The Back Porch Swing Band will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 22, at Twin City Opera House, 15 W. Main St., McConnelsville.
The group specializes in Western Swing, but plays several musical styles ranging from traditional Appalachian music, blues, classic country, folk and swing music from the 1920s, '30s and '40s.
Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for children. All tickets are general admission and are available before the show by calling the Opera House box office at (740) 962-3030. Tickets will also be available the night of the show beginning at 6 p.m., when doors open.
The band consists of five musicians, including three-time Ohio State Fiddle Champion, Adam Jackson of Morgan County.
Zeke Hutchison, from Woodsfield, plays some of the most intricate solos ever heard on his five-string electric mandolin, and works out many of the band's arrangements. Hutchison has played with many bands in Ohio over the years and even lived and played in Austin Texas during the 1980s. Classical, jazz, and bluegrass are just a few of his specialty genres.
Covering the responsibility of lead vocals is Kris Geis, adding great lead and harmony vocals to the show. With her vocal range, she presents music from the era of Bob Wills, Fats Waller, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Ernest Tubbs. Geis teaches aerobics classes in Muskingum County, where she lives with her husband and two children near Zanesville.
Fact Box
The Back Porch Swing Band will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday at Twin City Opera House, 15 W. Main St., McConnelsville.
Driving the band and swinging on his upright bass, and contributing an occasional vocal, is Dave Irwin. Irwin also plays in several other groups in his hometown area of Columbus.
Also carrying lead and harmony vocals as well as guitar duties is local legend Pete Shew, "the man with a thousand tunes." Shew, of Morgan County, also sells homegrown apples, lamb and beef at area farmers markets.
