The Carri Smithey Band will release its debut album, “Midnight Ride,” at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Gibb’s Hundred Brewing Co., 117 W. Lewis Street, Greensboro, N.C. The Ends will also play. I first wrote about Smithey and her bandmates when they were finalists in MerleFest’s Chris Austin Songwriting Contest here.
This just in from the good folks at MerleFest:
“MerleFest, presented by Window World and slated for April 27-30, 2017, has just announced five more artists added to the 2017 lineup: Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, Sarah Jarosz, The Steel Wheels, The Kruger Brothers and Mipso. MerleFest 2017 will be the 30th annual homecoming where musicians and music fans return to Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
“Many artists who have graced the stages over the past three decades plan to return for the celebration! MerleFest has already announced over 75 artists, including Zac Brown Band with a very special acoustic set, Del McCoury Band, Jim Lauderdale, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Peter Rowan, Mountain Heart and many more. The rest of the packed lineup for MerleFest 2017 will roll out over the next few months.”
For more information and tickets, visit http://merlefest.org/
Treat yourself (and preferably someone else) to the gift of music this holiday season and make plans to catch two of Virginia’s hottest up-and-coming acts — Will Overman Band and Carbon Leaf — on Saturday, Dec. 17, at The National, 708 E. Broad St., Richmond, Virginia.
From the good folks at Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival:
Tickets for Rooster Walk 9 are now available online here. Don’t miss out on early bird tickets at the cheapest prices of the year! Our ninth annual family-friendly festival will take place May 25-28, 2017, at the idyllic Pop’s Farm in Axton, Virginia. For more info, including the early-bird band lineup, visit www.RoosterWalk.com.
It’s safe to say that in the cacophony that has been this political season, we are all looking for some peace.
“It’s such a noisy time in history, people want something quieter,” says Daniel Goans, one half of the duo that makes up Lowland Hum.
FloydFest fans listen up: Festival organizers have announced 17 new artist additions to the FloydFest 17~Freedom lineup. Check out the new and previously announced artist list below. For the uninitiated, FloydFest is a five-day celebration of music and art nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of southwest Virginia at Milepost 170.5 off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Find tickets at https://floydfest17freedom.eventbrite.com
Americana music icon Robert Earl Keen has released “Live Dinner Reunion” 20 years after he released “No. 2 Live Dinner,” his biggest-selling album to date. But this time he has brought along a few friends including friend and recent touring partner Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, Cory Morrow, Cody Canada of Cross Canadian Ragweed and The Departed, Cody Braun of Reckless Kelly and Bruce Robison along with some 5,000 fans.
If you haven’t had the chance to see REK live, now is your chance and I highly recommend it. I had the opportunity to see him perform live a few years ago at Red Wing Roots Festival and he put on one of the best live shows I have seen.
Following is the press release announcing the new album and some upcoming tour stops including the historic Ryman Theatre in Nashville, Tennessee.
The following announcement is from the good folks at MerleFest, which is slated for April 27-30, 2017. Early bird tickets are on sale now here. I am particularly excited to see Mountain Heart, Front Country, Chatham County Line, Scythian and Swift Creek in the lineup. Here’s hoping subsequent lineup announcements include Mipso, Flatt Lonesome, Will Overman Band, Dead Horses, Mandolin Orange, Zoe and Cloyd, Dori Freeman, The Church Sisters, Steep Canyon Rangers, The Infamous Stringdusters, Sarah Siskind, Sierra Hull, Yarn, American Aquarium, Mike Farris, Rhonda Vincent, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Annabelle’s Curse, Town Mountain, Little Hill Trio, The Genuine, The Honeycutters, The Steel Wheels, Elephant Revival, Balsam Range, Mason Via, The Judy Chops, Swampcandy, Chamomile and Whiskey and Billy Strings, among others.
From the release: “2017 will be a celebration of 30 years of MerleFest! 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. The star-packed lineup for MerleFest 2017 will be announced over the next few months; today MerleFest made its first announcement for the 2017 lineup, including Zac Brown Band with a very special acoustic set, Del McCoury Band, Jim Lauderdale, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Peter Rowan, Mountain Heart and many more.”
Mark O’Connor and the O’Connor Band will start off the “Blue Ridge and Beyond” series on Nov. 19 at the Historic Earle Theatre in Mount Airy, North Carolina.
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