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Musings on folk, Americana, country, bluegrass and newgrass

Author Archives: lsnedeker


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2024 Grammy predictions

If you are looking for predictions on the best Rap, Reggae or Jazz performances, you’ve come to the wrong place. But if you are interested in who I think will win versus who should win in categories including best Americana, Country and Bluegrass, you’re in the right place. My winner predictions are in bold while who should win has an asterisk in front of the nominee. Who do you think should win? I would love to hear your picks.

The toughest category in the list below for me was Best Bluegrass Album. While everyone in this category deserves a “W,” Billy Strings will continue to ride his current wave of popularity to earn this well-deserved Grammy despite the fact that I believe Molly Tuttle and her band put out a better album. Best Country Solo Performance category is another tough one with Dolly Parton going head to head with Luke Combs haunting version of “Fast Car,” but I think Brandy Clark should win this category. My money, if I was in Vegas, however, is on Chris Stapleton for obvious reasons. The same goes for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. While I think Dierks Bentley and Billy Strings “High Note” should win, I think Carly Pierce and Stapleton will edge out the crazy popular Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson.

Best Country Solo Performance

*Brandy Clark – Buried
Chris Stapleton – White Horse
Dolly Parton – The Last Thing on My Mind
Luke Combs – Fast Car
Tyler Childers – In Your Love

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

Brothers Osborne – Nobody’s Nobody
Carly Pearce Featuring Chris Stapleton – We Don’t Fight Anymore
*Dierks Bentley featuring Billy Strings – High Note
Jelly Roll With Lainey Wilson – Save Me
Vince Gill & Paul Franklin – Kissing Your Picture (Is So Cold)
Zach Bryan Featuring Kacey Musgraves – I Remember Everything

Best Country Song

*Brandy Clark – Buried
Chris Stapleton – White Horse
Morgan Wallen – Last Night
Tyler Childers – In Your Love
Zach Bryan Featuring Kacey Musgraves – I Remember Everything

Best Country Album

Brothers Osborne – Brothers Osborne
Kelsea Ballerini – Rolling Up the Welcome Mat
*Lainey Wilson – Bell Bottom Country
Tyler Childers – Rustin’ in the Rain
Zach Bryan – Zach Bryan

Best American Roots Performance

Allison Russell – Eve Was Black
Blind Boys of Alabama – Heaven Help Us All
Jon Batiste – Butterfly
Madison Cunningham – Inventing the Wheel
*Rhiannon Giddens – You Louisiana Man

Best Americana Performance

Allison Russell – The Returner
Blind Boys of Alabama – Friendship
*Brandy Clark Featuring Brandi Carlile – Dear Insecurity
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – King of Oklahoma
Tyler Childers – Help Me Make It Through the Night

Best American Roots Song

Allison Russell – The Returner
*Billy Strings Featuring Willie Nelson – California Sober
Brandy Clark Featuring Brandi Carlile – Dear Insecurity
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Cast Iron Skillet
The War and Treaty – Blank Page

Best Americana Album

Allison Russell – The Returner
Brandy Clark – Brandy Clark
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Weathervanes
Rodney Crowell – The Chicago Sessions
*Rhiannon Giddens – You’re the One

Best Bluegrass Album

Billy Strings – Me/And/Dad
Michael Cleveland – Lovin’ of the Game
Mighty Poplar – Mighty Poplar
*Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway – City of Gold
Sam Bush – Radio John: Songs of John Hartford
Willie Nelson – Bluegrass

Best Folk Album

Dom Flemons – Traveling Wildfire
Joni Mitchell – Joni Mitchell at Newport (Live)
The Milk Carton Kids – I Only See the Moon
Nickel Creek – Celebrants
*Old Crow Medicine Show – Jubilee
Paul Simon – Psalms
Rufus Wainwright – Folkocracy


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Tickets on sale now for 32nd annual High Sierra Music Festival on July 4-7, 2024

The initial lineup includes Ziggy Marley, Greensky Bluegrass featuring Holly Bowling, and The Allman Betts Band at High Sierra Music Festival with more (headliners) to come! The 32nd annual event returns to Plumas County Fairgrounds in Quincy, California, on July 4-7.

ON SALE NOW – RV Passes, Parking Passes, FestivALL VIP Packages and everything else you could need to have the time of your life at High Sierra 2024. 

Many of the passes are high demand/low inventory, and do sell out quickly, so be sure to act fast! As with last year, on-site parking passes will be designated by area for Shady Grove, Hillside and Corral Parking.

Visit this link for more info and tickets!


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44th North Carolina Jazz Festival to heat up Wilmington on Feb. 1-3, 2024

The temps may be frigid, but things will be heating up in Wilmington the weekend of Feb. 1-3, 2024, during the 44th annual North Carolina Jazz Festival.

All evening concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be held at the Hotel Ballast ballroom.

