Thomm Jutz. Photo by Alane Anno
The Madison County Arts Council (MCAC) hosts a performance by award-winning Nashville musicians/ songwriters Milan Miller and Thomm Jutz joined by longtime collaborator and local favorite Buddy Melton. The concert takes place on Saturday, February 23, at 7:30 pm at the historic Depot in Marshall.
“These artists’ songs are topping the bluegrass and Americana charts,” says MCAC executive director Laura Boosinger. “We’re excited to present them together at the historic Depot.”
Jutz has played guitar and/or produced records for many prominent performers including Nanci Griffith, Kim Richey, Mary Gauthier, David Olney, Otis Gibbs and Jason Ringenberg. His name has appeared on the songwriting credits of four number one bluegrass hits since 2016, and nine other top-twenty bluegrass songs over the same period. Jutz released a solo album, Volunteer Trail, in 2016; a duo album with Craig Market, Nowhere to Hide, in 2015; and an album with Eric Brace and Peter Cooper, Profiles in Courage, Frailty, and Discomfort, in 2017. His latest solo album, Crazy If You Let It, was also released in 2017.
“Miller, Melton and I have known, respected and collaborated with each other for a long time now,” says Jutz. “An evening to share our music with an audience in Western North Carolina makes for a special event.”
Milan Miller is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist who has built a reputation as a first-call sideman and collaborator. He has made appearances at venues ranging from Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater to Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, CA, and from the Grand Ole Opry to Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops Orchestra. His songs have been recorded by some of the biggest names in bluegrass, ranging from the traditional sounds of Balsam Range to the progressive leanings of the Steep Canyon Rangers. The fruits of this labor have yielded 13 number one songs in the genre, a steady stream of others that have graced the top twenty, and two nominations each for Song of the Year and Songwriter of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).
“It is difficult for me to separate the songwriter from the musician,” Miller says. “In my world, one part is only as good as the other.” Jutz and Miller are accompanied by Melton, who was named IBMA’s Male Vocalist of the Year in 2018. He is a member of the band Balsam Range, which won the 2018 IBMA Entertainers of the Year Award. Balsam Range has recorded six critically acclaimed albums. Three songs from their newest release, Mountain Voodoo, reached the number one spot on the Bluegrass Today Charts.
The Depot in Marshall is located at 282 South Main Street. For ticket information, visit MadisonCountyArts.com or call 828.649.1301.
