If you can hardly wait for Sept. 26-30 and the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) World of Bluegrass Festival and PNC’s Wide Open Bluegrass, the weekend festival on Sept. 29-30 in downtown Raleigh that takes place during the IBMA event, you’re in luck.
You can catch two of the Wide Open Bluegrass acts — MerleFest favorite Celtic roots rockers Scythian and Nashville’s Forlorn Strangers — at a “Save the Date” party beginning at 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 15, at the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh. This all-ages show will also serve as a CD Release Party for Scythian’s newest album, “Dance All Night.”
FloydFest 17 — experience FREEDOM, July 26-30, 2017! is the latest annual offering from the Southeast’s premier summer outdoor music festival at Milepost 170.5 on the Blue Ridge Parkway just outside Floyd, Virginia.
Tickets are available now at www.floydfest.com for five days of music, magic and mountains, featuring outdoor adventure, vibrant and varied vendors, quality brews and chews, healing arts, workshops and whimsy, children’s activities, art installations and a lineup featuring more than 100 artists on nine+ stages. That said, why pay more than you have to? Ticket prices increase at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 1, 2017. Buying now saves you $25 per ticket over gate prices on a 5-Day GA ticket. Buy NOW! (Some ticket types are almost sold out!)
The artist-driven label that proudly refuses to be labeled, will celebrate its 20th anniversary with Yep Roc 20, a three-night concert blowout to be held October 19, 20 and 21, in Carrboro, North Carolina, and its new hometown of Hillsborough, North Carolina.
Some of my favorite artists are part of the Brevard Music Center’s 81st season, which kicks off with an opening night performance of Beethoven 5, conducted by Brevard Music Center’s Artistic Director Keith Lockhart on Thursday, June 22.
The Ninth Annual Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival is in the books but that doesn’t mean the music at its location at Pop’s Farm in Axton, Virginia, has to stop. In fact, on Friday, June 30, you can catch Rooster Walk regular the People’s Blues of Richmond performing on the Pine Grove Stage beginning at 7:30 p.m.
If you’re in Abingdon, Virginia, or headed to the area the first weekend in June, check out
Wolf Hills Brewing’s The Howling Craft Beer and Music Festival on June 2-3, 2017. The brewery is located at 350 Park St SE. The festival will feature Drivin N Cryin, The Trongone Band (fresh off some amazing sets at Rooster Walk 9), Time Sawyer, Sarah Shook and the Disarmers, Dave Eggar, Amythyst Kiah and many more.
A precursor to the Brevard Music Center’s summer series, the Brevard Blues & BBQ Festival is a two-day event by 185 Productions on June 2 and 3 at BMC’s Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium. The festival offers live blues music, craft vendors, food vendors and a barbecue cookoff. The festival begins at 5 p.m. June 2 and 2 p.m. June 3. Tickets are $25 for Friday-only, $35 for Saturday-only and $45 for the weekend. For more information, visit brevardbluesfestival.com.
Ever wondered where the funny, punny name Mandolin Orange — one of today’s premiere American roots bands — has its origins?
“We were driving back from our first gig opening for Kickin Grass, a band from Raleigh, and we thought what a cool name and that we needed a name,” remembers Emily Frantz (violin/guitar/vocals), who makes up half of this uber talented duo who still call Chapel Hill, North Carolina, home.
“Andrew Marlin (mandolin/guitar/vocals), who loves puns and word play, had this little round and orange mandolin at the time, said half-joking how about Mandolin Orange? And it stuck.”
Americana fans, listen up: The second Annual Jam In The Trees will feature some of my favorite acts including Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen, Jeffrey Foucault, Front Country, Eilen Jewell, Cicada Rhythm, Zoe & Cloyd, The Infamous Stringsuters, Acoustic Syndicate, Peter Rowan, Larry Keel, Tim O’Brien and Jan Fabricius, Jim Lauderdale, Underhill Rose and Ken Tizzard.
Jam in the Trees is a two-day, Americana music-themed event that takes place Friday and Saturday, Aug. 25 and 26, 2017, on two stages — the Outdoor Stage and the Taproom Stage — at Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Continue reading →
