This just in, from the good folks over at MerleFest:
WILKESBORO, N.C. (March 7, 2017) – MerleFest, presented by Window World, is going international for its 30th celebration by hosting the The Transatlantic Sessions Tour live at this year’s festival. MerleFest 2017 is scheduled for April 27-30 at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
From the good folks over at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Arts (SECCA):
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (March 6, 2017) — Legendary jazz artist and MacArthur Fellow Anthony Braxton highlights the opening night of SECCA’s SoundSeen:Remix with a live performance at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 16, in the McChesney Scott Dunn Auditorium.
This is one of only two scheduled performances in the U.S. this year by Braxton, who has released more than 100 albums in his 40-plus year career. Performance and exhibit admission are free.
HoustonFest celebrates the life of young banjo picker, Houston Caldwell (more info here) with two days of stellar bluegrass, oldtime and country music artists. Held annually the second weekend in June, the 2017 festival is set for June 9-10 at Felts Park, 601 South Main St., in Galax, Virginia. The gates open at 10 a.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. on Saturday.
This year’s impressive lineup includes the Earls of Leicester with Jerry Douglas, John Berry, Flatt Lonesome, the Church Sisters, Emi Sunshine, Shadowgrass and the Snyder Family Band, among many others
The Seldom Scene is bringing its unique blend of progressive bluegrass on Friday, March 10, to the historic Rives Theatre in uptown Martinsville, Virginia. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door and day of show. Doors open at 8 p.m. with music starting at 9 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase online here.
If you are a fan of Classic Country 98.1 WBRF, you may have noticed a recent heavy rotation of “Rose-Colored Glasses,” “Backside of Thirty,” “Old School” and my personal favorite, “I Don’t Remember Loving You.”
That’s because the Galax, Virginia, radio station is bringing ’70s and ’80s country hitmaker John Conlee to the historic Rex Theater in downtown Galax at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 4. Tickets are available at the Galax Visitors Center, online at http://www.itickets.com or call 800-965-9324.
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.
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.
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