Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music is presenting “Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Holiday Concert” at the Appalachian Theater of the High Country on Saturday, December 18th at 7:30pm. This is JSMHM’s first live concert since before the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown in March of 2020. This special seasonal themed holiday show features two wonderful groups – Zoe and Cloyd and the Mountain Home Blue Grass Boys. Proceeds from this concert will be shared with The Hospitality House and Santa’s Toy Box non-profits. Hailing from opposite ends of the Appalachian Mountains, Zoe & Cloyd is renowned fiddler and vocalist Natalya Zoe Weinstein and award-winning songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist John Cloyd Miller. Their show is as diverse as their upbringing: coming from a lineage of klezmer and jazz musicians, Natalya trained classically in her home state of Massachusetts before moving south in 2004. John, a twelfth generation North Carolinian and grandson of pioneering bluegrass fiddler, Jim Shumate, is a 1st place winner of the prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Contest as well as an Artist Fellowship recipient for songwriting from the North Carolina Arts Council. Weinstein states, “In our family, we celebrate Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice, and Christmas, based on our family backgrounds. We love recognizing a variety of traditions and teaching them to our daughter. At the Mountain Home Music Holiday Concert, we are excited to present selections from our klezmer (Jewish folk music) repertoire, as well as traditional bluegrass Christmas songs.” http://www.zoeandcloyd.com/ The Mountain Home Bluegrass Boys have served as the “house band” for many concerts at JSMHM for 25 years. This quartet features two-time national bluegrass banjo champion Steve Lewis – he played at the very first MHM concert at Our Daily Bread in Boone back in 1994. Scott Freeman plays both the mandolin and fiddle and is known throughout the region for his teaching both instruments. Josh Scott holds it all together on bass – he played with piano player, Jeff Little for years. The twice-national studio musician of the year, David Johnson, is the front man for MH Bluegrass Boys and can play anything with strings! Johnson has played for every MHM Appalachian Christmas Concert and he and the MHBGB will cover many of the bluegrass and country Christmas songs and tunes associated with this special holiday! JSMHM director, Rodney Sutton tells us – “JSMHM has had to be flexible and forward thinking in continuing Joe Shannon’s quest to give back to the folks in the High Country for 2021. For years Joe staged his Appalachian Christmas Concert early in December, usually at Grace Lutheran Church in Boone. It was a free concert with musicians donating their talents and money was collected to support two local non-profits; the Hospitality House – which is Watauga County’s homeless shelter – and Santa’s Toy Box, which helps to assure that all children in Watauga County get a visit from Santa. Sutton added, “This year we are trying something new – presenting a ticketed event with reserved seating at ATHC. Proceeds from this concert will be shared with JSMHM, the Hospitably House and Santa’s Toy Box. All three of these non-profits have been adversely affected by the pandemic! This special holiday concert will have something for everyone in the High Country – both our neighbors who celebrate Hanukkah and those who celebrate Christmas!”