Media Advisory: “Over Home: Love Songs from Madison County”
To gather footage for their documentary “Over Home,” Wake Forest University’s Documentary Film Program students Kim Dryden and Joe Cornelius traveled deep into the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina to the heavily forested, sparsely populated and rugged area that is Madison County.
The 40-minute film focuses on the life and journey of Sheila Kay, a ballad singer who carries seven generations of her Scotch-Irish family’s songs, but it also features young singers working to re-embed traditional ballad singing into modern-day culture — touching on GenY’s increased interest in roots music.
“Many in my generation are disillusioned with mainstream pop music, and social media outlets like Spotify offer a way to build community around musicians who share their songs because they love to play, not because they expect to make money,” said Dryden. “Ten years ago we would never have heard these obscure folk musicians. People first hear the music virtually, but it’s the face-to-face concerts in yoga studios and other small venues that keeps the interest in folk music growing.”
The “Over Home: Love Songs from Madison County” screening and reception will be held Tues., Oct. 2 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at The Barn on Wake Forest’s Reynolda Campus. A question and answer session will follow.
“I hope people take away from this film that ballad singing and roots music are a part of our American heritage,” said Dryden. “That young singers are taking on an old mountain tradition and making it their own is essential for this music to survive. The next generation is breathing new life into these old songs which tell stories that are as meaningful today as they were hundreds of years ago.”
Dryden is available for morning shows and radio to talk about the making of their film and GenY’s growing interest in roots music.
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