February is the month of love. We usually think about cupids and Valentines and love songs – but there will be an unusual kind of love song this particular Valentines Week on the Mountain Music Trail. The friends and family of  Greenbrier County’s Zemph Sapanski (pictured above)  – pianist, performer, piano tuner and raconteur – are holding a celebration in his honor at the Greenbrier Valley Theater in Lewisburg Sunday, February 17 from 5 to 7pm. His daughter Aracoma Sapanski Smith writes: “Come join us in celebrating the life of Walter “Zemph” Sapanski AKA the Piano Man! A beloved Father, family member, and friend, Zemph touched many lives with his kindness, talent, and unique personality. Fellow musicians will be filling the Greenbrier Valley Theater with the sounds of live music – the essence of Zemph’s spirit! Delicious food will provided, and we welcome you to bring additional food you wish to share! A cash bar will be available for those who wish to toast to Zemph, and each other, as we bid him farewell.” To hear Zemph tickle the ivories once again, go to vimeo.com/244137208

The biggest acts coming to the Mountain Music Trail this month are The Steel Wheels (pictured above), at the Purple Fiddle in Thomas on Friday, February 15: youtube.com/watch?v=Ym3Mt3rvjbg and Bela Fleck (pictured below) in solo concert at Carnegie Hall, WV Saturday, February 16: youtube.com/watch?v=Zxv839_HeFo

Other events along the Mountain Music Trail for February include:

Friday, Feb 1 8:30pm at the Purple Fiddle: The Dirty Grass Players. Their rap is “Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, The Dirty Grass Players have established themselves with one toe-tappin’ foot in traditional bluegrass and blazing musicianship that pushes boundaries” youtube.com/watch?v=WyGo4HnxK4g

Saturday, Feb. 2, 7-10pm, the Elk River Ramblers at Soaring Eagle Lodges, Snowshoe, WV youtube.com/watch?v=03MdPpNdO4I

Saturday, Feb. 9 – MMT member Sugar Run Band at the New River Community College Fiddle, Banjo and Dance Club dance in Dublin, VA youtube.com/watch?v=EIp0o18_xA0

The weekend after Valentine’s Day at the Purple Fiddle:

Friday, Feb 15 – Them Coulee Boys from Wisconsin will open for the Steel Wheels. They say about themselves “Allegedly founded at a bible camp, and born in the back valleys of Western Wisconsin, Them Coulee Boys craft a brand of Americana that blends punk, bluegrass, and rock & roll.  Somewhere underneath the energy, the exuberance, the wit, and the passion of Them Coulee Boys lies a heart.  It’s a heart filled with sincerity, honesty, and the will to make the world a better place.” youtube.com/watch?v=sa3XIEYMqZ4

Saturday, February 16 thru Monday, February 18 at 1 pm each day Jason Ring (Two-Handed Orchestra)  with a FREE Afternoon Concert: “He’s a one-man blues bluegrass-jazz band” youtube.com/watch?v=pcSv0LssQZ8

– Gibbs Kinderman w. Mountain Music Trail. HashtagWV #110 February 2019.