The WVU Bluegrass Band released its new single “Rhopalocera” April 10 on all global streaming platforms.
The title Rhopalocera is Latin for “butterflies.” As songwriter and WVU Music Therapy student Emily Lehr explains, “I started researching the monarch butterfly to hopefully get inspired, and that’s where ‘Rhopalocera’ comes from. The verses are about how life changes constantly, and that’s always been hard for me to wrap my head around. But having good people around me has always been what keeps me grounded; that’s where the chorus comes in. This song is about the inconsistency of life and how having a friend to sit with through the hard times can make everything seem more manageable.”
The song is part of a new recording from the WVU Bluegrass Ensemble under the direction of Travis Stimeling, Musicology Professor at the Canady College of Creative Arts. The new album will consist of student-written original recordings and some classic bluegrass songs.
Rhopalocera was recorded on the evening of the COVID-19 University shutdown announcement. Stimeling and Joshua Swiger, Music Industry, found that Lehr’s song had a good message for the coming days ahead.
The single is released under Mon Hills Records, the WVU record label based out of the Canady College of Creative Arts under the direction of Darko Velichkovski and Swiger. Mon Hills is student-run with a team of more than 60 people.
Founded in 2014, the WVU Bluegrass and Old-Time Bands have performed in nearly half of West Virginia’s 55 counties, sharing their love of traditional Appalachian music with public school students and others. Both bands explore the rich traditions of music-making in our region while also forging new pathways within the tradition.
For more information, contact Tiffany Bunn of Mon Hills Records at tb0105@mix.wvu.edu or 904-571-3147.