Hey there music lovers, are you ready to sing along to some electrifying music? Well, hold onto your hats because the Lovin’ Life Music Fest is coming to Uptown Charlotte May 3-5, 2024, and it’s bringing the house down with an epic lineup that will blow your mind!
Charlotte-based Southern Entertainment, the brilliant minds behind this sensational festival, have just dropped the bombshell of all bombshells by revealing the star-studded roster of artists who will grace the stages of this inaugural event.
Picture this: under the dazzling lights of Uptown Charlotte, you’ll be swaying to the soulful melodies of Post Malone, getting lost in the timeless classics of Stevie Nicks, and feeling the vibes with Noah Kahan. But wait, there’s more! Prepare to be serenaded by the enchanting sounds of Maggie Rogers, get pumped up with The Chainsmokers, and get down with Charlotte’s very own DaBaby. And that’s just the tip of the musical iceberg!
Joining these headliners are a plethora of sensational acts spanning various genres and generations. From the heartfelt harmonies of The Avett Brothers to the infectious energy of The Fray, from the funky grooves of Ripe to the soulful stylings of Allen Stone, there’s something for everyone at Lovin’ Life Music Fest.
But let’s not forget about our homegrown talent! The QC Local Stage will be buzzing with the electrifying performances of Charlotte’s very own musical prodigies, including Sweet Spine, Modern Alibi, Fox N’ Vead, and many more. Get ready to show them some love and support as they take center stage and rock your world!
And hey, it’s not just about the music at Lovin’ Life. We’re talking about a celebration of arts, culture, and cuisine that will tantalize your senses and leave you craving for more. With ticket sales skyrocketing and sponsors clamoring to be a part of this musical extravaganza, it’s safe to say that Charlotte is on its way to becoming the next big Music City!
So mark your calendars, spread the word, and get ready for the ultimate music experience of a lifetime at Lovin’ Life Music Fest. For more information about the lineup drop, click here.
DEL YEAH! Two iconic musical families are going to join forces for a one-of-a-kind set as Lukas Nelson will be backed by The Travelin’ McCourys, the organizers of DelFest, set for May 23-26 in Cumberland Maryland, announced today.
“We are also so excited to announce some newcomers to DelFest this year: Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Shinyribs, John Craigie, The Mountain Grass Unit and Jig Jam, along with returning acts such as Brothers Comatose and more! Get ready for an exciting mix of familiar faces and new artists at DelFest this year! Regardless of whether it’s their first time or a return performance, they’re all part of the DelFest family!”
Phase 2 of DelFest’s 2024 lineup has been announced! We are thrilled to announce a dozen more artists, some of which will be experiencing the Festival for the first time! This year’s lineup (so far!) is:
The Del McCoury Band The Travelin’ McCourys Lukas Nelson with The Travelin’ McCourys Greensky Bluegrass Old Crow Medicine Show Sierra Ferrell Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives Leftover Salmon Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country Yonder Mountain String Band Shinyribs John Craigie The Brothers Comatose Sam Grisman Project Davisson Brothers Band Sister Sadie The Mountain Grass Unit Mr. Sun East Nash Grass The Sweet Lillies Big Richard Dré Anders Jig Jam Joe Mullin & The Radio Ramblers The Broomestix Dirty Grass Players Sweet Sally Armchair Boogie Joe Craven MC
And we’re not done yet! Hang tight for phase 3, and until then… Del Yeah!
From the good folks at Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival:
Rooster Walk 14 has announced the following bands have been added to its final lineup for the event on May 23-26, 2024, at Pop’s Farm just outside Martinsville, Virginia: North Mississippi Allstars, Big Something, Jim Lauderdale & The Game Changers, The Seldom Scene, The Rooster Walk House Band, Myron Elkins, The Collection, Kaira Ba, Holler Choir, Lillie Mae, Kind Hearted Strangers, Florencia & The Feeling, The Shoaldiggers, Sela Campbell, Raffi Kids’ Set, Sugarbush
The North Mississippi Allstars, an internationally touring blues band known for its rollickingly energetic shows, top the third and final list of bands joining the 14th annual Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival lineup. NMAs, which will be making its RW debut, have been nominated for four Grammys over a 25-year career that has produced 12 albums and countless sold out shows.
Big Something will also join the RW14 lineup. The North Carolina-based jamband has played nearly a half-dozen Rooster Walks over the years. The six-piece band is known for its big sound of soaring guitar solos, synth, horns and soulful vocals.
