Part one of this two-part series focused on WSKV 104.9 PickUp Country, who serves an eight-county area out of studios in Stanton and Irvine, and their work to support local musicians and foster the growing local music community. Find it here.
Steam Engine Session Room music venue is the year-round hub of the flourishing Estill County singer-songwriter community. Consistently selling out shows with its intimate setting, the Session Room fits 100 people in its space adjacent to Steam Engine Pizza Pub, a sister restaurant to iconic Apollo Pizza of nearby Richmond.
Steam Engine Owner Wesley Browne said they refer to the Session Room as “the room that Tyler Childers built.” Childers, who lives in Estill County, has recently topped iTunes and Billboard charts. Browne said they started booking him to play the restaurant, but it was so crowded they had to close the restaurant. His business partner suggested they renovate the space next door, which had been vacant for some time, and connect it to the restaurant. Though their licensing agreement limits the number of shows they can put on each year, Steam Engine sees the incredible value in what live music brings to the county.
“Five years ago, if you were in downtown Irvine in the evenings, there was no one. Now, the lights are on, there’s people out doing stuff. People from other counties are coming over for the weekend. It’s totally different,” Browne said.
Steam Engine had a new goal in mind for this summer. They wanted to help local musicians, so they hosted a new and unique event called the Play-In competition. The event is a band/solo act contest for Kentucky artists performing original material. The first round this year included nine acts who could each play up to 15 minutes of original music. After the first night, four were chosen to advance to the next weekend, where they could play approximately 45 minutes of original music.
Judging panels were comprised of booking agents, artist representatives and fellow musicians. Any act that had previously been booked and played at the venue was not eligible. The event was photographed and documented by Capture Kentucky, a blog and social media site supporting local musicians through photography, write-ups and more on its website.
Larah Helayne, a young musician from Montgomery County, won the competition. She won $500, a band photo shoot with Erica Chambers Photography valued at $350, a future paid gig at Steam Engine Session Room, and a 2020 slot at the Kickin’ It on the Creek Festival. Lance Rogers was the runner-up who also received a future paid gig at Steam Engine and a band photo shoot from Alexis Faye Photography.
Steam Engine hosted another unique, sold-out event earlier this year: the first-ever Sweet Thing Jamboree, an event featuring 10 women musicians from the region. The Jamboree was organized by Estill County native and musician, Senora May, and will continue to be an annual event.
Like its music, Steam Engine believes in keeping things local. Sound and recording at most of their events is done by WSKV 104.9 PickUp Country, whose Irvine studio is located across the street.
Estill County is quickly becoming known throughout Kentucky and beyond for its vibrant music community. Kickin’ It on the Creek is a music festival now in its fourth year established by the Roberts family on their farm in the county. This year, a line of campers wrapped around the streets of downtown Irvine waiting for tickets. Some tickets were reserved for online sales, but they sold out in a manner of seconds.
“This is not a scene, this is a community. From gospel to bluegrass to rock, we have such a rich history of music here in the county, and we are glad to be getting more attention and more ears,” singer-songwriter and Irvine native Geno Seale said.
“The local community here wants to see this and everyone in it succeed,” WSKV Program Director Angela Oldfield said of all the efforts in Estill County.
Music is such a strong tradition in Appalachia, and finding ways to embrace and foster its growth in the modern area are critical as we look to building Appalachia’s New Day.
About: This is story #30 in the Appalachia’s New Day campaign, a new storytelling effort launched in June 2019 by MACED for Eastern Kentucky communities. We can work with you to help identify, shape and amplify stories about businesses, programs and initiatives in your community that are helping build a new economy. Read more stories here. Contact us or sign up here if you would like more details.
