As if you needed another reason to go to MerleFest this year, Béla Fleck and The Earls of Leicester featuring Jerry Douglas, a supergroup homage to Flatt & Scruggs made up of several of bluegrass’s finest musicians, have been added to the 30th annual event honoring the late, great Doc Watson and his son, Merle, on Saturday, April 29, on the campus of Wilkes Community College.
Monthly Archives: February 2017
Mandolin Orange announces 2017 spring tour in support of ‘Blindfaller’
Critically Acclaimed Duo To Play Merlefest, Red Rocks, Bonnaroo, Forecastle, Red Wing Roots, Pickathon
Hailed by No Depression as “one of the most talented acts making music today,” North Carolina-based duo Mandolin Orange — Emily Frantz (fiddle/vocals) and Andrew Marlin (mandolin/vocals) — have announced spring tour dates in support of their critically acclaimed album, “Blindfaller,” according to a press release. The tour includes notable appearances at Merlefest, Red Rocks, Bonnaroo, Forecastle, Red Wing Roots and Pickathon.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band to release ‘Fishin’ in the Dark’ on Feb. 24
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band will release a greatest hits album featuring five decades of American music on Friday, Feb. 24. Check out this interview I did with founding member Jeff Hanna on the band’s 50th anniversary in September 2015.
77th National Folk Festival announces initial performer lineup
The National Folk Festival has announced the first group of artists who will be performing in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina, from Sept. 8 – 10, 2017. The 77th National Folk Festival in 2017 marks the event’s third and final year of its three-year residency in North Carolina’s Piedmont. Organizers report that based on the success of the National Folk Festival, a feasibility study is currently underway toward launching a legacy North Carolina Folk Festival in 2018.
The Steel Wheels announce full lineup for Red Wing Roots Music Festival on July 14-16 at Natural Chimneys Park
From the good folks at Red Wing Roots Music Festival:
Harrisonburg, Va. – The Steel Wheels and the Red Wing Roots Music Festival are pleased to announce a fifth consecutive year of great music and great fun at Natural Chimneys Park in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. This year’s music festival will be held from July 14-16, 2017.
Festival hosts and hometown favorites The Steel Wheels will be joined by dozens of other artists, including Steve Earle & The Dukes, Lake Street Dive, Tim O’Brien, Sarah Jarosz, Mandolin Orange, Pokey Lafarge, The Cactus Blossoms, Darlingside, and many more! The full lineup can be viewed at http://www.redwingroots.com/2017-line-up/
MerleFest 2017 continues popular Acoustic Kids Showcases, deadline to apply March 21
From the good folks at MerleFest:
WILKESBORO, N.C. (February 21, 2017) – MerleFest, presented by Window World and slated for April 27-April 30, 2017, is pleased to announce the return of the Acoustic Kids Showcases to the 2017 festival.
On Huffington Post: Help choose which Virginia bands will perform at LOCKN’ 2017
This story can also be found on The Huffington Post here.
A friend asked me recently what my secret is to discovering some of the great new music out there. My answer was easy and immediate: Music festivals. The key to discovering new music is to search out the bands that you have never heard or heard of, those tiny names at the bottom of the poster.
The Honeycutters heading back to studio for 2017 album, performing at Muddy Creek Music Hall on Sunday, Feb. 26
“The Honeycutters may just be the best country roots band out there that you aren’t listening to.”
I wrote that in May 2016 when the Asheville, North Carolina-based, rock-roots-country group released its fourth studio album, “On the Ropes,” since 2009 and the second on Organic Records.
The Honeycutters headed back to the studio in January to record their fifth studio album to be released later this year as the band’s third release on Organic Records. And they are scheduled to perform at Muddy Creek Music Hall , 5455 Bethania Road, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Sunday, Feb. 26. Tickets for the 6 p.m. show are $12 or $15 at the door.
Anders Osborne, Trongone Band to perform at The Rives Theatre on Thursday, Feb. 16
The Trongone Band will open for Anders Osborne and his full band beginning at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, at the historic Rives Theatre in uptown Martinsville, Virginia.
Tickets are $30 in advance at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2715661 and $35 day of show at the Daily Grind and Rising Sun Breads.
Don’t miss Annabelle’s Curse, Time Sawyer and The Pinkerton Raid on Saturday, Feb. 18, at The Garage in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
If you are a fan of alt-country-rock, two of my favorite groups are playing on Saturday, Feb. 18, at The Garage in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and trust me, you are not going to want to miss this show!
While the guys from the Elkin-based Time Sawyer are no strangers to Winston-Salem music fans, this is the first time Annabelle’s Curse will perform live in the Camel City with The Pinkerton Raid so we want to make sure we give them a big welcome.
Doors open at 8 p.m. for the 9 p.m show located in downtown Winston-Salem at 110 West 7th St. This show is a steal with tickets starting at $7 in advance and $8 at the door. Purchase them here.
A folk, rock, songwriter group from Bristol, Virginia, Annabelle’s Curse was voted fan favorites at FloydFest a couple of years ago and are regulars at Bristol Rhythm and Roots and Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival, which is where I first heard them. Learn more about the group in some of The Huffington Post blog pieces I wrote here. Continue reading
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