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Catch the Swingbillies of Boonetown as they make their Key City Sessions debut the weekend before Merlefest!

The Swingbillies are a newly founded eclectic acoustic band based out of Boone, NC. They play improvised music through a repertoire of traditional and classical styles from around the world.

The group is centred around award winning, conservatory trained musicians, Meade Richter and Savash Altuntas on fiddle and guitar and regularly features guests on bass and percussion.

Guitarist, Savash Altuntas, grew up singing and playing Flamenco style guitar in his homeland of Turkey and moved to the US to study French horn at Oberman School of Music at the age of 18. Fiddle player, Meade Richter, started playing Old-Time fiddle as a child and quickly made a name for himself in NC as a contest fiddle player. He became one of the first people to earn a 4-year-degree in Bluegrass Music Studies and went on to earn a Masters in Jazz Violin at the prestigious Norwegian Academy of Music.

The two have teamed up in an effort to guide audiences through a musical trip around the world focused on traditional styles and classic composers, with an emphasis on improvisation and personal expression. The Swingbillies transport listeners to distinct settings through their instruments and voices while creating something new and unique.