Strictly Clean and Decent Tours Germany

Why are these musicians smiling?

Kay Tom and Patrick

(click the photo for a print-ready file)

Kay Crouch, Tom Kuhn, and Patrick Crouch are
Strictly Clean and Decent, or, for a few weeks
this summer, Nur Sauber und Anständig

Local musicians Kay Crouch, Tom Kuhn, and Patrick Crouch are touring Germany this summer. Performing as Strictly Clean and Decent, they will participate in a Western Piedmont Sister Cities Cultural Exchange Tour in Germany for three weeks. They will perform North Carolina music in Berlin, Altenburg, Wernigerode, Sulzbach-Laufen, Freiburg/Stegen, Achern, and Munich.

Strictly Clean and Decent is a local band dedicated to playing acoustic music. The group was formed by Ron Shuffler, Reggie Harris, and Patrick Crouch in 1988. Kay Crouch replaced Reggie Harris in 1991 and she, Ron, and Patrick have carried their banner proudly since that time touring Ireland, hosting the Caldwell Traditional Musicians Showcase, and performing for live music events throughout the region.

Tom Kuhn will fill in for Ron Shuffler on bass, mandolin, and vocals on this tour. Tom currently resides in Charlotte, NC where he is known as the ultimate side man and band member. He performs regularly with Red Rocking Chair, Chuck Johnson and Charlyhorse, and the Chuck Johnson duo.

Kay and Patrick Crouch have a long musical relationship with Tom Kuhn.

They began performing together in 1981 with Mark Bumgarner in a four piece country band known as Long Time Gone. Although the charter members of the Long Time Gone band have gone on to pursue other musical projects they still perform together as often as possible. Patrick and Tom perform each Tuesday night with Red Rocking Chair in the Comet Grill in Charlotte.

This Germany tour is sponsored by the Western Piedmont Sister Cities Association. Members include Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba Counties as well as numerous cities and towns within those counties. The association was chartered in 1993 to establish partnerships with communities worldwide. In 1997, the association made international history joining with Altenburger Land in the state of Thuringia in the heart of Germany to create the first region-to-region partnership through Sister Cities International. This relationship has flourished ever since. Just last fall, a delegation from Altenburg, led by the newly elected Chair of County Commissioners of Altenburger Land, Michaele Sojka, toured our area.

Western Piedmont Sister Cities Chairman, Joachim Koerner, will serve as road manager for the tour. Joachim is a celebrated foreign language instructor who has conducted many student and cultural exchanges during his tenure in the Burke and Caldwell County School Systems for over 25 years. He has led the successful Carolina Wind musical tour of Germany in the summer of 2013. Koerner believes in International Cultural Exchange Programs as the best medicine against Prejudice and Intolerance.

Strictly Clean and Decent will have many appearances in Western North Carolina upon their return from Germany. You may see them in concert at the Beech Mountain Summer Sunset Concert at Fred’s Gazebo on July 26, Mountain Home Music Series on August 15, and the Happy Valley Fiddlers Convention on September 6. Please drop by to say “Howdy” and hear all about the Germany tour. And remember, “Halten sie in dir melodie, jungen and Madchen.”



Please contact Patrick Crouch for additional information:
ticknockstudio@bellsouth.net

828-729-0853

 

Howdy, Folks, Howdy...


Now that Kay and Patrick are both retired from their daytime jobs, they've got so much music happening that their web guy can't keep up. So rather than coming here for news and events, click on over and ask Patrick to add you to the SCD email list:

strictlycleananddecent88@gmail.com

Hang on tight.

 

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