PUTNEY- Twilight Music presents vaudevillian ragtime-jugband-blues-hillbilly-swing trio The Wiyos, with roots singer and songwriter Russell Kaback, at The United Church of Putney on Saturday, October 9, at 7:30 pm. Back from a coast-to-coast, 24-state tour with Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and John Mellencamp, the internationally acclaimed, Brooklyn-based Wiyos feature Michael Farkas, Teddy Weber, and Sauerkraut Seth Travins on vocals, washboard, harmonica, kazoo, steel and acoustic guitars, banjo, ukulele, and upright bass.

The Wiyos transport listeners back to the days when acoustic, handmade music could be heard on live radio and at community dances, juke joints, and house parties. Their song repertoire combines original compositions with covers from tin-pan alley to western swing, and features rustic sounds of the 1930s and ‘40s as well as electric post-modern soundscapes with smart lyrics. Their show is as visually exciting as it is sonically evocative. With infectious exuberance and theatrical skill, The Wiyos create a visual spectacle in the tradition of vaudeville-esque performers such as Fats Waller, the Hoosier Hotshots, and Uncle Dave Macon. Their on-stage physical comedy recalls the silent films of Laurel & Hardy, Keaton, and Chaplin.

The Wiyos’ fall tour features music from “The Wiyos of Oz,” an original theatrical production of dance and music created by The Wiyos and Wichita State University’s dance department last spring. That show inspired the band to compose their own original song cycle based on the 1939 film, “The Wizard of Oz.” The music and themes meld contemporary concepts with a wild interpretation of the original storyline as The Wiyos charm and amuse audiences with their exuberant style of old-timey music and vaudeville-esque physical comedy, passionately carrying this rich heritage into the 21st century.

The United Church is located at 15 Kimball Hill in downtown. Tickets for the show are $16 general, $14 students and seniors. For ticket reservations and information call (802) 254-9276. For more information visit www.thewiyos.com and www.twilightmusic.org.