Thursday Night Showcase
Thursday night, our “Special Event” night, is when the festival features different styles of jazz. This year we will open with The Port City Trio, a Wilmington-based group that is well known in the area for the Jewell Family’s tradition of playing jazz, blues and pop styles of music. “We welcome them to our stage, as they feature their daughter Annie, a violinist who was in our very first masterclass, given by Bucky Pizzarelli and Jonathan Russell,” the website states. “Not giving away ages, but Jonathan was about 12 then, and so was Annie!”

“Our main event for the evening will be The Emmet Cohen Trio. Emmet, a multifaceted young American jazz pianist and composer has emerged as one of his generation’s pivotal figures in music and the related arts. Last year he came to Wilmington as pianist for Tootie Heath, who gave a concert at UNC-Wilmington. The reception by the local jazz community was spectacular, and now we have the opportunity to present Emmet with his own trio as our very special introduction to his ‘style’ of jazz.”

The evening’s music will come to a close with some of the weekend’s All-Stars in a Traditional Jazz Jam.

Friday and Saturday Nights
“We will continue our celebration with 15 All-Star musicians playing in the traditional seven sets of six or seven players, each set with a different leader. You will see/hear many of our favorite NCJF musicians plus new additions to our lineup. These will be 4½-hour concerts.

Patron Brunch
“On Saturday from 10:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. we treat our patrons to a musical brunch, when all of our All-Star musicians play for their pleasure while everyone enjoys a delicious brunch.  During the last hour we have a ‘jam’ when the patrons who are musicians have the opportunity to play with the All-Stars.”

Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased at this link.


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Check out The Martha Bassett Show live from the historic Reeves Theater in Elkin, North Carolina

The Martha Bassett Show is recorded live at the historic Reeves Theater, in downtown Elkin, North Carolina, and blends the fabric of the national roots and Americana scene with the rich artistry, history and flair of North Carolina’s Piedmont region.

Helmed by one of the state’s most distinguished musicians, the live show features national artists, fresh local faces and the music of Martha Bassett. Each show is a collaboration in song and conversation between Bassett, her band and the guests.

Each performance is recorded, live-streamed and edited into a weekly one-hour broadcast on 88.5 WFDD and other NPR stations. You can also listen to the show as a podcast.

This week’s The Martha Bassett Show will be performed on Thursday, Feb. 1, and will feature Maia Kamil, native son and co-founder of Time Sawyer Sam Tayloe and The Blue Ridge Girls. Tickets are available at https://www.reevestheater.com/.


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6th Annual Daryle Singletary ‘Keeping It Country Jam’ to feature Neal McCoy, Rhett Atkins, Doug Stone, The Malpass Brothers and many more on Feb. 13 at Nashville Palace

The White Oaks Ranch presents the sixth annual Daryle Singletary Keeping It Country Jam, sponsored by Solomon Plumbing and Fire Protection, at The Nashville Palace on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, as the unofficial kickoff to The National Wild Turkey Federation’s Convention and Sport Show. Neal McCoy, Tyler Farr, Doug Stone, Rhett Akins, Craig Campbell, Andy Griggs, The Malpass Brothers, John Morgan, Jenna Lemaster, Duke Henry and Robert Bacon are scheduled to perform. Additional event sponsors include RCI Restoration & Thrive Label Group.

Reserved tickets are $60 and general admission tickets are $30 and are available online at this link.

“As a family, this event is special to us in so many ways,” said Holly Singletary in a press release. “First off, we get to reconnect with so many of Daryle’s friends. Secondly, we keep Daryle’s name and legacy alive for the next generation of fans to know his traditional sound. I am grateful every year for the artists who agree to perform and help us raise money for the Daryle Singletary Memorial Trust.”Singletary, who was 46 when he died from a blood clot in 2018, rose to fame in the ’90s with a string of successful hardcore country albums. From rural Georgia, where his father was a postmaster, Singletary moved to Nashville in 1990 to pursue a music career full-time. After catching the eye and ear of his musical hero, Randy Travis, Singletary released his debut record, the self-titled Daryle Singletary (1995), which produced four Billboard Hot Country charting singles, including the smash hit “I Let Her Lie,” which topped out at No. 2 on the charts. Additional hits included the 1996 single “Too Much Fun,” and 1997’s “Amen Kind of Love.” Other hit albums include 1998’s top-20 album, “Ain’t It the Truth,” and a pair of albums featuring some of Singletary’s favorite country songs, “That’s Why I Sing This Way” (2002) and “Straight From the Heart” (2009). His last album, “There’s Still A Little Country Left,” was released in 2015.


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Bourbon & Beyond 2024 announces lineup for Sept. 19-22 in Louisville

Billed as the world’s largest music, food and bourbon festival, Bourbon & Beyond 2024 has announced its lineup and there is literally something for every musical taste on the menu. The event is planned for Sept. 19-22 at the Highlands Festival Grounds and Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville.

Tickets and packages can be purchased at this link.


