By Rick Zeigler—
MUNCIE, IN—Acclaimed country artist Colby T. Helms & the Virginian Creepers will be performing in a FREE outdoor concert as part of the 2025 Muncie Three Trails Music Series. The concert will take place at 7:00 PM on Saturday, September 6th at Brown Family Amphitheater on the campus of Ball State University. Stampede String Band will open the show.
At the bottom of the Southwest Virginia foothills half-a-mile from the nearest neighbor, 22-year-old Colby T. Helms resides in an “underground house” built by his late father on land his family has owned for generations. Colby first dreamed of making music his life at age 12, when a group of Blue Ridge Mountain old-time and bluegrass players performed songs like The Ozark Mountain Daredevils’ “Standing On The Rock” and the gospel classic “A Beautiful Life” at his father’s funeral in Boones Mill, VA. To make his dream a reality, he taught himself guitar, banjo, and mandolin by watching local performers and YouTube videos.
On the day he turned 16, he bought his first car, a stick-shift Jeep Wrangler, and hit the road to play anywhere people would have him. A veteran performer in the Blue Ridge/Appalachian Mountains region by age 18, Colby wrote the songs that would become his debut semi-autobiographical concept album, Tales of Misfortune, as a senior in high school. The album delves into the beginning of his story – starting off as a dream and ending with the passing and remembrance of his father. “Higher Ground” is about the choices he has made to realize his dream of becoming a touring musician – and their cost. “Mountain Brandy” brings the listener back to Colby’s home at the bottom of the Blue Ridge Mountains and sets the tone for the rest of the album. “Smoke and Flames” chronicles his experience as a fledgling musician, honing his craft and searching for validation while still in high school.
Album closer “Daddy’s Pocket Knife” cuts the deepest. A true story that also serves as a metaphor for Colby’s own artistic journey, it reminds us that some things lost can be found. Tales of Misfortunedemonstrates that, with starkly honest songwriting and a sharp angular twang to his vocals, Colby strikes a dynamic balance between country storytelling, bluegrass energy, and blues power. Colby’s band, the Virginia Creepers, consists of Billy Hurt on fiddle, Stewart Werner on banjo and vocals, and Chandler Beavers on mandolin.
The Muncie Three Trails Music Series is a non-profit partnership between Muncie Downtown Development Partnership 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, and at the Brown Family Amphitheater at Ball State University. A second mission is to promote the many recreational, artistic, and cultural attractions located along, or in close proximity to downtown Muncie, Ball State, 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.”
