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The Gamble Rogers Folk Festival and St. Johns Cultural Council co-present “Live From The Waterworks,” a monthly concert series hosted at this venue built in 1898. The series is now in its second year, running every October to June, and aims to do what the annual Gamble Rogers Folk Festival does every April: celebrate folk music by showcasing musicians who echo Rogers’ balladry, storytelling and guitar skill.
On Saturday, March 16, Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley will perform at The Waterworks with special guest Larry Mangum.
Called “two musical phenoms” by NPR, Ickes and Hensley are a musical duo like no other.
Ickes grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and started playing the Dobro guitar as a teenager. He later moved to Nashville, playing on records with the best in the business, including Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Earl Scruggs, Merle Haggard and Alison Krauss.
He is the most decorated musician in IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) history, earning an unprecedented number (15 and counting) of Dobro Player of the Year accolades.
Hensley grew up in East Tennessee and started singing gospel at the age of 6. After attending his first bluegrass festival, he was inspired to play guitar. By age 11, the guitar prodigy was invited to perform at the life-changing Grand Ole Opry. He has earned IBMA Guitar Player of the Year nominations and has performed with Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels, The Oak Ridge Boys, Ricky Skaggs, Peter Frampton and Old Crow Medicine Show.
The two musical forces have been called “bluegrass aces” by Rolling Stone and “two of the finest musicians playing today” by No Depression. All four of their albums have received widespread acclaim, including their first, which was nominated for a Grammy.
Known for their white-hot picking, soulful stone country vocals and world class musicianship, Ickes and Hensley have a signature style that defies genre while melding together bluegrass, country, blues, rock, jamgrass and string band music. They’ve shared stages with Tommy Emmanuel, Taj Mahal, Vince Gill, Marty Stuart and Steve Wariner.
They’ll be joined by special guest, singer-songwriter and troubadour Mangum. Originally from North Carolina, but now calling Jacksonville home, Mangum is an award-winning folk, rock, country and Americana artist.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. The intimate venue sells only 120 tickets, so don’t miss this special opportunity. Tickets are $20 each and are available on Eventbrite.
The 28th Annual Gamble Rogers Folk Festival is also coming soon. Held at the St. Johns County Fairgrounds on April 12-14, the three-day music fest will feature dozens of folk, Americana and bluegrass bands on four stages. Tickets are available on eventbrite.com.