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Zoe and Cloyd prepare to hit the road on Jan. 25


The latest news from Zoe and Cloyd:

“We have a lot of exciting shows coming up over the next few weeks, including at one of our favorite restaurant venues, The Purple Onion in Saluda, and opening for our pals the Steep Canyon Rangers at Oskar Blues in Brevard! We will also be performing in Winston-Salem for Fiddle & Bow and presenting our annual Valentine’s concert at the BMCA in February.”

“WE ARE GOING TO IRELAND IN JUNE!! We are so excited to go back overseas to the Emerald Isle for the Wesport Folk and Bluegrass Festival in the beautiful coastal town of Westport. Come join us!”

“We were so pleased that “Songs of Our Grandfathers” came in at No. 31 on the WNCW Top 100 of 2023 countdown! Thank you so much to everyone who voted for us and don’t forget to follow us on the streaming platforms and add us to your playlists.

Cheers to a great year ahead,
Natalya & John
Upcoming Shows

Thursday, Jan. 25 – Purple Onion, Saluda NC 
Friday, Feb. 2 – Opening for the Steep Canyon Rangers at Oskar Blues Brewing, Brevard NC 
Sunday, Feb. 4 – Fiddle & Bow, Winston-Salem NC 
Saturday, Feb. 17 – Black Mountain Center for the Arts, Black Mountain NC 


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The Big What moves to Shakori Hills on Aug. 22-24

The Big What? is back with three nights of Big Something & friends plus more artists TBA

THE BIG WHAT? is set for Aug. 22-24 at the Shakori Hills Community Arts Center in Pittsboro, about 30 minutes from Raleigh.

From the band: “The Big What? is back! We are so grateful and beyond excited to announce the 10th anniversary edition of our Music Festival & Campout this summer!”

Ticket Info

General Alien (GA) Weekend Passes include (1) GA ticket, GA tent camping, and GA parking for 1 person.

GA Tent Camping is included with a GA pass but Car Camping ($65) or RV Camping ($150) will require a separate pass per vehicle (available as an add on at checkout).

Very Important Alien (VIA) Weekend Passes include (1) VIA ticket with souvenir laminate, reserved tent camping in a prime location, access to a reserved viewing area in front of the main stage, access to private bathrooms, 1 hot meal each night plus access to refreshments during the day, and a free download of each Big Something set.

Supreme Very Important Alien (SVIA) Weekend Passes include (1) VIA ticket with everything from the VIA program above plus an exclusive Saturday afternoon acoustic Big Something performance in a secret location, plus (1) signed screenprint Big What? poster, and (1) signed Big Something setlist from all three nights.

Reserved TENT Camping in a prime location is included with every VIA/SVIA pass but Car Camping ($65) and RV Camping ($150) will still require a separate pass per vehicle (available as an add on at checkout).

Kids 12 and under are $30 each and can only be purchased day of show at the gate.

Please Note: a Parent or Legal Guardian must accompany anyone under 18 at all times.

The Big What? is a rain or shine event. All tickets are non-refundable. Tickets available at this link.


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MerleFest 2024 volunteer applications are now open

Mega Raffle tickets and Acoustic Kids Showcase sign ups begin Feb. 1

Music lovers, listen up: There is no better way than to catch the magic of MerleFest (and many other music festivals) than to volunteer! You get to listen to a slew of fantastic artists for FREE plus you get free parking and even a discount on camping for a few hours of your time.

MerleFest Volunteer applications are now open. As a volunteer, participants will receive free entry to the festival for the entire day of their shift, free parking, and shuttle, and 10% off camping at River’s Edge Campground. Most importantly, volunteers will be supporting a major fundraiser for Wilkes Community College.

Please visit merlefest.org/volunteer to sign up before the April 13 deadline.


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Nitty Gritty Dirt Band announces farewell tour, tickets on sale Jan. 19


After being on the road for nearly six decades, members of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band have announced they are ready to hang up their collective traveling shoes following the “All the Good Times: The Farewell Tour.”

The Grammy award-winning band known for timeless classics including “Mr. Bojangles” and “Fishin’ in the Dark” will kick off the first leg of their last traditionally scheduled gigs on March 21, 2024, according to a press release from their publicist Maria Ivey of IVPR.

If you’re in the North Carolina Triangle, you can catch them opening for Hank Williams Jr.
Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek on May 17.

According to the press release, there is no need to fret, this isn’t goodbye forever, but it will be the last fans see of multi-city runs and long bus rides from the group that helmed the multi-artist “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” series featuring Mother Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal, Levon Helm and dozens more. 

“‘All The Good Times’ perfectly describes our career,” said the band in a statement this week. “Playing our music for Dirt Band fans all over the world has been an incredible experience for us. The most important part of that has been the connection to our audience—that beautiful communal give and take is like nothing else. That’s the very spirit we’ll be celebrating as we head into our farewell tour. We’re really looking forward to seeing you folks. Good times will be had by all!” 
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