The Local Honeys - coal and luthiery in Kentucky

The Local Honeys (Linda Jean Stokley and Montana Hobbs) from east Kentucky made a big impact at the 13th Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival (2019) and other appearances in Ireland, so Jonny Therrien's recent Bluegrass Situation feature on them should be welcome to their fans here. It introduces their fifteen-minute video 'Dying to make a living', shot in a concert situation and posted on YouTube three months ago.

In the first five minutes the Honeys show how coal dominates the land and people of Appalachia, with the hardships that this continues to inflict. Doug Naselroad's Troublesome Creek Stringed Instrument Co. and its Appalachian School of Luthiery enable people to turn their lives around by producing fine acoustic guitars, mandolins, and dulcimers. The Company's website is well worth exploring throroughly, and it is also on Facebook. The video ends with the Honeys and their group performing the song that gives the video its name.

© Richard Hawkins