Hickory – The City of Hickory’s 2021 Sails Original Music Series, presented by Frye Regional Medical Center, continues in October and welcomes visionary bluesman Selwyn Birchwood back to The Sails Stage on Friday, October 1, at 6:30 p.m. in Downtown Hickory.

He performed for the “Tunes in Trade Alley” special Sails Original Music Series event in June 2019 and enthralled the audience with his fiery guitar and lap steel playing, trailblazing lyrics, and gritty vocals. Highly regarded as one of the most extraordinary young stars in the blues, Birchwood calls his original music “electric swamp funkin’ blues,” defined by raw and soulful musicianship played with fire-and-brimstone fervor.

No other band on the current blues scene is built quite like Birchwood’s. In addition to Selwyn’s electrifying guitar and lap steel playing, the other featured instrument is Regi Oliver’s driving baritone sax. The group is rounded out by bass, drums, and keyboards.

Sails Music Coordinator Bob Sinclair says, “Selwyn is writing and performing terrific contemporary blues. But you can hear and see that Selwyn has been influenced by the past – and he honors the history of the genre. You hear the voices of the past blues masters like an echo within his original songs.”

The Sails Original Music Series is able to bring excellent musical entertainment from all over the United States with the help of numerous sponsors, including Bob Sinclair Music, Larry’s Music & Sound, Pfahlert Creative Labs, Olde Hickory Brewery, and Crowne Plaza.

Audience members are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets. Union Square businesses will sell beer and wine in special marked cups that may be consumed on Union Square. There are a variety of close-by restaurants to also patronize.

The Sails Original Music Series will finish out the season with Cruz Contreras on October 15, Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba on October 22, and The Get Right Band on October 29.

For more information about the Sails Original Music Series and upcoming bands, please visit www.HickoryNC.gov/SailsMusic and follow the Sails Original Music Series Facebook page, www.facebook.com/SailsMusic.
Selwyn Birchwood