Award-winning Boston bluegrass band to perform at VOMA
A musical trio is set to bring its unique folk sound to the area.
Award-winning Boston band Rachel Sumner and Traveling Light will perform as part of Folk & Bluegrass Series at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Venue of Merging Arts, 305 Chestnut St. in the Cambria City section of Johnstown.
Opening the evening will be Johnstown-based folk band Striped Maple Hollow.
Fresh off a first-place win at the 2023 Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival band competition, Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light has been captivating audiences throughout the northeast.
Sumner’s lyric-forward writing and penchant for snaking chord progressions demand something far beyond folk conventions, highlighting the acrobatic range of her bandmates Kat Wallace on fiddle and Mike Siegel on upright bass.
Sumner spent her early career on the bluegrass circuit, singing and writing with the genre-bending Boston group Twisted Pine.
Her songs have been critically acclaimed, winning the Lennon Award in the folk category of the 2021 John Lennon Songwriting Contest for her song “Radium Girls (Curie Eleison)” earning her a spot in the Kerrville New Folk Competition, and being chosen four consecutive years by WBUR/NPR as one of the top Massachusetts entries in the Tiny Desk Competition.
“They’ve been getting some really good praise for their musicianship and winning some awards,” said Dennis Mical, executive director of VOMA. “It’s exciting to have come perform at VOMA and we’re looking forward to it. We think people are going to enjoy them.”
Sumner is a Willie Nelson and a Patsy Cline of indie folk artist, writing heartfelt but catchy songs, and conveying their emotional complexity with candor and a beautiful yodel.
It is her diverse love of pop, classical, country and everything in between that she draws upon to synthesize into her own unique sound.
“People will experience being in a small, intimate venue and they’ll be right there with the musicians,” Mical said. “A lot of the musicians who play at VOMA enjoy that and having some back-and-forth conversations, and there might be some requests.”
Rachel Sumner and Traveling Light’s current tour is in promotion of their recently released second album “Heartless Things.”
The album blends elements of chamber-folk and indie-pop with Sumner’s love of Appalachian balladry and bluesy hooks, resulting in an immersive setting that highlights the narrative writing.
“I know a lot of people who go to Pittsburgh to hear different music, but you don’t have to go there,” Mical said. “You can come to VOMA and hear different genres of music and see top-notch musicians at a great price.”
Admission is $12 for VIP members and students and $15 for general admission.
BYOB is permitted with proper identification.
For more information, call 814-410-2245 or visit www.vomajohnstown.com.
