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Java Blend Exclusive Hour with The Matchsellers

The Matchsellers

On Friday, September 30th, Midwestern bluegrass group The Matchsellers will perform on IPR Studio One's "Java Blend." 

Stop by The Java House in downtown Iowa City at 2 P.M. to hear Java Blend host Ben Kieffer chat with the duo and listen to tunes off the group's new album, Songs We Made Up.

The Matchsellers are Warsaw, Indiana native Andrew Morris and Julie Bates of Kansas City, Missouri. Their exciting, gritty, and often hilarious stage show has been developed over three years of relentless touring across the US and Europe. Though deeply rooted in bluegrass and old time tradition, the pair’s respective backgrounds in electric blues guitar and classical violin– as well as a penchant for the absurd– offers a refreshing point of view. The group has been featured on various NPR and international radio stations as well as blogs including The Bluegrass Situation, Dying For Bad Music and more.

Bates and Morris met in 2012 while teaching abroad in Leipzig, Germany. They found common ground in the music of their homeland, and hobby turned to profession when they hit the road permanently a year later. Their second full-length album, Songs We Made Up,  features the duo’s excellent musicianship, tight vocal harmonies, and wacky world view, ranging from beautiful waltzes to stolen crackers. Notable performances include: Norman Music Fest, KC Fringe Fest, Central Ohio Folk Fest, Westport Roots Fest, Old Mill Fest, Kansas State Picking & Fiddling Championships among others.  For booking and/or general information contact them: thematchsellers [at] gmail.com

Ben Kieffer is the host of IPR's River to River