISA ELMALEH