Two troubadours are coming to Wessington Springs for an afternoon of contemporary folk and western music at the 1905 Opera House on Sunday, October 6. Awardwinning songwriters Kerry Grombacher and Aspen Black (pictured, right) will perform their “Songs and Stories of the American West” concert at 2 p.m. They are both multiinstrumentalists, and their works draw vivid portraits and tell fascinating stories that they accompany with guitars, bass and mandolin. “I’m really looking forward to performing at the 1905 Opera House,” Black said. “I’m a Southwest Virginia cowgirl, and it’s aweinspiring for me to spend time on the Great Plains in South Dakota, with the big sky and long horizons that signify the West. I’m excited to see more of this beautiful landscape.”
Black and Grombacher, both successful solo artists, have worked together as a duo since 2014, performing nationwide for arts councils, house concerts, festivals, museums, and libraries. Their songs are influenced by the English ballad tradition, the stringband music of Aspen’s Appalachian home, and the corridos of the desert Southwest, where Kerry has lived and worked.
“We really enjoy performing in South Dakota, and we’re looking forward to visiting Wessington Springs,” added Kerry Grombacher. “On our tours, we’ve covered a lot of the state. We’re always looking to the land, the history, and the people we meet for stories that help us to better understand our nation and ourselves.”
The concert on Sunday, October 6 will take place at the 1905 Opera House, 108 Dakota Avenue North, in Wessington Springs, and it will begin at 2 p.m. The concert is presented by the Springs Area Council of the Arts and is underwritten by a grant from the South Dakota Arts Council.