Appalachian APP-UH-LATCH-UN.

For some reason I hear a lot of dismissal of the fiddle. Hillbilly music. Old timey. Hickville. Backwards. It’s shrugged off, ignored, scoffed at by folks with degrees in fancy schools. For a moment I guess we can set aside the fact that the fiddle ain’t exactly what we might call easy to play. So, what if fiddle playing is mountain folk music played in hills and hollers? I reckon this is the foundation of my work, especially my work over on my community engagement page @kodawylder – that just because it’s country, it’s rural, it’s mountain, it’s Appalachian, it’s Southern, does not mean it’s synonymous with ignorant, uneducated, or some other form of verbage meaning insufficient.

The fiddle – Appalachian Music – transcends. There are no rules. This music was developed in a place of resistance, of independence, of freedom. This culture has grown beyond a few descriptions or a few sounds or a few stories. We took what we needed, what we wanted, borrowed the sounds and the instrument from our Irish roots and wrapped it around our stories and our histories and our ballads. We mixed it with mournful cried and cautionary tales and hungry pleas.

To appreciate our – your – culture, to respect each other, to know each other, is to remember the truth beyond all these stereo-types and labels and genre’s and descriptions. We see, everyday, that these labels transcend beyond race or religion or age or time. We ride aboard similar plights, though these hardships vary vastly, and we bask in our culture. This is the sound of a fiddle or the heat of the summer or the taste of honeysuckle or train tracks through town or coyotes crying out in the night. Rap is country, the fiddle is soulful, beauty is strength.

The people of this region, this music, this time, are not a monolith. We are a quilt, patchwork, varied, beautiful, handcrafted from hard work and a labor of love, art meant to be thrown over a couch and wrapped around sick babies and tired old men and stained with use and time.

Fiddle Players You Oughta Check Out and Some Music With Fiddles

Uncle Am

Jim Booker

The Crooked Still

Old Crow Medicine Show

Merle Haggard

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

The ORIGINAL Skillet Lickers

Folks To Learn From

Fiddle History

Black Fiddle History

Sewanee, TN is where I attended college for my BFA and I am constantly down that way to hike, photograph, and explore- I know that place about as well as I know my own hometown and I love sharing it with my clients. The campus is over 13,000 acres of open land including caves, waterfalls, and a 23 mile trail which I completed a few years ago and plan to do again soon! It would make the perfect trail for an all day hiking elopement focused on views, trail life, gettin’ sweaty, and ending the day with the perfect pizza or sandwich from the local joint owned by a Sewanee graduate. While, yes, Sewanee is a small town… that’s kind of the point. I myself am from a small town and that’s where I thrive both artistically and emotionally. Additionally- this means that the focus of the area is on the outdoors, the community, the trail systems, and getting back to the basics.

Sewanee itself has two restaraunts- Shenanigans and The Blue Chair Cafe and Tavern. Shenanigans is a sweet little burger, pizza, sandwich shop with a bar element- however, it’s completely family friendly and pet friendly. I’ve actually photographed a wedding in the bar upstairs- totally badass. Shenanigans also has a food truck which would be neat to rent out for an elopement. The Blue Chair is part cafe with a full breakfast menu, bakery, coffees, and hand-scooped ice cream. But, it’s also a tavern with beers, famous chicken wings, and an upbeat, busy vibe.

The town adjacent to Sewanee is Monteagle where there’s a few chain restaraunts, a Waffle House (up for a Waffle House Vista Elopement? Let’s do it.) the Mountain Goat Market, a few drug stores, and the best outfitters shop for gettin’ yourself geared up for those local hikes. Everything in the area is fairly assible being maybe a fifteen minute drive away from most of my favorite elopement locations, but it being a small town means when you’re in the woods- you feel like you’re in the woods.

Airbnb’s– the mountain is covered with large houses, small little cabins, and RVs to rent out for a few days or a few weeks. I have a few favorites and if you’re down to book I’ll send you my full planning guide for Sewanee sessions, elopements, or road trips. There’s also a few hotels that you can book out in the area as well. AND, if you’re into vanlife this is a fantastic area to stay in whether you want a campsite or a parking lot to stay in.

Trail Systems- This is my favorite part. I spent the better part of my life in Sewanee out in the woods, trekking around, and hiding from my homework. I do keep a lot of these places more private and only share exact locations with booked clients to focus on Leave No Trace and protecting the area which is very sacred not only to me, but to everyone who has the chance to get to visit the area. However, I’ll talk about a few of my favorite trails nearby that are already popular. ALSO- Sewanee is close to a number of State Parks, National Parks, lakes, rivers, cave systems, and has a fantastic bouldering community.

The most well known trail in the area is the Sewanee, P-Trail which is roughly 23 miles long around the domain. There are many bail out points throughout the trail so you can section hike it or, my favorite, push the full 23-miles in a day starting out early and finishing in time to grab some pizza and catch the sunset at one of the many overlooks in the area. The Lake Cheston area is absolutely stunning- I’ve spent many, many hours out there lounging around reading, snuggling with my dog, and soaking in the sun. It’s a great location for hiking, biking, or an elopement.

The Franklin State Forest is super close to Sewanee and if you wanted to grab an Airbnb in town, then drive over to the park it would be a great location for an all day adventure elopement with sites, climbing, and a beautiful scenic drive. Buggy Top is also a short drive away from Sewanee leading to an intense 4 mile hike to one of the most beautiful cave systems with a flowing river showing off shallow and deeper water under a canopy of lush trees. Honestly, this is one of my favorite hikes in Sewanee and well worth it at the top when you reach the vast over-hang, bubbling stream, and boulders.

If you’re interested in a road trip, elopement, portraiture session, or family session holler at me!