The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Sisters Folk Festival is partnering with Preston Thompson Guitars (PTG) to present a phenomenal show with two dynamic bands, and two fantastic guitar players.

A Bluegrass Showcase with Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley and Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen is set for one special evening Thursday, March 7, at The Belfry.

Trey Hensley and Chris Luquette (both PTG sponsored artists) will open the show with a short performance and demonstration of select Thompson guitars, sharing the differences and approach to each instrument. Then both bands will perform full sets and jam together to close out the evening.

The show is expected to sell out quickly.

Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley embody a unique collaborative effort between gifted musicians.

Rob Ickes, a longtime, well-established instrumental giant, and Trey Hensley, a musician bursting with talent both as a vocalist and guitarist.

Based on a mutual love of bluegrass, country, blues, Western swing, and other string-band music of all kinds, the partnership of dobro player Rob Ickes and acoustic/electric guitarist Trey Hensley continues to delight and astound audiences of traditional American music around the globe.

Since the duo decided to join forces and make their collaboration the focus of their touring and recording careers in 2015, they have continued to bring their music to venues near and far.

Their album "Before the Sun Goes Down" was nominated for a Grammy.

In 2018, the duo performed brilliantly at the Sisters Folk Festival and taught at the acclaimed Americana Song Academy.

Rob and Trey continue to leave their singular and ever-growing footprint on the world of traditional music of America...

be it bluegrass, traditional country, acoustic and electric, blues, or jazz.

"It works in so many different ways," Ickes said of the collaboration. "Trey and I have always clicked, and when he and I know what's going on, everyone else just grabs on, and that's kind of the fun of the gig; it's constantly changing."

Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen were named IBMA's 2016 Instrumental Group of the Year for the second time, with a third nomination in 2017. Their critically acclaimed album "Cold Spell" earned a 2015 Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass Album of the Year, and the accolades don't end there.

Since leaving the cold climes of Alaska for the bluegrass hotbed of Washington, D.C., Frank Solivan has built a reputation as a monster mandolinist, and become a major festival attraction with his band, Dirty Kitchen.

Their respect and deep understanding of the tradition collides, live on stage, with jazz virtuosity creating an unforgettable, compelling performance.

Solivan, with banjoist Mike Munford, 2013 IBMA Banjo Player of the Year, award-winning guitarist Chris Luquette and bassist Jeremy Middleton, simmer a progressive bluegrass stew of infinite instrumental, vocal, and songwriting skills soon to be featured once again on their new album, "If You Can't Stand the Heat," slated to drop January 25.

Tickets for SFF Presents: A Bluegrass Showcase are $22.50 advance/$27.50 at the door + fees. Seats are limited. Tickets can be purchased at www.sistersfolkfestival.org. The show is at The Belfry, 302 E. Main Ave. in Sisters and starts at 7 p.m .; doors open at 6 p.m.