An evening of American ballad with
the Handsome Family and music critic Greil Marcus
Friday, September 14
Pleasants Family Assembly Room, Wilson Library
Reception at 5 p.m.; Program at 5:45 p.m.
Free and open to the public
Program Information: Liza Terll (919-962-2407)
A lecture and musical performance celebrating the contemporary American ballad are planned for Wilson Library on Friday, Sept. 14.
At 5:45 p.m., Greil Marcus, music journalist, cultural critic and author, will speak about the American ballad. At 6:45 p.m., alt-country duo the Handsome Family will perform their take on the genre, followed by audience questions. A reception at 5 p.m. will precede the program.
The evening's events, sponsored by Friends of the Library and the Southern Folklife Collection in Wilson Library, are free and open to the public. For program information, contact Liza Terll (919-962-4207).
The Marcus/Handsome Family combination is a natural one, and a perfect fit for the Southern Folklife Collection (SFC), said Steve Weiss, head of the collection, which is dedicated to documenting the musical and spoken legacy of the South.
The ballad is the "basic building block of Southern music," said Weiss. "We're thrilled that we can present a program that shows how the ballad is very much alive and part of our culture."
The Handsome Family, otherwise known as husband-and-wife Brett and Rennie Sparks of Albuquerque, N.M., plays "their own dark blend of bluegrass and country, with a tongue-in-cheek element," said Weiss, who noted that they are especially known for musical tales of murder, death, and suicide. Marcus has written positively of the Handsome Family in publications such as Salon.com and Granta.
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