Pickin' on the Porch series kicks off at Black Mountain Center for the Arts

Cary Fridley opens free music series on back porch

The Valley Echo
May 21, 2021

Cary Fridley will open the Pickin’ on the Porch music series at Black Mountain Center for the Arts on Friday, May 21. The free series will be held on the Center’s back porch. Courtesy photo

The Black Mountain Center for the Arts cannot wait to have indoor concerts again, so they are offering music to the public outside on the back porch of 225 West State Street. The series is called Pickin’ on the Porch and will feature talented musicians throughout the summer playing music off the back deck.

This free music series gets underway from 5 - 6:30 p.m., Friday, May 21, and will open with Asheville’s own Cary Fridley.

Fridley’s unique, clear voice and musicianship are the epitome of the old-time tradition. Her setlist draws from fiddle tunes, Baptist spirituals, clawhammer banjo tunes, square dance hoedowns, ancient ballads, and Carter Family songs that capture the spirit of the mountains. Her style is rooted in tradition, and has evolved to embrace all styles of traditional country, blues, folk, and jazz.

Fridley is a published songwriter, recording artist, and bandleader, singing and performing in WNC for over 15 years. She is currently a member of the Adjunct Fine Arts Faculty at AB-Tech in Asheville, and teaches old-time guitar and fiddle at two regional JAM (Junior Appalachian Musician) programs in Haywood County and Buncombe County.

BMCA hosts Buncombe County JAM classes every Wednesday from 3:45 p.m. -5 p.m. Several JAM students will open Friday’s show.

JAM offers students ages 8 to 17 lessons in traditional mountain music on fiddle, banjo and guitar. Professional musicians guide the classes through demonstration, repetition and verbal instructions. JAM is supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Food truck Homeslice Pizza will be parked out back so that audiences can conveniently purchase refreshments. Bring a chair and kick back for an evening of old-time enjoyment.

The next Pickin’ on the Porch is scheduled for Friday, June 4, and will feature the Mountain Friends Trio with Cheryl and Doug Frey and Mike Gosey. 

For more information about Pickin on the Porch visit blackmountainarts.org/events or call 828-669-0930.