After graduating from Indiana University in 2012, Andrew Morris moved to Germany and formed an American-style string band in 2013.
Morris met his wife, Julie Bates, while the two taught English in Leipzig, Germany, and along with East German resonator guitar player Kevin Schmidt, they formed The Matchsellers.
Over a decade and a few lineup changes later, The Matchsellers will return to Bloomington for the Lake Lemon Conservancy District’s second-annual Riddle Point Boogie, a fundraiser to support conservation efforts at Lake Lemon.
The Boogie will feature musical performances by Americana and bluegrass artists, painting, fishing and a beer garden, according to a press release. Bands will perform between 2-10 p.m. Saturday at Riddle Point Park in Unionville, Indiana, about 11 miles from Bloomington. He’s looking forward to playing near his alma mater and seeing his Hoosier friends.
“And I'm also really looking forward to playing with some of the other bands,” Morris said, mentioning the headlining act, Armchair Boogie, and another group, Mama Said String Band. “And hanging out next to the lake and just having a good time.”
The venue is an important part of the event for LLCD office supervisor Ross Carlson. One of the reasons LLCD decided to have the first Riddle Point Boogie in 2023 was to bring in people who might not typically visit the park, Carlson said.
The 2024 Boogie was replaced by an event for the solar eclipse, but the reception to the first Boogie was so positive, he said LLCD wanted to have it again.
“Having such a great venue and a beautiful place, we wanted to showcase that by having some live music out here,” Carlson said. “So, we set up a stage at the end of the point so that it's basically surrounded by water, and we will have Upland Brewing and our beer garden, along with Butler Winery serving wines.”
Carlson said food trucks, face paintings and merchandise vendors will be present at the family-friendly event.
“I think we've got, you know, a really great lineup of bands this year,” Carlson said. “You know, the headliner, Armchair Boogie brings a lot of energy in their set. They're kind of a more modern style bluegrass, so we're really excited to have them out.”
Morris said The Matchsellers’ style runs the gamut while remaining steeped in bluegrass tradition. Their lineup is classic: Matthew Hawkins plays the banjo, Bates the fiddle, Dan Perez plays bass and Morris sings and plays guitar, yet with their acoustic instruments they sometimes play songs with indie rock, punk and Broadway influences.
“I'd say that's kind of our sound, it's, you know, a string band format, deeply rooted in the tradition, but also not ignoring the fact that we live in the 21st century and you know, honoring other kinds of music that we grew up with and that we write,” Morris said.
The Matchsellers’ European origins come through in their songs. They’ll occasionally sing in German or Czech, Morris said. Bates is half-Czech, and the band started performing a song from her childhood after playing at a festival last summer in the Czech Republic.
Another part of The Matchsellers’ variety is the inclusion of puppetry in their shows. Hawkins, the band’s banjo player, is also a professional puppeteer, and Morris said the Riddle Point Boogie set will include a puppet show.
“It's a pretty diverse show and musical format,” Morris said. “So hopefully people can, whatever, laugh and cry and everything in between at one of our shows.”
IU students can receive a 10% discount on tickets with the code “GoIU.”
