While this week’s An Appalachian Evening performers have lived in North Carolina since 2002, their origins as a bluegrass band are rather exotic.
The brothers of Kruger Brothers, Uwe and Jens, are natives of Switzerland who met American bass-player Joel Landsberg after scoring a recording contract and radio show on Swiss public radio. The trio began playing together in 1995, releasing their first album two years later.
So, how did a pair of Swiss brothers form one of the most well-renowned bluegrass bands in the American South?
The Kruger's fell in love with American folk music at an early age, inspired by progenitors of modern bluegrass such as Doc Watson and Bill Monroe. With Jens on banjo and Uwe on guitar, the brothers played on street corners all over Europe, developing their own version of the bluegrass, country, and folk music that inspired them.
Once they teamed up with Landsberg, Kruger Brothers began to gain notice by the very musicians who had inspired them, with Doc Watson even saying “The Kruger Brothers are just about as fine a band as I’ve ever played with.”
Accolades have piled up in recent years, including Jens winning the Steven Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music in 2013, with Martin himself (yes, that Steve Martin) describing Jens as “one of the great technicians” of bluegrass and “a very expressive player.” The following year, Jens was inducted into the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame, with Bluegrass Journal calling the Kruger's “nothing short of magnificent.”
If you miss Saturday’s magnificent show, try to catch Kruger Brothers in Marshall at the Madison County Arts Center, as that gig is their last date before flying to Switzerland to finish out the summer with a flurry of gigs amid the Krugers’ old stomping grounds.
Kruger Brothers can be found on Facebook and at krugerbrothers.com.
Saturday’s featured artist is gemstone jewelry-maker Allyson Gernandt of Bryson City. Her work is available at the Stecoah gallery as well as on Facebook and at silverandgems.com.
An Appalchian Evening is a production of the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center, which can be found at 121 Schoolhouse Road, stecoahvalleycenter.com, and 479-3364.