Amythyst Kiah returns to the Blue Ridge Music Center at 7 p.m., Saturday, June 19, bringing her soulful folk and Americana sound to the stage. Aaron Burdett opens the concert in the outdoor amphitheater at the base of Fisher Peak. The Music Center is located at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
With an unforgettable voice that’s both unfettered and exquisitely controlled, the Tennessee-raised singer-songwriter Kiah expands on her uncompromising artistry. Her standout song “Black Myself” earned a Grammy nomination for Best American Roots Song and won Song of the Year at the 2019 Folk Alliance International Awards. When combined with the transcendent quality of her elevated sound, what emerges is an extraordinary vessel for Kiah’s songwriting: a raw yet nuanced examination of grief, alienation, and the hard-won triumph of total self-acceptance.
Following up her recording with Our Native Daughters, a collaboration with Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell, Kiah will be unveiling her new solo recording, Wary & Strange, on June 18.
Burdett, an acclaimed Americana and folk singer-songwriter and performer from Western North Carolina, will open the show. He’s been listed as one of the most important musicians of that region by WNC Magazine. He’s won top awards in multiple songwriting competitions hosted by MerleFest, The USA Songwriting Competition, Mountain Stage, the North Carolina Songwriter’s Co-op, and Our State Magazine.
Burdett’s last four albums have been voted among the top 20 Albums of the Year by listeners of the popular Western North Carolina community radio station, WNCW 88.7.
During the concert, The Galax Smokehouse will be on site with its signature barbecue, down-home sides, drinks, and desserts available for purchase.
