The lineup includes IBMA favorites Balsam Range, Jim Lauderdale, The Tray Wellington Band, Unspoken Tradition, Hank Pattie and the Current, Stillhouse Junkies and other bluegrass greats. It also features rising stars in the Americana world like Sunny War, Shinyribs, Palmyra, Town Mountain and the Susto String Band, plus gospel bands from the Black Church traditions of Eastern North Carolina.
This special event combines an author event featuring Eddie Huffman, author of the new Doc Watson biography, followed by a performance from Joseph Terrell of Mipso, who’ll play some Doc tunes and a few of his own.
The story of a small-town man who changed music forever
Arthel “Doc” Watson (1923–2012) is arguably one of the most influential musicians Appalachia has ever produced. A musician’s musician, Doc grew up on a subsistence farm in the North Carolina mountains during the Depression, soaking up traditional music and learning to play guitar even though he was blind. Rising to fame in the 1960s as part of the burgeoning folk revival scene, Doc became the face of traditional music for many listeners, racking up multiple Grammys and releasing dozens of albums over the course of his long career. Eddie Huffman tells the story of Doc’s life and legacy, drawing on extensive interviews and hundreds of hours of archival research. In making the most comprehensive biography of Watson ever, Huffman gives us an affecting and informative portrait of the man they called Doc.
Full of fascinating stories—from Doc’s first banjo made from his grandmother’s cat to the founding of MerleFest—this promises to be the definitive biography of the man and how he came to be synonymous with roots music in America and shows how his influence is still felt in music today.
About the Author:
Eddie Huffman is a writer, reporter and author of “John Prine: In Spite of Himself.” He lives in Greensboro, North Carolina.
About Joseph Terrell:
Joseph Terrell has spent 10 years singing, writing songs, and playing guitar with Americana quartet Mipso. His debut solo album “Good For Nothing Howl” (Sleepy Cat Records) features talking roses, screaming oak trees, and the fortune-telling powers of persimmons. The result is a kaleidoscope of folk tradition and sonic playfulness with images of Terrell’s native North Carolina woods sparkling in the foreground, calling you to pay attention.
You may recognize Ketch Secor as the frontman and founding member of Grand Ole Opry and festival-favorite Old Crow Medicine Show. But did you know that the Grammy-award winner is also an author?
Gaelic Storm, Santa Monica, California’s internationally renowned Celtic band, has been topping the Billboard World Music Charts for decades.
The band also announced its full lineup on its new festival website, designed by none other than Danylo Fedoryka, that is full of visuals and videos to give fans a sense of the festival.
In an email, the band writes: “We invite you to our hometown for a music festival set under the Blue Ridge Mountains. Appaloosa is making waves and was chosen by Virginia Tourism to receive a ‘Virginia is for Music Lovers’ grant. We hope you can come join us this Labor Day Weekend and allow us to host you in our hometown of Front Royal, Virginia!”
In addition to Gaelic Storm and Scythian, Chapel Hill, North Carolina’s Mandolin Orange will also headline. The lineup includes Town Mountain, Humming House, Fireside Collective, Mountain Duo and Will Overman, among many others.
Visit http://appaloosafestival.com for advance ticket sales and more information.
The 32nd annual Carolina Blues Festival, the longest-running blues festival in the Southeast U.S., will host international, national, regional, and local blues acts for a weekend of full of blues, rain or shine on May 18-20, 2018, in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina, at LeBauer Park, organizers say.
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