The 53rd annual RockyGrass Festival 2025 is set for July 25-27. Very limited tickets and camping are still available! Located in Lyons, Colorado, RockyGrass is traditional bluegrass at its finest. Red rock cliffs and ottonwoods peer down over the property as the North St. Vrain River flows through the festival grounds just feet from the main stage.
The Stokes County Arts Council, 500 N. Main Street, Danbury, North Carolina, is hosting Come Hear Stokes Thursday Songwriter Series hosted by Laurelyn Dossett. Tickets are $10 at the door.
The Arts Place of Stokes 502 Main St Danbury, NC 27016
Thursday March 13 – 7-9 PM- Caleb Caudle & Laurelyn Dossett Thursday April 10 7-9 PM- Anna Mertson & Josh Shelton Thursday May 8 7-9 PM- Alicia Bullard (Full Band Show) Thursday June 13 7-9 PM- Sarah Sophia & Jacob Harbour
Get the lowest price tickets to Front Porch Fest 16, Aug. 28-Aug. 31, at SpiritHaven Farm before the first lineup drops! Save money on VIP, General Admission, RV and Car Camping by purchasing early.
Front Porch Fest is a four-day family-friendly music festival held in Patrick County, Virginia, featuring local, regional and national touring acts. Produced by One Family Productions.
For tickets and more information, visit this link.
From CultMTL: After a six-year absence, the Folk Alliance International conference returns to Montreal this week.
The conference, whose 37th annual edition begins tonight at the Sheraton and runs until Saturday Feb. 23, is geared toward the folk music industry to showcase artists, host panels and workshops in the daytime, and offer networking opportunities. It is the biggest folk music gathering of its kind worldwide.
Nearly half (around 45% to 50%) of all attendees are artists, while agents, managers, presenters, venues and radio DJs, among other industry-facing roles, are also in tow. In other words, basically the entire folk music ecosystem is represented in some form or another during this five-day conference.
This year, visitors will be greeted to official and private showcases within various corners of the hotel from both domestic and international folk and folk-adjacent artists (this year’s country of focus is Portugal), with the International Folk Music Awards happening tonight to kick off the proceedings. Montreal’s own Allison Russell serves as the keynote speaker, and will be interviewed by NPR’s Ann Powers.
This special event combines an author event featuring Eddie Huffman, author of the new Doc Watson biography, followed by a performance from Joseph Terrell of Mipso, who’ll play some Doc tunes and a few of his own.
The story of a small-town man who changed music forever
Arthel “Doc” Watson (1923–2012) is arguably one of the most influential musicians Appalachia has ever produced. A musician’s musician, Doc grew up on a subsistence farm in the North Carolina mountains during the Depression, soaking up traditional music and learning to play guitar even though he was blind. Rising to fame in the 1960s as part of the burgeoning folk revival scene, Doc became the face of traditional music for many listeners, racking up multiple Grammys and releasing dozens of albums over the course of his long career. Eddie Huffman tells the story of Doc’s life and legacy, drawing on extensive interviews and hundreds of hours of archival research. In making the most comprehensive biography of Watson ever, Huffman gives us an affecting and informative portrait of the man they called Doc.
Full of fascinating stories—from Doc’s first banjo made from his grandmother’s cat to the founding of MerleFest—this promises to be the definitive biography of the man and how he came to be synonymous with roots music in America and shows how his influence is still felt in music today.
About the Author:
Eddie Huffman is a writer, reporter and author of “John Prine: In Spite of Himself.” He lives in Greensboro, North Carolina.
About Joseph Terrell:
Joseph Terrell has spent 10 years singing, writing songs, and playing guitar with Americana quartet Mipso. His debut solo album “Good For Nothing Howl” (Sleepy Cat Records) features talking roses, screaming oak trees, and the fortune-telling powers of persimmons. The result is a kaleidoscope of folk tradition and sonic playfulness with images of Terrell’s native North Carolina woods sparkling in the foreground, calling you to pay attention.
WILKESBORO, NORTH CAROLINA — From the good folks over at MerleFest:
MerleFest, presented by Window World, will return to Wilkes Community College the weekend of April 24-27 for its 2025 event. Known for blending incredible live music with strong community ties, MerleFest continues to hold its title as a can’t miss annual tradition for both area natives and visitors from all over the world.
This year’s festival will highlight the 10th Annual Band Competition, where eight talented finalists will compete for the opportunity to perform on MerleFest’s iconic Hillside Stage. The competition performances will take place on Saturday, April 26, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the winner announced at 4:30 p.m. The victorious band will then perform at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 27, on the Hillside Stage in front of thousands of attendees.
This year’s band competition will include:
A Different Thread (Chapel Hill) Admiral Radio (Columbia, South Carolina) Charlie Maples (Johnson City, Tennessee) Corrie Lynn Green (Port Republic, Virginia) Mama & The Ruckus (Asheville) Ranford Almond (Greensboro) Upstream Rebellion (Waynesville) The Well Drinkers (Charlotte)
In addition to these band competition finalists, MerleFest 2025 is proud to welcome several exciting new acts to its already-stacked lineup. Final additions include Sweet Megg, Carolina Detour, Creekwater Collective, Dear MariBella & The Pig Kickers, Ella Hennessee, Myles Gee, Pickin’ Thistles, and Wilder Flower. These performers join an outstanding roster of talent, ensuring MerleFest 2025 will be a celebration of diverse musical styles and fresh voices.
On Saturday, Feb. 15, the Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, North Carolina, will once again host a special performance by Grammy-nominated singer-songwriterTift Merritt and North Carolina Artist Thomas Sayre.
“Four Walls, Four Songs,” a sound response to Thomas Sayre’s “Four Walls,” returns to Cameron Art Museum for a reprise at 7 p.m. The performance explores the burned, brushed, rusted and razed layers of Sayre’s visual work. Merritt’s multi-movement piece uses voice, piano, and guitar while drawing us deeper into the elemental artworks on display in Sayre’s “Four Walls.” Drawing from a deep friendship and creative dialogue between the two artists, Merritt crafts a sound exploration that resonates with the materials, visuals, and questions posed by Sayre’s monumental piece.
The first showing of this performance in September 2024 sold out completely, with one attendee describing it as “a remarkable multi-sensory exhibit that pushed the bounds of the typical gallery/museum experience.”
Tickets for CAM Members are $75; not-yet members $100.