So yah hey… the Sugar Maple Concert Series is a year-round celebration of the past, present and future of the annual summer Sugar Maple Festival. This year’s series kicks off this Thursday (Dec. 10th) with two fantastic bands: Mountain Heart and The Hot Seats. Technically, this will be both of these bands first Sugar Maple experience but both bands have already have deep ties to the fest. To that end here’s what may be the first of many installments of the Six Degrees of SugarMaple…

Mountain Heart’s bass player Jason Moore has recorded for Michael Cleveland’s solo albums, and toured extensively with James King. (Michael appeared with Audie Blaylock and Redline at the 2006 Sugar Maple Fest; James King appeared for the Sugar maple Concert Series March 2009.)

Aaron Ramsey, mandolinist for Mountain Heart, won the 2002 MerleFest mandolin competition at age 17. in March of 2006, he became a member of Randy Kohrs’ band, the Lites, playing bass then mandolin and recorded mandolin and bass on several cuts of Randy’s two most recent recordings, I’m Torn and Old Photographs. (Randy Kohrs appeared on the mainstage artist Jim Lauderdale and workshop artist Randy Sabien during 2007 Sugar Maple Fest.)

The Hot Seats have recorded and/or shared stage with Adam Tanner (2008 SugarMaple Fest); Hunger Mountain Boys (2006 Fest); everybodyfields (ibid); FoghornStringband (2005 Fest and 2006 Sugar Maple Concert Series); Karl Shiflett (2004 Fest); Carolina Chocolate Drops (2008 Concert Series); The Wilders (2005 and 2006 Concert Series); Forge Mountain Diggers (2007 Concert Series).

And the list goes on…