Ryan Krofcheck & Walt Sarkees/Garrett Co. Humane Society Benefit

"As leader of the Appalachian Jam band Fletchers Grove for nearly a decade, Hurricane, WV native Ryan Krofcheck has enjoyed the steady rise of his band becoming one of the biggest acts in West Virginia. Their erratic genre jumping and high energy sets delight dancing audiences throughout the region. But a year ago, Ryan responded to the changes and challenges in his life by writing a series of songs unlike anything he or his band had done. These were introspective and often autobiographical songs. Quieter and sometimes darker looks at life, love and loss in the region he calls home. The new music begged for something sonically different than the pulsing explorations of Fletchers Grove.

To traverse this new territory, Krofcheck called on a friend of considerable experience in traditional and twangy music. Walt Sarkees has often been in the reaches of the greater Americana scene, playing different roles and different instruments. A Philadelphia area born guitar player by trade, Walt moved to Morgantown at the turn of the century as the full-time manager and sometimes bass player of a then-breakout West Virginia band, The Recipe. Later, the bass turned into a much larger and upright version as his Morgantown Rounders stormed the Old Time and Bluegrass music scene, rocketing from square dances to Mountain Stage in just two years. Taking a break to retool, Walt took up lap steel and pedal steel guitar, fulfilling a lifelong dream and seeking to create a sound that some might call Alternative Country or American Roots.

The result of this pairing is an evening of evolving original and cover songs, tributes at times, playful improvisations at others. High lonesome pedal steel cries and aching harmonies to Blues howls and classic jams."

Ryan Krofcheck - http://facebook.com/FletchersGrove
Walt Sarkees - http://facebook.com/WaltSarkeesmusic