This just in from the good folks over at MerleFest:
WILKESBORO, NORTH CAROLINA — MerleFest, presented by Window World, is proud to announce new artist additions for MerleFest 2019: Amos Lee, The Milk Carton Kids, Steep Canyon Rangers, The Del McCoury Band, The Casey Kristofferson Band, and David Holt. The annual homecoming of musicians and music fans returns to the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, April 25-28. MerleFest is pleased to welcome these six distinguished acts to the 2019 lineup:
Chatham County Line, one of my favorite music festival discoveries in recent years, will release the band’s eighth studio album, “Sharing The Covers,” on March 8 via Yep Roc Records.
The record pays homage to some of the quartet’s musical influences with covers of classics by Wilco, Tom Petty, John Lennon, The Rolling Stones, The Louvin Brothers, Beck, and more, according to the good folks over at Yep Rock.
Watch the official video for “I Got You,” premiered by The Bluegrass Situation here.
“Sharing The Covers” is available for pre-order now. Every Yep Roc pre-order comes with a free Chatham County Line enamel pin.
If you’ve had trouble finding the schedule for The Shindig 2018 “Music For Your Beers,” on Saturday, Nov. 3, to Clayton, North Carolina, it’s below and you’re welcome.This event always features a great musical lineup and this year is no exception. More than 25 craft beers will be available along with nine bands, including some of my personal favorites Scythian, Yarn, Jon Stickley Trio, Fireside Collective, Dangermuffin, and Forlorn Strangers, on two stages.
General admission is free and taster tickets to get beer samples in the VIP tent are available at www.theshindig.net.
NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Today, Town Mountain releases their critically-acclaimed sixth studio album, “New Freedom Blues.” Originally announced by The Bluegrass Situation in June, producer Caleb Klauder joined the Asheville, North Carolina-based band at the legendary Echo Mountain Studios late last year to record the 11-track masterpiece, which features drummer and Sturgill Simpson collaborator Miles Miller, as well as a duet and co-write with Tyler Childers. Praised by outlets like Rolling Stone, No Depression, American Songwriter, Glide, and SiriusXM among others. The band recently played AmericanaFest and appeared on the Grand Ole Opry for the third time; they are currently touring throughout the Southeast and will join Tyler Childers for a handful of dates throughout Texas and Oklahoma in December (full dates below). New Freedom Blues is available today via Amazon, iTunes, Spotify, and the band’s website.
It’s not too late to get tickets to the fall Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance featuring Lettuce, Donna the Buffalo, Yarn, Caleb Caudle, Urban Soil and Shiloh Hill, just to mention a few. Visit https://shakorihillsgrassroots.org/
Lettuce will make a rare North Carolina festival appearance as will the Grammy-nominated Latin group Locos Por Juana.
Festival founders Donna the Buffalo will perform a headlining set Friday night and sets during the weekend with Zydeco elder statesman Preston Frank on accordion. Ryan Montbleau will treat the crowds to a solo set while Consider the Source will play hybrid acoustic.
Meanwhile, Durham-native G Yamazawa, a rapper and poet whose song “North Cack” rose to No. 3 on Spotify’s “Viral 50” chart last year, will make his first visit to Shakori Hills, as will rising Americana star Sierra Ferrell.
The North Carolina State Fair always sports a great music lineup and this year is no exception. Its “Homegrown Music Fest” concert series features 11 days, three stages and 117 performances from Oct. 11-21. My advice is that while you’ll certainly want to catch some of the headliners — Raleigh’s own American Aquarium, the War and Treaty, New Reveille, Summer Brooke and the Mountain Faith Band, RaeLynn and Bucky Covington — make sure you catch some of the lesser-known acts on the Waterfall andHeritage Circle Bluegrass stages.
It wasn’t that many years ago that I discovered country, rock superstar singer-songwriter Eric Church, who as you may recall is a North Carolina native, playing for a small crowd at the fairgrounds’ Dorton Arena. Tickets were $5 because at the time you had to pay extra for concert tickets. Good luck finding a $5 or even $50 ticket to one of Church’s shows today.
Dorton Arena shows begin at 7:30 p.m. each night. Lineup for the show begins no earlier than 6 p.m. and doors are at 7 p.m. Each show is free with State Fair admission, and seating in the arena is first-come, first-served general admission.
I recommend making time to see Jack the Radio, the Pinkerton Raid, Katie Basden, Jump Mountain, David Childers, Big Fat Gap and Carolina Line Bluegrass Band among many others too numerous to list on the Waterfall and Heritage Circle Bluegrass stages.
For specific show times visit http://www.ncstatefair.org/2018/Attractions/HomegrownMusic.htm
From the good folks over at Cary, North Carolina’s Booth Amphitheatre, this event has been cancelled. If you have tickets contact the Box Office at www.boothamphitheatre.com.
The show announcements just keep coming with a Classic Country Throwdown at Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre on Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. Continue reading →
Held Thursday, Sept. 27, as part of IBMA’s 2018 annual weeklong business conference and Wide Open Bluegrass, the party celebrating the best in individual and band achievement for the year was hosted by Hot Rize, the first group to ever win the coveted entertainer of the year award. Continue reading →
Award-winning banjoist Kristin Scott Benson of The Grascals has won yet another award and this one comes with $50,000 and a piece of original artwork by Eric Fischl!
Benson is the 2018 recipient of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, Mountain Home Music Company announced on Monday, Sept. 24, which coincided with the kick off of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s annual Business Conference and World of Bluegrass event in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. Continue reading →
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