On Sunday, October 7, the Grant County Community Concert Association will kick off its 2018-19 season with the Malpass Brothers, siblings from North Carolina who will treat our audience to authentic, down-home country music in its most raw, unfiltered form. Concert time is 3:00 p.m. at the Fine Arts Center Theater on the WNMU campus.
As young boys, Christopher and Taylor Malpass soaked up the music of their granddad’s phonograph records. Christopher earned his first talent show trophy at age 7, and Taylor was playing mandolin by the time he was 10. The brothers were “discovered” by Merle Haggard after they played an opening gig for him in North Carolina. An article from the website SavingCountryMusic.com quotes Haggard as saying, “Well, they remind me a lot of myself and people that I knew when I was young. They have their hearts into what we call ‘traditional’ country music. It’s valuable to me that we cultivate young talent for that kind of music.” Today, the brothers promote the work and music of the classic country artists they admire, while also creating new music and making their own mark on the rich, cultural lineage of genuine country music. The funny, off-the-cuff quips between the two 20-something-year-olds add to this magnetic, time-traveling journey to when a calmer rhythm reigned supreme.
These gifted musicians and songwriters have shared billing with country music legends like Ray Price, Willie Nelson, Rhonda Vincent, and Marty Stuart. Their music is steeped in the legacy of the Louvin Brothers, Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Hank Williams, Sr. and others. Count on hearing classic country, new Malpass tunes and old-time gospels. Association president Karen Beckenbach saw them showcase at the Live on Stage Conference and said, “Christopher and Taylor did a better ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ than Johnny Cash and had the audience rolling in the aisles. These guys will bring fun and great country music to Silver City.”
Tickets for this concert are $20 for adults who are not season tickets holders. Children to age 17 who are accompanied by a ticket holder are admitted free of charge. WNMU students with a valid student ID are also admitted free of charge. Season tickets can still be purchased for only $55 for all six concerts. Season tickets and individual concert tickets can be purchased online at www.gcconcerts.org or in Silver City at The Pink Store (Bullard), the MRAC Office (Wells Fargo Bank Bldg.), or in the lobby at the time of the concert. Further information and/or season subscription forms can be obtained by calling (575) 538-5862.