Virginia string band The Steel Wheels have expanded their sound on the new album, “Sideways,” while at the same time sticking to their bluegrass roots.
Released Feb. 9, the album’s title track begins with the clawhammer banjo then builds, as many of the band’s songs do, into something more raucous that includes drums and colorful electric guitar textures.
“It’s beautiful and crushing to be alive sometimes,” band leader Trent Wagler said in a statement. “We aren’t here to sing songs that only cut one way — but if they do, they’ll cut sideways.”
The Steel Wheels enlisted producer Sam Kassirer, who’s known for his work with Lake Street Dive, Langhorne Slim and Josh Ritter, among others, to help create “Sideways.”
The band is currently touring in support of the album, after stopping in Elkin earlier this month and at the Salvage Station in Asheville on March 2 and the Broadberry in Richmond on March 27.
The group is the host band of the annual Red Wing Roots Music Festival in Mt. Solon, Virginia, set for June 21-23. The fest’s impressive lineup includes Kurt Vile, Bonny Light Horseman, Sierra Hull, Brent Cobb and Pokey LaFarge and many others. For more info and tickets, click here.
The Down Home Concert Series has another seven shows scheduled, all of them happening Friday nights at Fletcher Opera Theatre. The rest of the season breaks down as follows (tickets for all events are on sale at pinecone.org).
Appalachian Road Show invites you to come and sit a spell as the five-piece band weaves together songs and stories emanating from the mountains and hollers of North Carolina and Virginia, to the coal mines of West Virginia and Kentucky. The band was nominated for the coveted “Entertainer of the Year” Award at the 2023 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards.
International Bluegrass Music Assocation fans and MerleFest faithful: The North Carolina Museum of History will present Tar Heel Troubadours: Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road from 7–8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17. Purcell leads Cane Mill Road as they rock the traditional bluegrass standards they were raised on. The band also writes original music for the bluegrass, old-time and Americana genres.
From the museum’s website: “Join us for Tar Heel Troubadours, a celebration of Americana, roots, bluegrass, and traditional music performed by artists from or living and working in North Carolina.
Top Row (left): Saylor Brothers, Zach Brock, Mild Goose Chase; Middle Row (left): Holler Choir, Florencia & The Feeling; Bottom Row (left): Screamin’ Bridge, The Dirty French Broads, The High & Wides
MerleFest, presented by Window World, has announced the finalists for its ninth annual band competition, which will be held during this year’s festival, April 25-28, on the campus of Wilkes Community College. Tickets for the MerleFest Mega Raffle went on sale Feb. 1, and with prizes like a brand-new Ford Bronco and Harley Davidson motorcycle, tickets are going fast! The 2024 festival will also see an outpouring of support from volunteers as applications reach record numbers.
Since its inception, MerleFest has emphasized its commitment to celebrating emerging talent and supporting artists of all backgrounds and experience levels. Each year, the festival provides some of today’s most fresh and noteworthy voices to showcase their virtuosity by performing alongside their peers during Saturday’s festivities. Of the eight finalists competing, one winner will earn the opportunity to perform in front of thousands of festival goers.
The band competition performances will take place Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the winner will be announced on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The winning band will perform on Sunday, April 28, at the Hillside Stage at 11 a.m.
This year’s Band Competition will include: The Dirty French Broads (Asheville, NC)
From the good folks at Red Wing: Red Wing Roots Music Festival is excited to announce the full line up of artists scheduled to perform at the 11th annual music festival, taking place June 21-23, 2024, at Natural Chimneys Park in Mount Solon, Virginia. Along with festival hosts and local favorites, The Steel Wheels, the list of festival headliners contains many artists new to the Red Wing stage, including Kurt Vile & The Violators, Bonny Light Horseman, Brent Cobb, Lee Fields, Mapache, Tuba Skinny and Rose City Band. Fifty artists are scheduled to appear across five stages during the three-day event, with festival favorites such as Sierra Hull, Pokey Lafarge, The Brothers Comatose, Amy Helm and Lindsay Lou. View the full line up at www.redwingroots.com/2024-line-up/. Since 2013, Red Wing has strived to offer patrons an opportunity to explore the many sounds of roots music. “The term ‘Roots Music’ conveys both the depth of our American musical traditions, like folk, blues, Cajun, old-time and bluegrass, and the breadth of its current iterations. It is the celebration of the American songbook, past and present,” said Jeremiah Jenkins, co-founder and managing partner. Red Wing embodies both great music and opportunities to engage the great outdoors of Augusta County. The festival partners with local organizations to offer biking, hiking, group runs, and yoga beneath the rock towers at Natural Chimneys Park. For avid cyclists, a Saturday morning ride to Reddish Knob allows for a mountain top celebration with stunning views of the Shenandoah Valley. As always, Red Wing will host the region’s finest food vendors, including options for craft beer, cider, and wine in the Blue Mountain Beer Gardens. There are also more than 20 craft vendors offering an array of products such as clothing, jewelry, art, flowers and more. Shady Grove, a shaded activity zone located near the Chimneys, features a climbing wall, organized and informal games, slack lines, and a mist pavilion for cooling down during the hot summer days for attendees of all ages. On-site camping has long been a popular aspect of the festival. While several camping passes have already sold out, great options remain for tent camping, small RV/car camping and Red Wing Glamping, a luxury tenting option. Currently three-day festival tickets are on sale and moving quickly. Single day tickets will be made available for purchase later in the spring. For tickets and more information, visit www.redwingroots.com.
North Carolina Songwriters in the Round returns to The Cary Theater at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3. This year’s showcase features two sets of songwriters sharing the stories behind the songs they’ve written, performing in the round, Nashville style.
Performers include Jason Adamo, Stephen Jenkins, George Hage, Reeve Coobs, Julie Mcknight, Jeremy Gilchrist, Brooke Hatala and Amy Gerhartz.
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
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.
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.
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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