Friday September 4, 7:30 PM
$22 donation
Dave & Kristi
$22 donation
Dave & Kristi
For the past two decades, Jason Dennie’s varied instrumental gifts and vocals have enriched Michigan’s acoustic and roots music scene in many ways.
Dennie grew up with a father who loved Bluegrass and Country Music, and Grandparents who had a family Bluegrass Gospel group, the Scott County Quartet. His Grandfather, Willard Duncan, had a strong tenor and ‘picked it like Lester’, playing his Martin with a thumbpick and finger pick on his index finger. Through Willard’s love and respect for the music over the years, family connections to Bill Monroe (The Father of Bluegrass) and Jimmy Martin (The King of Bluegrass) developed and opened doors to many stories, and an Uncle and Cousin who ended up playing in Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys in the banjo spot over two different stints in Jimmy’s long history.
While that was on one side of the family, the high school years were spent listening to Led Zeppelin, Rush, and Iron Maiden, until the age of 19 finally found him picking up a guitar. The instant that happened, it all went back to acoustic music and the sounds of James Taylor, Simon and Garfunkel, CSN&Y and soon after, discoveries of Leo Kottke, Michael Hedges, and Alex Degrassi. And always, the music of Tony Rice…always.
Dennie grew up with a father who loved Bluegrass and Country Music, and Grandparents who had a family Bluegrass Gospel group, the Scott County Quartet. His Grandfather, Willard Duncan, had a strong tenor and ‘picked it like Lester’, playing his Martin with a thumbpick and finger pick on his index finger. Through Willard’s love and respect for the music over the years, family connections to Bill Monroe (The Father of Bluegrass) and Jimmy Martin (The King of Bluegrass) developed and opened doors to many stories, and an Uncle and Cousin who ended up playing in Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys in the banjo spot over two different stints in Jimmy’s long history.
While that was on one side of the family, the high school years were spent listening to Led Zeppelin, Rush, and Iron Maiden, until the age of 19 finally found him picking up a guitar. The instant that happened, it all went back to acoustic music and the sounds of James Taylor, Simon and Garfunkel, CSN&Y and soon after, discoveries of Leo Kottke, Michael Hedges, and Alex Degrassi. And always, the music of Tony Rice…always.
Emily Slomovits is an Ann Arbor-based freelance musician, theatre artist, teacher, and writer. She has studied violin and voice in classical, jazz and folk styles for over fifteen years, and folk guitar for almost ten years. Emily plays music with her dad and uncle, the duo Gemini, with her dad as San and Emily, with singer-songwriter Billy King as well as with many other musicians, including Judy Banker, Billy Brandt, Annie and Rod Capps, and Jill Jack.
Emily is a member of Spinning Dot Theatre’s Repertory Company, and has also been seen with The Dio Theatre, The Encore Musical Theatre Company, The Croswell Opera House, Performance Network, and Wild Swan Theatre. She helped to lead Spinning Dot’s Youth Company until her move to Chicago in 2019, and taught violin, voice, and guitar for Manchester’s Cultural Arts Strings program and the Grass Lake School of Music.
While in Chicago, Emily held a position as an after school teacher at the German International School of Chicago, and taught violin and voice lessons through Rockstart Lessons. In March 2020, Emily moved back to Michigan due to Covid-19, and now performs and teaches music and theatre both independently and through Spinning Dot Theatre.
Emily Slomovits is an Ann Arbor-based freelance musician, theatre artist, teacher, and writer. She has studied violin and voice in classical, jazz and folk styles for over fifteen years, and folk guitar for almost ten years. Emily plays music with her dad and uncle, the duo Gemini, with her dad as San and Emily, with singer-songwriter Billy King as well as with many other musicians, including Judy Banker, Billy Brandt, Annie and Rod Capps, and Jill Jack.
Emily is a member of Spinning Dot Theatre’s Repertory Company, and has also been seen with The Dio Theatre, The Encore Musical Theatre Company, The Croswell Opera House, Performance Network, and Wild Swan Theatre. She helped to lead Spinning Dot’s Youth Company until her move to Chicago in 2019, and taught violin, voice, and guitar for Manchester’s Cultural Arts Strings program and the Grass Lake School of Music.
While in Chicago, Emily held a position as an after school teacher at the German International School of Chicago, and taught violin and voice lessons through Rockstart Lessons. In March 2020, Emily moved back to Michigan due to Covid-19, and now performs and teaches music and theatre both independently and through Spinning Dot Theatre.