Other bands getting added to the lineup include: Jim Lauderdale & The Game Changers (Roots rock, iconic songwriter from Nashville, TN); The Seldom Scene (internationally celebrated pioneers of progressive bluegrass); The Rooster Walk House Band (all-star collective featuring Ron Holloway, Jeff Sipe, Josh Shilling, Wallace Mullinax, Florencia Rusinol, Jake Dempsey and friends); Myron Elkins (swamp rock, Otsego, MI); The Collection (Indi Rock, Saxapahaw, NC); Kaira Ba (world music, North Carolina); Holler Choir (old-time, Asheville, NC); Lillie Mae (Singer/songwriter, Nashville, TN); Kind Hearted Strangers (rock, Colorado); Florencia & The Feeling (R&B/soul, Johnson City, TN); The Shoaldiggers (Horny swampgrass, North Carolina); Sela Campbell (country, Northern Virginia); Raffi Kids’ Set (Raffi Tribute by Miles Andrews and full band; Saxapahaw, NC); Sugarbush (rock/blues, Virginia).
Bands that had been previously announced to the RW14 lineup include: Emmylou Harris (Country Music Hall of Fame inductee with five No. 1 singles on the Billboard country music charts, Nashville, TN); Cory Wong (funk/rock/pop, Minneapolis, MN); Broke Mountain Bluegrass Band (Colorado supergroup featuring members of Greensky Bluegrass, Leftover Salmon, the Infamous Stringdusters, Jon Stickley Trio and more); two nights of Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country (Nashville, Tenn., jam twang); TAUK Moore (funk collaboration between Doom Flamingo’s Kanika Moore and TAUK); Dogs in a Pile (a New Jersey-based funk/jazz/rock jamband); Couch (Boston, Mass. – funk/rock/soul); Caitlin Krisko & The Broadcast (Asheville, N.C. – rock); Yarn (NC/NY roots rockers who will once again perform an original set and a festival-finishing tribute set); Arkansauce (progressive bluegrass from northwest Arkansas); Sneezy (high-energy party music from Chicago, Ill.); The Mountain Grass Unit (up-and-coming bluegrass shredders from Alabama); Isaac Hadden Organ Trio (masterful musicianship from a North Carolina power trio); Sol Driven Train (upbeat, horn-driven rock’n’roll beach vibes from Charleston, SC); J & The Causeways (New Orleans-based soul powerhouse reminiscent of St. Paul & The Broken Bones); Sticks N Thorns (bluegrass duo featuring Andy Thorn of Leftover Salmon and Jon Stickley); Travis Book & Friends (Asheville, N.C., Americana/rock band led by The Infamous Stringdusters’ Travis Book); Colby T. Helms & The Virginia Creepers (bluegrass from nearby Franklin County, Va.); Clay Street Unit (Colorado-based honky tonk/roots rock); The Jared Stout Band (New River Valley, VA, southern rock); and Mighty Joshua (authentic reggae from central Virginia); TC Carter Band (blues, Martinsville, Va.); Lua Flora (Asheville, N.C. – beach folk); Big Fat Gap (Chapel Hill, N.C. – bluegrass); Jules & The Agreeables (Key West, Fla. – rock); DJ What (Martinsville, Va. – DJ); Pirates of the Piedmont (Martinsville, Va. – pirate shanties).
Virginia string band The Steel Wheels have expanded their sound on the new album, “Sideways,” while at the same time sticking to their bluegrass roots.
Released Feb. 9, the album’s title track begins with the clawhammer banjo then builds, as many of the band’s songs do, into something more raucous that includes drums and colorful electric guitar textures.
“It’s beautiful and crushing to be alive sometimes,” band leader Trent Wagler said in a statement. “We aren’t here to sing songs that only cut one way — but if they do, they’ll cut sideways.”
The Steel Wheels enlisted producer Sam Kassirer, who’s known for his work with Lake Street Dive, Langhorne Slim and Josh Ritter, among others, to help create “Sideways.”
The band is currently touring in support of the album, after stopping in Elkin earlier this month and at the Salvage Station in Asheville on March 2 and the Broadberry in Richmond on March 27.
The group is the host band of the annual Red Wing Roots Music Festival in Mt. Solon, Virginia, set for June 21-23. The fest’s impressive lineup includes Kurt Vile, Bonny Light Horseman, Sierra Hull, Brent Cobb and Pokey LaFarge and many others. For more info and tickets, click here.
The Down Home Concert Series has another seven shows scheduled, all of them happening Friday nights at Fletcher Opera Theatre. The rest of the season breaks down as follows (tickets for all events are on sale at pinecone.org).
