“An Evening of Appalachian Murder Ballads” will hit the stage of The Appalachian Theatre of the High Country for its sixth year Thursday at 7:30 p.m. 

Tickets are priced at $25 for adults and $15 for students. The show will feature 12 live performers, including Dave Brewer, Kattagast and Erin Williams Banks. 

Traditional ballads tell a narrative story about an event that has occurred. As a subgenre, the event in a murder ballad is a killing, and the stories, previously told or written down, are taken and put into song. Decades worth of storytelling are reflected in these ballads. They’re often told from the perspective of the victim in a murder. 

As both the director of the show and a performer, Kat Chaffin, known as Kattagast, said that the inspiration came from a show she performed in Atlanta. 

“It was a Murder Ballad show, but when I came back it got me thinking a lot about, you know, this region’s version of that and how it’s really particular to hear,” Chaffin said. 

One of the show’s main goals is centered on the significance of telling real stories about people’s experiences. The specific genre of a murder ballad encompasses a narrative element that intertwines decades’ worth of storytelling. Chaffin stressed the importance of showcasing these stories the right way and with respect. 

“We want it where we’re there ultimately to entertain, but there’s a mix of history involved and of seriousness,” Chaffin said. 

In addition to the musical aspect, which can be upbeat or more slowed down, many of the stories contain violent situations in a domestic sense. With October being domestic abuse awareness month, Chaffin said there has always been a portion of proceeds from the show that goes to Oasis. The show is cautious to recognize the human experience of the victims, as well as to put on an entertaining show. 

“We try to balance those kinds of very real and awful and, you know, legitimately scary things with, you know, levity and performance and humor and history,” Chaffin said. 

Many of the songs are original music inspired by research and a deep desire to tell these important stories. 

Banks, a performer in the show, elaborated on the significance of writing original songs for her performance in the show. 

“That is probably one of my favorite things to do is write music, and to do it for a community event is amazing,” Banks said. 

Her songs contain stories about the Durham case and The Demon Dog of Valle Crucis. Banks’ songwriting is rooted in truthtelling. She emphasizes the honesty and significance involved in telling someone else’s story through her own writing. 

“I wanted to dig into actual events that happen or one song in particular that happened in this town,” Banks said. 

Brewer, another performer, will reprise an original song that he has performed before, entitled “The Holloway Girl,” as well as a cover of an old roots tune called “The Pines” with fellow musician Charles Welch. 

In addition to being a performer in the show, Brewer is also a co-founder. Since he has been with the show from the beginning, he’s been able to watch the impact it’s had on the community as a whole. He emphasized the connection between the show’s atmosphere and the community. 

“Sometimes people pay a nice compliment to me at a show and they say, ‘Tonight really felt like a Boone night,’” Brewer said. “You know, like the kind of spirit that they’re talking about, the kind of community sort of coming out and people sort of seeing their friends and peers and whatever and you know, I think these shows have been of that nature.”

Brewer said it is an enjoyable show to be a part of and put on, between the music and the people, due to everyone in the local community coming together to make it happen. 

“I would say that because all the musicians are local that it’s a lot of fun. It’s a very fun backstage environment and like, you know, just the whole night,” Brewer said. 

“An Evening of Appalachian Murder Ballads” seeks to combine awareness and storytelling with the beauty of creating music with a tight-knit group of people. 

Banks said the music and storytelling mixing brings the story to life in a way that might otherwise get lost on paper. 

“It kind of raises the dead,” Banks said. “Like things that have been buried for a long time.”