OHR Presents: The Stones River Reelers

This week, Tennessee based old-time string quartet The Stones River Reelers recorded live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park’s annual Stringband Music & Arts Festival. Every October, the Ozark Folk Center State Park holds its annual Stringband Music & Arts Festival. It’s two days of lively stringband music & dance, handcrafted art, fine Southern cuisine, and old-fashioned fun. The festival includes live shows on Friday and Saturday featuring acclaimed bands from the Ozarks and beyond. The Stones River Reelers are a Tennessee based traditional oldtime quartet. Self described as “Hardcore traditional music from the heart of the Volunteer State,” they are Andrew Larson on guitar, Michal Klug on fiddle, Seth Shumate playing harmonica, and Aaron Stephens on banjo. The Reelers recreate not only the sound but also the feel and flair of early American “hillbilly” dance music of the 78 speed records era. Why do they do it? According to their website: “Like all the great old-timers, we play this venerated music to avoid hard labor.” - https://stonesriverreelers.com/about In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, OHR producer Jeff Glover offers a 1974 archival recording of original OHR host and clawhammer banjo Jedi Mark Jones along with Lynn Young, performing the traditional song “John Henry,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. In his segment “Back in the Hills,” writer, professor and historian Dr. Brooks Blevins discusses the exact location of the Ozark region. Where the Ozarks are and where they’re not.