Double bill with becks! and Emily Lehr

Becks is a queer scholar and musician, focusing their work on community engagement and placemaking through music and agriculture. As a musician, Becks works to create events that bridge the divisions in communities. becks! is a queer singer-songwriter whose Appalachian roots ground their music to place, while pushing the envelope of what it means to 'belong' in the folk and old time scenes. Their family history of union organizing and three generations of 'card carrying communists' bring an edge to their live performances that ties in some of their more commercial catalogue with the history of the Appalachian region and their family's own resistances in the Ohio River Valley. Their scholarship focuses on queer Appalachian music and the importance that music traditions hold, both in Appalachian communities and the queer community. Their Master’s thesis, “Queer Musicking in Appalachia: An Exploration of Space, Place and Identity Through the Lens of Traditional Music and Dance,” is now available for your viewing here:

A native West Virginian, Emily Lehr finds comfort in the tradition of her Appalachian roots while maintaining her own spin on her sound. Borrowing the storytelling traditions and mellow timbres of Carole King and Joni Mitchell, Lehr sings to the current generation while incorporating echoes of the past in addition to finding inspiration in modern influences such as Lizzy McAlpine and Madison Cunningham in tone and introspective songwriting.

Lehr began singing and making music as soon as she could talk and began writing songs in elementary school. As a music therapy and Appalachian music student at West Virginia University, Lehr came into her own as a vocalist and writer, supported by mentors and friends along the way. Most notable was her time with Grammy nominated artist and Mountain Stage host Kathy Mattea to discuss songwriting, performing, and life in Nashville. Lehr considers these meetings the catalyst of her push to move to Nashville and professionally pursue songwriting and performing. Listeners can now hear Lehr’s sophomore record Hell Hath No Fury on all streaming platforms.

This show is co-sponsored with Cumberland Pride Festival !

Tickets just $15

Becks

Emily Lehr