When Ken Waldman, Alaska’s Fiddling Poet, comes to Southern Adventist University's Ackerman Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1, it will be the culmination of Ken Waldman's two-day residency at the University, and his first area appearance in nine years.
Monday, Oct. 31, Mr. Waldman will visit creative writing classes and informally meet with students on campus.
The Tuesday evening performance, which is open to the public, will feature Mr. Waldman, who's been touring nationally since 1995, plus acclaimed North Carolina multi-instrumentalist and singer, Riley Baugus, plus another multi-instrumentalist, John Fabke, from Nashville.
Tickets are $5 for individuals, $12 for families, and the show is free for SAU students with ID as part of the Convocation series on campus.
For more information, call Teri Reutebuch at 423-236-2814.
Mr. Waldman combines old-time Appalachian-style string-band music, original poetry, and Alaska-set storytelling for a show uniquely his. His 2008 memoir, Are You Famous?, details his many tours across the country. He'll be here in Tennessee in the midst of a fall tour that includes events in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Mississippi, Florida, West Virginia, and Kentucky.
Review on the performers:
Mr. Baugus and Mr. Fabke, Waldman's accompanists, are both stellar banjo players and guitarists. In addition, Mr. Baugus plays fiddle and is best known as singer, and Mr. Fabke plays mandolin and bass. Both are scholars of American roots music and Mr. Baugus's voice can heard in the movie Cold Mountain.
A 31-year Alaska resident, Mr. Waldman has eight books, including six full-length poetry collections, and nine CDs, including two for children. His live performance has been described by Austin Chronicle writer Ric Williams, “Feels like a Ken Burns movie. . . . Always recommended.” More recently, Shepherd Express Weekly in Milwaukee termed Mr. Waldman, “A one-man Prairie Home Companion,” and The Denver Post has called Mr. Waldman's mix of music and words, “Renegade Americana.” Though his last visit to Chattanooga was in fall 2007, more recently Mr. Waldman has appeared in Maryville through The Clayton Center at Maryville College.
Mr. Waldman's show appeals to anyone who enjoys traditional Appalachian-style fiddling, smart poetry, acclaimed storytelling, or Alaska. For those who enjoy artists who mix disciplines, Mr. Waldman is an artist to seek out. Start the autumn evening in Hamilton County, then journey with Ken Waldman and his friends, Riley Baugus and John Fabke, to the Real Alaska and back. Mr. Waldman also likes to promise fun, inspiration, and surprises. So while Mr. Waldman often tends to bring unannounced guests, we can all be grateful one of them won't be an early snowfall.