Appalachian Road Show invites you to come and sit a spell as the five-piece band weaves together songs and stories emanating from the mountains and hollers of North Carolina and Virginia, to the coal mines of West Virginia and Kentucky. The band was nominated for the coveted “Entertainer of the Year” Award at the 2023 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards.
International Bluegrass Music Assocation fans and MerleFest faithful: The North Carolina Museum of History will present Tar Heel Troubadours: Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road from 7–8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17. Purcell leads Cane Mill Road as they rock the traditional bluegrass standards they were raised on. The band also writes original music for the bluegrass, old-time and Americana genres.
From the museum’s website: “Join us for Tar Heel Troubadours, a celebration of Americana, roots, bluegrass, and traditional music performed by artists from or living and working in North Carolina.
Top Row (left): Saylor Brothers, Zach Brock, Mild Goose Chase; Middle Row (left): Holler Choir, Florencia & The Feeling; Bottom Row (left): Screamin’ Bridge, The Dirty French Broads, The High & Wides
MerleFest, presented by Window World, has announced the finalists for its ninth annual band competition, which will be held during this year’s festival, April 25-28, on the campus of Wilkes Community College. Tickets for the MerleFest Mega Raffle went on sale Feb. 1, and with prizes like a brand-new Ford Bronco and Harley Davidson motorcycle, tickets are going fast! The 2024 festival will also see an outpouring of support from volunteers as applications reach record numbers.
Since its inception, MerleFest has emphasized its commitment to celebrating emerging talent and supporting artists of all backgrounds and experience levels. Each year, the festival provides some of today’s most fresh and noteworthy voices to showcase their virtuosity by performing alongside their peers during Saturday’s festivities. Of the eight finalists competing, one winner will earn the opportunity to perform in front of thousands of festival goers.
The band competition performances will take place Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the winner will be announced on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The winning band will perform on Sunday, April 28, at the Hillside Stage at 11 a.m.
This year’s Band Competition will include: The Dirty French Broads (Asheville, NC)
From the good folks at Red Wing: Red Wing Roots Music Festival is excited to announce the full line up of artists scheduled to perform at the 11th annual music festival, taking place June 21-23, 2024, at Natural Chimneys Park in Mount Solon, Virginia. Along with festival hosts and local favorites, The Steel Wheels, the list of festival headliners contains many artists new to the Red Wing stage, including Kurt Vile & The Violators, Bonny Light Horseman, Brent Cobb, Lee Fields, Mapache, Tuba Skinny and Rose City Band. Fifty artists are scheduled to appear across five stages during the three-day event, with festival favorites such as Sierra Hull, Pokey Lafarge, The Brothers Comatose, Amy Helm and Lindsay Lou. View the full line up at www.redwingroots.com/2024-line-up/. Since 2013, Red Wing has strived to offer patrons an opportunity to explore the many sounds of roots music. “The term ‘Roots Music’ conveys both the depth of our American musical traditions, like folk, blues, Cajun, old-time and bluegrass, and the breadth of its current iterations. It is the celebration of the American songbook, past and present,” said Jeremiah Jenkins, co-founder and managing partner. Red Wing embodies both great music and opportunities to engage the great outdoors of Augusta County. The festival partners with local organizations to offer biking, hiking, group runs, and yoga beneath the rock towers at Natural Chimneys Park. For avid cyclists, a Saturday morning ride to Reddish Knob allows for a mountain top celebration with stunning views of the Shenandoah Valley. As always, Red Wing will host the region’s finest food vendors, including options for craft beer, cider, and wine in the Blue Mountain Beer Gardens. There are also more than 20 craft vendors offering an array of products such as clothing, jewelry, art, flowers and more. Shady Grove, a shaded activity zone located near the Chimneys, features a climbing wall, organized and informal games, slack lines, and a mist pavilion for cooling down during the hot summer days for attendees of all ages. On-site camping has long been a popular aspect of the festival. While several camping passes have already sold out, great options remain for tent camping, small RV/car camping and Red Wing Glamping, a luxury tenting option. Currently three-day festival tickets are on sale and moving quickly. Single day tickets will be made available for purchase later in the spring. For tickets and more information, visit www.redwingroots.com.
North Carolina Songwriters in the Round returns to The Cary Theater at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3. This year’s showcase features two sets of songwriters sharing the stories behind the songs they’ve written, performing in the round, Nashville style.
Performers include Jason Adamo, Stephen Jenkins, George Hage, Reeve Coobs, Julie Mcknight, Jeremy Gilchrist, Brooke Hatala and Amy Gerhartz.
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