Matchsellers bring concert to Norman
NORMAN — The Matchsellers, a bluegrass duo steeped in tradition, will make a one-night whistle-stop appearance on Sunday at The Depot, 200 S Jones Ave. Tickets for the 7 p.m. concert are $15. The Matchsellers’ stage show has been developed over three years of touring across the United States and Europe. Though rooted in bluegrass and old time tradition, Warsaw, Indiana, native Andrew Morris and Julie Bates, of Kansas City, Missouri, also feature expertise on the electric blues guitar and classical violin.
“Unbelievably talented, wry witted, sardonic and occasionally slapsticky — this couple is bound for glory,” says a review provided by event space Wild Rose Moon in Plymouth, Indiana.
Bates and Morris met in 2012 while teaching in Leipzig, Germany. They found common ground in the music of their homeland and their hobby turned to profession when they hit the road permanently a year later. Their second full-length album, “Songs We Made Up,” features the duo’s musicianship, vocal harmonies and wacky world view.
They have been featured on National Public Radio and international radio stations, as well as blogs, including The Bluegrass Situation, Dying For Bad Music and more.
Discovered by Depot scouts at the Folk Alliance International Conference in February, it was agreed that a whistle-stop performance at The Depot was a must. Whistle Stop Concerts came about as a means to feature selected touring artists who are passing through and looking for a venue, said spokeswoman Nancy McClellan.
To purchase concert tickets, or to learn more about programs at The Depot, go to normandepot.org or call 307-9320.