Folk festival winter concert goes bluegrass

The second in Sisters Folk Festival's Winter Concert Series will showcase the classic American art form of bluegrass with Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley and the Molly Tuttle Band.

The show is set for Tuesday, February 21, at 7 p.m. at Sisters High School auditorium.

Some things you know are just meant to be - but even when you do, it's nice to get some outside affirmation.

So while Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley were sure that their musical partnership was the right move at the right time, it was still welcome news when their debut Compass Records project, "Before The Sun Goes Down," earned a nomination for the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy just about the time that Ickes took leave of the band he'd been in for over 20 years to make the joint venture the centerpiece of his career.

And with the release of their new project, "The Country Blues," last July the pair build on the first one's strengths to take their unique musical conversation to an even higher level.

"Rob's helping me to explore more of what to play and when to play it," says Hensley, who's made the transition from hot-shot guitar phenom to well-rounded instrumental and vocal powerhouse look easy.

"I've been in a band for so long that I'm really enjoying the simplicity of the duo thing - and Trey's done a lot of band stuff, too, so we're on the same page," responds Ickes, whose award-winning resonator guitar work not only helped to power famed bluegrass ensemble Blue Highway for two decades, but appears on hundreds of bluegrass and country albums.

That same page extends to the other musicians who complement their work, starting with bassist Mike Bub and drummer John Alvey, who regularly accompany Ickes and Hensley on gigs around Nashville.

"It works in so many different ways, we've done it duo, we've done some gigs with just John, we've done four-piece, and we've done five-piece with a fiddle," notes Ickes.

"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."

The Molly Tuttle Band carries on the bluegrass torch. A virtuoso multi-instrumentalist and award-winning songwriter with a distinctive voice, Molly has turned the heads of even the most seasoned industry professionals. She began performing on stage when she was 11, and recorded her first album, "The Old Apple Tree," at age 13. Since then, she's appeared on "A Prairie Home Companion" and at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass; was featured on the cover of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine, won first place in the prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Competition at Merlefest, and, last May, graduated from the Berklee College of Music, which she attended on a Hazel Dickens Memorial scholarship.

Her lovely voice, impeccable guitar playing, and sensitive songwriting make her a star on the rise. She has already received more than two million YouTube views and has recently released two EPs with The Goodbye Girls and as a duo with John Mailander. She now makes her home in Nashville and spends time touring, writing and recording.

Advance tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students at www.sistersfolkfestival.org. Tickets will be available at the door.