Original title
David Holt's State of Music
Released
4/1/2016
Origin country
US
Genre
Documentary
Status
Returning series
Number of seasons
5
Number of episodes
30
David Holt plays tunes and talks with modern masters of traditional music in Appalachia, showcasing not just the music but also the countryside that gave it life. Shot entirely on location, the program puts its featured performers in the context of the countryside that nurtured their musical traditions.
Watch as David Holt interviews and performs with modern masters of traditional music, on location in the southern mountains, the countryside that nurtured their music.
Delight in Grammy-winner Holt’s performances with guitar phenomenon Bryan Sutton and breakout star Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops.
Watch as Holt performs with ballad singer and multi- instrumentalist Josh Goforth and interviews gospel torch-bearers Lena Mae Perry and Wilbur Tharpe, the Branchettes.
Enjoy Holt’s performance with fiddle virtuoso Bruce Molsky and his interview of bluegrass supergroup Balsam Range.
Season 2 showcases top acoustic performers of traditional music filmed on location in the Southern Appalachian mountains. Featured artists include the Steep Canyon Rangers, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, the Kruger Brothers, Mipso, Laurelyn Dossett, Dom Flemons, Amythyst Kiah, Rayna Gellert, Alice Gerrard, and the St. John AME Zion Unity Choir. The season finale, recorded live onstage, features Rhiannon Giddens, Dirk Powell, Jason Sypher, Balsam Range, Josh Goforth, and The Branchettes.
Join David on a visit to a Blue Ridge Mountain farm where the Steep Canyon Rangers perform and share stories about the band’s history and life on the road touring with comedian Steve Martin.
David meets bluegrass legend Alice Gerrard, fiddler Rayna Gellert, and singer-songwriter Laurelyn Dossett at a 19th-century cotton mill to play traditional mill songs and share stories.
David goes to Rugby, Virginia, to play tunes with Wayne Henderson and Jeff Little. Jeff talks about the piano as a bluegrass instrument and Wayne takes David inside his guitar-making workshop.
David introduces viewers to new young talents in this episode featuring powerhouse vocalist Amythyst Kiah and original songs with close harmonies from the band Mipso.
David travels to the mountains of Wilkes County, NC to share tunes and stories with Jens and Uwe Kruger and bass player Joel Landsberg. The Kruger first came to North Carolina for Merlfest but found such a welcome for their unique brand of bluegrass that they are now permanent residents.
David checks in with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver and gets some stories from Doyle’s years on the road then he visits the St. John AME Zion Church in Kinston, North Carolina, where the Unity Choir performs.
David shares tunes and stories with Dom Flemons, founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, at an old general store in rural North Carolina.
The season finale, recorded live onstage at the WCU Bardo Arts Center of Western Carolina University, features Rhiannon Giddens, Dirk Powell, Jason Sypher, Balsam Range, Josh Goforth, and The Branchettes.
David interviews mandolin legend Sam Bush, known as “The Father of New Grass,” at an 18th-century farm outside Nashville, TN. Sam and his band play traditional tunes and original songs.
David interviews and plays with Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton at the Hayti Heritage Center in Durham, NC. Jerron plays a blues- and jazz-influenced mix of traditional tunes.
David visits with Canadian champion fiddler, singer and step-dancer April Verch at the Guitar Bar in Asheville, NC.
David visits and plays with Joe Newberry at the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw, NC. Joe is a Missouri native and North Carolina transplant who became a full-time musician at midlife and now tours the world with his guitar, banjo and fiddle.
At Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage outside Nashville, TN, David interviews Molly Tuttle, who was named Guitar Player of the Year by the International Bluegrass Association (IBMA) in 2017. Molly and her band play original tunes rooted in traditional music.
David visits with longtime friend Jerry Douglas, a 14-time Grammy winner widely recognized as the foremost master of the Dobro resonator guitar.
Della Mae is a powerhouse band of women who play bluegrass and more, and they are mentoring young female players around the world. David visits them at the historic Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.
David visits with the award-winning duo Darin and Brooke Aldridge and longtime friend John Cowan at the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, NC.
David visits with blues legend Taj Mahal and learns how he got his name, how he almost became a farmer, and what it’s like to tour with the Rolling Stones.
Meet the future of roots music: Presley Barker, the Burnett Sisters, Willow Dillon, and Cane Mill Road. David shares tunes and stories with these rising stars of new acoustic music who were raised on traditional tunes in the shadow of old masters.
David shares tunes and stories from his career in roots music with guest host Zeb Holt and longtime friend Josh Goforth. David’s wife Ginny joins them to reminisce about life in the Blue Ridge Mountains for two young Californians in the 1970s.
David’s musical career has taken him from remote mountain coves to the bright lights of TV studios and the Grand Ole Opry stage. Hear music and stories of Doc Watson, John Hartford, and more, shared with son Zeb Holt and longtime friend Josh Goforth.
Blues legend Keb’ Mo’ visits with host David Holt. Keb’ has described himself as “too happy for the blues, too bluesy for jazz, too funky for folk, and too city for country.” David talks with him about how he found his place in music.
Bluegrass and klezmer traditions meet in the music of married duo Zoe & Cloyd. Fiddler Natalya Zoe Weinstein and singer/songwriter/instrumentalist John Cloyd Miller visit with host David.
John McCutcheon and series host David Holt have been friends since the 1970s. They meet to share songs and stories.
Virtuoso instrumentalist Muriel Anderson visits with David and demonstrates the harp guitar as conversation ranges from John Philip Souza to Chet Atkins.
David visits with talented young musicians Tray Wellington and Lakota John Locklear. Tray Wellington is an African American banjo player who has won the IBMA Momentum Award; John Locklear is a member of the Lumbee tribe who excels at the blues.
Rob Ickes played dobro in the award-winning bluegrass band Blue Highway. He left that band to work with phenomenal young singer and guitarist Trey Hensley, whose performances dazzled Earl Scruggs, Marty Stuart, and other country legends.
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