News

Franklin, NC 10/25 Join Trout Fishing in America on the Road – 45 Years of Folk Music Fun

By Kim Grant, Published: September 29, 2025

“…A willingness to at once make fun of our most annoying daily habits, then to touch our hearts with tender and passionate images of family life, is what makes the connection between Trout Fishing in America and its audiences so compelling and poignant.”
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\r\n —National Public Radio
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\r\n Saturday, 10/25, Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts showtime 7pm, tickets $18 - $27 TICKET LINK 1028 Georgia Rd, Franklin, NC 28734
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\r\nThere is a handful of musical duos who can say they’ve been playing together for over 45 years and Trout Fishing In America is one of them. Meeting in the 1970s in Houston, TX, Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet were a part of the five-piece band St. Elmo’s Fire. When the group dissolved, Grimwood and Idlet formed Trout Fishing in America, named after Richard Brautigan’s novel.
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\r\nWith Grimwood on upright and electric bass and Idlet playing a variety of guitars, the singer/songwriters built a nationwide fanbase by delivering a percussive, vibrant sound and a dynamic stage presence. TFIA earned critical recognition as an eclectic folk-rock band who writes songs for all ages. The band received four Grammy nominations in the Best Music Albums For Children category, as well as three National Indie Awards, multiple Parent’s Choice and NAPPA Gold awards, and The American Library Award.
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\r\nKeith and Ezra have always been road dogs, driving tens of thousands of milesthroughout the United States every year. They had an infamous red truck, Robert Redford, which they had to retire after accumulating over half a million miles.
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\r\nIt is not unusual for three or four generations of a family to show up at a Trout performance and this is a point of pride for both Keith and Ezra.It maystill beimpossible to tell you what kind of music Trout plays, but after attending a show, you’llknow exactly what you’ve witnessed:two guys who still love what they do and areexcited to share it with you.
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