By Rick Zeigler—
Muncie, IN—After taking an unplanned year off in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Muncie Three Trails Music Series is pleased to be back and officially announce its 2021 lineup. This will be the 8thseason in which the series presents critically acclaimed national recording artists in four FREE concerts at Canan Commons in downtown Muncie. All shows begin at 7 PM and are all ages. Complete information on the series and all artists, including samples of their music, can be found at www.munciethreetrails.com.
Modern Cajun band Lost Bayou Ramblers will open our series on Saturday, July 10th. With a 2018 Grammy award for “Best Regional Roots Album” for Kalenda, contributions to the score of Oscar-nominated Beasts of the Southern Wild, and touring stints with both Arcade Fire and the Violent Femmes, the Lost Bayou Ramblers continue to swing wide from their Louisiana home base. But their reputation within that base is solidly established, reflected by their 2012 release, Mammoth Waltz,” being selected as #2 in the “Top 21 Louisiana albums of the 21st Century” by the Times Picayune. The Lost Bayou Ramblers will play an acoustic set of traditional Cajun music to open the show.
8-piece Memphis soul/gospel powerhouse the Sensational Barnes Brothers will grace the Canan Commons stage on Saturday, July 24th. Bridging the gap between traditional black gospel and the soul sounds of Stax and Al Green, Chris and Courtney Barnes unleashed a critically acclaimed debut album, Nobody’s Fault But My Own, in 2020 and have caught fire throughout the Midwest and nation-wide. Memphis rock ‘n’ soul instrumental group the SBB Band will open the show. This concert is sponsored by the Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County.
Acclaimed bluegrass group Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper will return to the Canan Commons stage on Saturday, August 7th. Michael Cleveland is one of the most decorated fiddle players in bluegrass history, with 12 IBMA “Fiddle Player of the Year” awards and a 2018 induction into the National Fiddle Player Hall of Fame. He and his group, Flamekeeper, also won the 2020 Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album and are also 6-time IBMA winners for Instrumental Group of the Year. “He plays fearless and…makes you play fearless,” says Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill. Muncie’s own Bashville Boys will open the show.
Asleep At The Wheel, winners of 10(!!) Grammy awards, will conclude our season on Saturday, September 11th. Ray Benson founded Asleep at the Wheel 50 years ago with a simple goal: to play and help revive American roots music. In particular, Ray fell in love with western swing (which Benson calls “jazz with a cowboy hat”) because of its unique combination of American blues, swing and traditional fiddling, and also for its demanding musical chops. Indeed, the musicianship of Asleep at the Wheel has become the stuff of legends. A quick scan of awards, such as “Touring Band of the Year” (CMAs, 1976) and “Lifetime Achievement in Performance” (Americana Music Awards, 2009), not to mention near dominance of the Grammy “Country Instrumental” category over the years, backs up this reputation. You can be guaranteed that, between their Texas Twin Fiddles and Boogie Piano, you’ll be dancin’ down the aisles and swingin’ all night long when The Wheel comes to Muncie. The Ball State University Jazz Lab Ensemble will open the show. This concert is sponsored by Ball State University.
The Muncie Three Trails Music Series is a non-profit partnership between Muncie Downtown Development Partnership, Muncie Arts and Culture Council, and Rick Zeigler, series founder and organizer. The mission of the series is to bring critically acclaimed, national recording artists to perform at Canan Commons, Muncie’s premier outdoor performance venue, located in the heart of Downtown Muncie. A second mission is to promote the many recreational, artistic, and cultural attractions located along, or in close proximity to, Canan Commons and Muncie’s popular “Three Trails” — The White River Greenway, Cardinal Greenway, and Muncie Arts and Culture Trail. We hope attendees will heed our slogan, “Explore the Trails, Enjoy the Music”.
