Double vision

“We’re going to cover a wide span of roots and Americana music,” said Laurel Premo, half of Red Tail Ring.

Billy Strings & Don Julin are a bit of a musical odd couple. Strings is a 22-yearold, tattoo-covered guitarist and singer who attacks his instrument with machinegun precision. Don Julin, who will turn 55 later this year, is a veteran mandolinist whose influences range from Vivaldi to Led Zeppelin. Together they serve up an explosive, virtuosic take on traditional bluegrass music. The Bluegrass Situation blog described their most recent album as “the unholy child of Pantera and Tony Rice.”

“They’ll melt your face off,” Premo said with a laugh.

Red Tail Ring will perform first, providing a contrast to Billy Strings & Don Julin’s fiery style.

“We specialize in intricate harmonies and instrumental interplay,” said Premo. “It will be a really nice combination.”

The Kalamazoo-based duo blurs past and present, performing traditional music from the Appalachian Mountains region alongside original songs written in that style. Premo said that this mix of old and new leads to interesting conversations, as audience members try to figure out which tunes are traditional and which are new creations.

“I’m so happy that people are interested in where the music comes from,” she said.

Laurel spoke with me by phone from the Upper Peninsula, a place that has become an important resting place for her.

“I grew up in the U.P. in a very rural setting, in the woods, really,” she explained. “I recently bought a house in Kalamazoo, but the U.P. is where I go to recharge.”

Balancing urban life and a hunger for nature is key for Premo.

“I need to have a little bit of both to stay healthy,” she says.

Formed in 2009, Red Tail Ring has built a reputation by touring the U.S. and beyond. Recent tours included stops in Germany and the Czech Republic.

“Life on the road has gotten increasingly better,” Premo said. “As we keep touring, we make more and more friends in different areas. Our fans are very hospitable.”

While these tours have taken the pair all over the world, Premo feels a special connection to places that remind her of home.

“I’ve found myself falling in love with places that remind me of the wilds of Michigan,” Premo said. “Places like Vermont and West Virginia. The environment is so beautiful.”

Red Tail Ring released their last album, “The Heart’s Swift Foot,” in 2013. The past year has found the duo focusing on collaborations, including “The New Roots Exchange, Vol. 1,” an EP recorded with bluegrass band Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys. The duo also recorded the album “The Right Hands ‘Round” as part of the string-band quartet Bowhunter.

While folk music has a myriad of traditions and conventions, Premo finds the genre anything but restricting.

“We’re not falling back on the tropes of pop music,” she said. “We don’t have to satisfy top 40 radio and be easy to digest. We can give you a lot to think about.”

—TY FORQUER

Billy Strings & Don Julin and Red Tail Ring at Ten Pound Fiddle

8 p.m. Friday, March 20 $15/$12 members/$5 students MSU Community Music School 4930 S. Hagadorn Road, East Lansing tenpoundfiddle.org

THURSDAY, MARCH 19-22 & MARCH 26-29 >> ‘VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE’ AT RIVERWALK THEATRE 

Riverwalk’s production of “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” sees Hollywood starlet Masha and her youthful arm candy Spike return to the family farm where her siblings, Vanya and Sonia, reside. The encounter erupts in a comedic examination of life and love. The play has been praised for being a humorous adaptation of themes from the works of Anton Chekhov that doesn´t require familiarity with Chekhov. Thursday 7 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 8 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m. $15/$12 seniors and students. Riverwalk Theatre, 228 Museum Drive, Lansing. (517) 482-5700, riverwalktheatre.com.

THURSDAY, MARCH 19-22 & MARCH 26-29 >> ‘DOGFIGHT’ AT PEPPERMINT CREEK THEATRE CO. 

Peppermint Creek presents the Michigan premiere of the musical adaptation of the 1991 Warner Bros. film, “Dogfight.” Set in the early 1960s, this musical features three marines as they set out for a night of adult mischief before they’re deployed to Southeast Asia. The three make a bet to present to one another the ugliest girl they can find in town. But when Corporal Eddie Birdlace chooses an awkward waitress named Rose as his offering, he learns a powerful lesson he won’t soon forget. Thursday-Saturday 8 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m. $20/$15 students and seniors 65 and over. Miller Performing Arts Center, 6025 Curry Lane, Lansing. peppermintcreek.org.

FRIDAY, MARCH 20 >> SHUTO CON 2015

The streets of downtown Lansing will be overrun with titan-battling military officers and cat-eared cosplayers galore for 2015’s Shuto Con anime convention. This year’s convention promises an even bigger schedule that celebrates all things anime including art vendors, live music, dedicated gaming halls and visits from top talent in the anime voiceover industry. Guests are encouraged to come in full costume and take part in the convention’s “interactive cosplay experience,” where you can participate in mock battles with other attendees. Shuto Con began in 2009 with a goal of highlighting artists and cosplayers and has grown exponentially every year since. Friday 9 a.m-Sunday 6 p.m. Check the website for admission information and full schedule. Lansing Center, 333 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. shutocon.com.

FRIDAY, MARCH 20-21 & MARCH 27-28 >> ‘THEY’RE PLAYING OUR SONG’ AT LCC

Lansing Community College’s new musical comedy explores the loving relationship between a neurotic composer and an offbeat lyricist in “They’re Playing Our Song.” The play, which takes place in the 1970s, tells the story of Sonia and Vernon’s colorful relationship. Armed with three alter egos apiece, the two try to sort out their past and make sense of the present. The play is co-written by and based on the lives of famed songwriting duo Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager. Friday-Saturday 8 p.m. $10/$5 students. LCC Black Box Theatre, Gannon Building, 411 N. Grand Ave., Lansing. lcc.edu/showinfo.

FRIDAY, MARCH 20 >> MSU MUSEUM WINE TASTING BENEFIT

The MSU Museum is home to many great exhibits and programs, but sometimes maintaining such a high level excellence requires just a little help from the community. The Kellogg Hotel and Conference center hosts the MSU Museum Wine Tasting Benefit. Guests can sample over 175 wines from around the world. In between sips, guests can also participate in a silent auction and sign up to win door prizes. All proceeds from the evening benefit programs at the MSU Museum. 7-9:30 p.m. $45. Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, 219 S. Harrison Road, East Lansing. (517) 355-2370, museum.msu.edu.