by MATTHEW NASH

Sequim Gazette

Seasoned musicians Ken Maaske and Les Wamboldt hope to find a new audience as a duet.

Their Silver and Gold group, named as an homage to a two-step fiddle tune, makes its Sequim debut from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday, April 13, at Wind Rose Cellars, 143 W. Washington St., with no cover.

They’ll play classic country mixed with bluegrass and pop with both originals and covers.

Wamboldt has built a name for himself through years of playing multiple stringed instruments. A few of his achievements include being named to the Western Swing Hall of Fame, touring with musical legends Johnny Horton and Billy Walker, playing for a few years at the Grand Ole Opry, hosting his own television show called “Mainstreet Jamboree” from 1953-1958 in Toronto, Ontario. The musical blood runs in his family: His cousin is Gordon Lightfoot.

Locally, he performs twice a month at the Fairmount Restaurant in Port Angeles with Maaske in their quartet Old Tyme Country.

Wamboldt said it’s harder to book shows as a quartet, so he and Maaske are looking for other options as a duo with Silver and Gold.

“The more you can do together in a smaller group the better,” he said.

Maaske joined Wamboldt in Old Tyme Country two years ago and continues to play in The Sound Dogs, a duo that primarily plays for retirement homes.

He started the accordion at age 6, which led to learning the piano, guitar, harmonica, mandolin, banjo and more.

“When I picked up the mandolin, it was magic. I thought the same with fiddle, but it was one of the hardest things I ever learned,” Maaske said. For shows, he’ll play the synthesizer guitar, which replicates a number of different sounds. He said it allows them to play a variety of songs and genres as a duo.

For more information on Silver and Gold, call Wamboldt at 808-1156 or Maaske at 582-7225.