Buzzbox

Dick Solberg is a throwback entertainer, a troubadour whose blend of bluegrass, Irish jigs, sea chanteys and Civil War battle songs has earned him a devoted following in what his bio describes as “the original colony states.” But over the past 25 years, the reputation of the man known as the Sun Mountain Fiddler has spread inland, and the New York-based Solberg boasts a sizable following in Kansas City. He’s even played with his near-namesake, jazz legend Claude “Fiddler” Williams. Accompanied by a colorful bunch of musicians who sport such monikers as “Junk Man,” “Alpha Geek” and “Dr. Mike the Wildlife Professor,” the Sun Mountain Fiddler supplements his eclectic musical offerings with engaging storytelling and a constant radiant smile. Rex Hobart, flanked by his own band of not-so-merry men, the Misery Boys, also has been known to flash an appealing grin, softening the mood between his bittersweet accounts of lost love and tear-diluted beer.