An evening of Americana music hosted by Ellijay’s Surrender Hill will welcome a fiddling north Georgia singer-songwriter and his band when the Blue Betty Sessions return to the George Link Jr. Gilmer Arts Playhouse Saturday, March 12.
Surrender Hill and special guests Wyatt Espilan and the Riverstones will be featured on the bill. Showtime is 7 p.m.
A native of Hiawassee, Espilan sang and played fiddle with rocking Americana group Trees Leave for several years, but has since recorded and performed under his own name. He described his band’s music as “alternative folk rock.”
“Americana is a huge umbrella or blanket term that’s pretty popular right now and includes blues, alternative country, folk and bluegrass,” Espilan said. “We have electric guitar, but there’s also heavy fiddle. I have very folksy type lyrics and use a lot of nature metaphors. It’s definitely inspired by my surroundings of being back in the Appalachian Mountains.”
Espilan said he started playing fiddle at age 11. He was raised in Hiawassee by his grandparents, who owned and operated a campground there. Before returning to north Georgia about eight years ago, Espilan lived in Nashville, Tenn., where he performed with Trees Leave and played fiddle on numerous recording sessions.
Touring as an opening act for the Indigo Girls put the singer-songwriter — or “songwriter-singer” as Espilan likes to say — in front of a wider audience.
“I’ve opened for them as a solo artist, and I was invited to play fiddle with them a few times at some big events. That’s allowed me to cultivate a following that helps support (what I’m doing now),” he said.
Along with doing around 150 live gigs in a good year, Espilan also teaches fiddle to high-school-age students at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, N.C.
“It’s part of the J.A.M. (Junior Appalachian Musicians) Program. North Carolina funds it to give students free old-time music lessons playing in the Appalachian style,” he said.
At the playhouse show, Espilan will lead his new group, which includes bassist Michael Jones, guitarist Greg Surratt, drummer Jonathon Benton and banjo player/singer Erin Worley.
“The Ellijay show will be our second official show together. I’m not losing that storyteller vibe with a full band. This band is also full of songwriters,” he said.
Espilan played fiddle on Surrender Hill’s last two albums, A Whole Lot of Freedom and Just Another Honky Tonk in a Quiet Western Town. His latest release is an EP called Diamondback.
Before he and the Riverstones take the stage later that evening, Espilan will give a songwriting workshop at the playhouse beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 12. Anyone who buys a ticket for that evening’s Blue Betty Sessions show is welcome to attend the workshop, he said.
Songwriting is both a form of artistic expression and personal therapy for Espilan, who’s been featured at Florida’s 30A Songwriter Festival and will be teaching an Appalachian songwriting class at the Campbell Folk School this fall.
“I guess the best way to describe (my workshop) is I’m not trying to show people how to write a hit song, but I do believe that everybody has a song in them. That’s kind of my motto. Everybody has a song in them, and you’ve just got to tap into that and try to find it,” he said.
ed by singing-songwriting husband and wife Robin and Afton Salmon, Surrender Hill is fresh off a limited release of their latest album, Just Another Honky Tonk in a Quiet Western Town. The double album, which mixes twangy roots rock and campfire balladry, will be released worldwide in digital format this April, noted Robin Salmon.
“We’ve got a couple of really nice videos made for it, and we finally found a great publicist in Nashville who’s starting a campaign to get (the album) out there,” he added.
The Blue Betty Sessions are named for an old van the band used to have, and Robin’s new recording studio also bears the name Blue Betty. The couple likes to do something different for each of their special sessions at the playhouse, and the next one is no exception, Robin confirmed.
“We’ll do about a 45-minute show, then Wyatt and his band will go on. He’ll perform with us, too. It will be a really fun collection of things,” he said. “There will also be a one-time-only thing featuring Afton. She’s going to be part of a one-shot deal that night people will not want to miss.”
Concertgoers are encouraged to arrive early as mixed media artist Jonathan Callicutt, who is Surrender Hill’s guitarist, will have an exhibit of his artwork on display in the playhouse lobby starting at 6 p.m.
“Jonathan is a fantastic printmaker and went to school for that. His stuff encompasses a whole lot of big pieces and wood cuts. Our Surrender Hill logo with the bird features his wood cuts. He’ll have some of his art on display and for sale, as well,” Robin said.