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 →
The festival continues its tradition of celebrating the heritage of western North Carolina through music, food and beverages. More than 100 musicians, chefs, vintners and craft beer brewers from the region will gather on Main Street in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, to engage audiences with the best of their craft, according to a release.
“We made a big change last year, the festival grounds were open to the public with no admission charge,” explains Dale Isom, festival organizer. “Folks enjoyed the food trucks and shopped at the vendor mall without having to purchase a wristband. This was a big success as many folks came down just to enjoy the food and the festival environment. We will continue this again this year and invite folks to come down and enjoy the street festival portion of Carolina in the Fall. Those wishing to take in the music will have to purchase a wristband to enter the music venues.”
Wilkes County’s own The Kruger Brothers will welcome some of North Carolina’s best folk/ roots music bands. They will be joined by some of the nation’s best bands from other regions that tip their hats to the rich musical history of Wilkes, the Heart of American Folk Music™. In addition to The Kruger Brothers, the festival line-up includes Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, The Black Lillies, The Hunts, Terry Baucom’s Dukes of Drive, Darin and Brooke Aldridge, the Snyder Family Band, Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys, and many others. Continue reading →
If you are in the Triangle area of North Carolina this weekend and you are interested in taking in some live music and local craft brews, head over to downtown Apex from 3 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, Sept. 16. In exchange for an Alexander Hamilton (that’s $10) you can catch nearly 20 acts and taste even more beers (the beers are extra). Just make sure you have a DD or a rideshare app on your phone and enjoy! Continue reading →
Rooster Walk and Deschutes Brewery are joining forces to present world-renowned gypsy jazz guitarist Stephane Wrembel & His Band at Pop’s Farm on Saturday, Sept. 23. Amazing local jazz group 5 Brothers (featuring David Oakes) will kick off the evening. Tickets cost $12 in advance and $15 day of show and are available here.
If you are a fan of roots, rock, country, bluegrass, blues, old-time, folk and Americana music, then you are already a fan of the annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunionheld on State Street in Historic Downtown Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia, that celebrates the twin cities’ history as the birthplace of country music.This year’s 17th annual three-day music cornucopia that features 100 live acts across 20 stages is set for Friday, Sept. 15, through Sunday, Sept. 17.
Headliners include Dwight Yoakam, Judah & the Lion, Jerry Douglas Presents: Earls of Leicester, Son Volt, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Deer Tick and The Infamous Stringdusters. Continue reading →
It also turned out to be a preview show for Scythian’s Appaloosa Roots Music Festival set for Sept. 1-3 in Front Royal, Virginia, at which both Scythian and Forlorn Strangers are set to perform. And Front Porch Fest fans will be happy to know they can catch Forlorn Strangers at the festival on Sept. 3 in Stuart, Virginia.
“If I have one piece of advice, don’t burn your business down.”
Solid advice from Strong Oaks Woodshop founder Mike Schmiedicke. It comes from someone who doesn’t want to see what happened to him, his family, his employees and his community happen to someone else.
But this isn’t a story about what Schmiedicke lost in a blaze this past April. It’s about what he found. It’s about friends and community. It’s about how, when we pay it forward, it can come back around in ways we can’t even imagine.
Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival and Deschutes Brewery will present the Southern rockers Cris Jacobs Band at 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 18, on the Pine Grove Stage at Pop’s Farm in Axton, Virginia.
Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the gate, which opens at 7:30. Tickets are available at the Daily Grind and Rising Sun Breads in Martinsville. Buy tickets online here. Rives Theatre season pass holders get in free.
What happens when you throw a group of Nashville and Galax, Virginia, musicians who have never played together in a barn behind a farmhouse nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains? Musical magic.
That’s exactly what happened a year ago this month when the Wild Ponies – otherwise known as Doug and Telisha Williams – decided to get back to their musical and geographic roots.
“I had spent a lot time playing on my grandfather’s farm and it’s just a beautiful place to spend some time,” Doug said in a recent phone interview. “We wanted to play with people who played with my grandfather and then get some people from Nashville to play as well. It just felt like something we needed to do.” Continue reading →
The third annual Brewster Walk Craft Beer Festival & Concerts will take place Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017, in uptown Martinsville, Virginia, in front of the historic Rives Theatre, on the 200 block of East Church Street.
The event will feature live performances from Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival perennial fan favorite Yarn, Mission in the Rain (a Jerry Garcia Band tribute set) and the Jason Springs Band of Danville as well as more than 60 craft beers. Special guest and Bassett-native Josh Shilling of Mountain Heart fame will sit-in with Yarn as well as Mission in the Rain. Continue reading →
