The annual fall Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance, set for Thursday, Oct. 5 to Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, features more than 50 bands and performers on four stages surrounded by 72 acres of verdant farmland in bucolic Chatham County, North Carolina – just down the road from Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Durham, Burlington and Greensboro. Continue reading
Category Archives: Concerts
The Infamous Stringdusters host 8th annual Festy Experience on Oct. 5-8, 2017, in Nelson County, Virginia
From the good folks at The Festy:
The 8th Annual Festy Experience takes place October 5-8, 2017 in the Blue Ridge Bowl at Infinity Downs Farm, a 387-acre property in Arrington, Virginia (also the new home of LOCKN’ Festival) at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Festy aims to give the ultimate laid back festival experience which is fun for the entire family: camping, outdoor activities, craft food and beer, daily yoga, the 22nd Annual Blue Ridge Burn (5k/10k), and stellar music! This year’s lineup includes The Infamous Stringdusters, Ani DiFranco, Drive-By Truckers, Elephant Revival, Sam Bush Band, Beats Antique, The Jerry Douglas Band, Joan Osborne, and lots more. Continue reading
Molly Tuttle is poised to make history at IBMA 2017
If you haven’t heard the music of Molly Tuttle, rest assured, after this week you will.
The newest artist to sign on to the Compass Records roster, she’s the first woman in the 27-year history of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards to be nominated for Guitar Player of the Year, the only instrumental category that had not yet nominated a woman. She’s also nominated for Emerging Artist of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year. The 2017 Awards Show will be held Thursday, Sept. 28, at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, Memorial Hall. Continue reading
Take advantage of IBMA’s free 2017 Streetfest music
If you don’t have a coveted ticket to the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) World of Bluegrass’s incredible lineup on the Wide Open Main Stage this year, don’t despair. There is more than enough free music to take in on Friday and Saturday as more than 100 bands perform on seven stages along Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. A number of the free acts are also playing on the main stage including Molly Tuttle, Tim O’Brien and The Kruger Brothers, just to name a few.
Performers include a broad mix of local, national and international talent. The dance tent will feature clogging performances, participatory square dances, and late-night open dancing Friday and Saturday nights. And don’t miss the Youth Music Stage – situated on the outdoor plaza at the Convention Center. Artist lineup is subject to change without notice. Continue reading
2017 Wide Open Bluegrass features Steep Canyon Rangers, Steve Martin, The Infamous Stringdusters and many more
If bluegrass music has a Super Bowl, it’s the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) World of Bluegrass week — the world’s largest urban bluegrass festival. The festival kicks off Tuesday, Sept. 26, with the Bluegrass Ramble and wraps up Friday, Sept. 29, and Saturday, Sept. 30, with Wide Open Bluegrass 2017 presented by PNC at the Red Hat Amphitheater in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina.
In between is a business conference featuring Greensboro’s own Rhiannon Giddens as the keynote speaker and exhibits at the Raleigh Convention Center, as well as the 28th Annual IBMA Awards Show hosted by Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn — acclaimed artists in their respective careers and GRAMMY winners in their duo work — Thursday night at the Duke Performing Arts Center.
No self-respecting North Carolina event is complete without barbecue. The North Carolina Pork Council will once again host the 2017 Whole Hog Barbecue Championship as part of Wide Open Bluegrass. The best whole hog barbecue chefs in North Carolina square off to become state champion. After the judges have had their say, the mouth-watering barbecue will be chopped and sold in sandwiches Saturday to festival attendees.
The Bluegrass Situation, PineCone present second annual ‘Shout and Shine: A Celebration of Diversity in Bluegrass’ during IBMA’s 2017 ‘World of Bluegrass’
The Bluegrass Situation and PineCone have announced that the second annual “Shout & Shine: A Celebration of Diversity in Bluegrass” will take place during the International Bluegrass Music Association’s 2017 World of Bluegrass business conference. The showcase, which works to foster representation and inclusion of the diverse artists, musicians and professionals who love and create bluegrass and roots music, will be held from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at The Pour House in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is part of IBMA’s official showcase schedule/lineup, The Bluegrass Ramble. Continue reading
Free Carrboro Music Festival celebrates 20th anniversary on Sept. 23-24
The 20th anniversary of the free Carrboro Music Festival will be held on Saturday, Sept. 23, and Sunday, Sept. 23, 2017.
Entries for MerleFest’s annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest accepted beginning Oct. 1
To borrow a line from the late, great George Jones, imagine a world without the amazing and refreshing musical stylings of Gillian Welch, Tiff Merritt, Mipso’s Joseph Terrell or Melody Walker of Front Country fame.
If it wasn’t for MerleFest’s Chris Austin Songwriting Contest (CASC), we may have never been exposed to these, and many more, talented artists.
MerleFest sponsors showcase as part of Bluegrass Ramble at IBMA’s World of Bluegrass on Sept. 26-28
From the good folks at MerleFest:
MerleFest, one of the premier music festivals in the country, will sponsor a diverse collection of artists showcasing their music as part of the Bluegrass Ramble during this year’s International Bluegrass Music Association’s (IBMA) World of Bluegrass. Showcases will take place Sept. 26 – 28 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Continue reading
It’s not too soon to reserve tickets for Robert Earl Keen’s expanded annual Christmas Tour
If you think it’s too early to start thinking about Christmas, I would agree. The sight of Christmas debris I spotted lining shelves at the local discount store this weekend, pushing Halloween and autumn decor aside, made me inwardly groan. Visions of Kenan Thompson’s now infamous Saturday Night Live skit, in which he declares it’s “too soon” for Yuletide decorations, echoed in my head.
But there is one holiday tradition to plan for that’s never too soon. It’s Americana icon Robert Earl Keen’s annual holiday show and some tickets for this coveted event, “Back to the Country Jamboree,” go on sale Monday, Sept. 18. Continue reading
musicreporterblog 