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Hank, Pattie And The Current Meld Bluegrass With Bach

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From left: Robert Thornhill, Pattie Hopkins, Ben Parker, E. Scott Warren, and Hank Smith
Courtesy of Hank, Pattie and the Current

Classically-trained violinist and fiddler Pattie Hopkins Kinlaw and bluegrass banjo player Hank Smith might seem like an unlikely duo. But Hank Smith grew up testing the limits of his instrument and bending the conventional genre in unexpected ways. 

The two added Ben Parker on guitar, Robert Thornhill on mandolin and guitar, and E. Scott Warren on bass to create the fresh sound of Hank, Pattie and The Current, who will release a new album this September.

The band plays at Muddy Creek Music Hall in Winston Salem at 8 p.m. on Sept. 8, at the Fletcher Opera Theaterfor a CD release party at 8 p.m. on Sept. 22, and are showcase artists at the International Bluegrass Music Association World of Bluegrass in Raleigh from Sept. 26 to 30.

Host Frank Stasio talks with Hank, Pattie and The Current about their blended style and their latest songs. 

The State of ThingsPattie HopkinsHank SmithBen ParkerRobert ThornhillHank Pattie and the CurrentWorld of BluegrassFiddleBanjo
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Jennifer Brookland
Jennifer Brookland is the American Homefront Project Veterans Reporting Fellow. She covers stories about the military and veterans as well as issues affecting the people and places of North Carolina.
See stories by Jennifer Brookland
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio