For the second year in a row, someone with ties to Rockingham County, North Carolina, is a finalist in MerleFest‘s famed Chris Austin Songwriting Contest.
Courtney Rorrer of Madison and Asa Gravley of Beckley, West Virginia, are finalists in the bluegrass category for their tune, “Midnight Tears,” and will perform Friday, April 29. Last year, Carri Smithey (now of Burlington, N.C., but used to live in Madison), Josh Coe (Saxapahaw, N.C.), Ryan Burgess (Burlington, N.C.) and Keith Ingalls (Burlington, N.C.) were finalists in the country category of the contest for their song “No More.” Continue reading →
What do you call it? Who knows, but it sure sounds good.
All were chosen as winners and runners up in the festival’s On-the-Rise (OTR) Competition in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
Now, FloydFest fans have a chance to choose who takes part in the festival’s OTR 2016
competition during an eight-week roster of shows at The Phoenix, a little “cubby-of-
cool” in Roanoke, Virginia’s Old Southwest neighborhood. The competition starts April
2 and runs through the end of May, says Kris Hodges, co-founder of the festival set for
July 27-31 off the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milemarker 170.5. Several of the bands are
alumni of other area festivals, including Rooster Walk Arts and Music Festival and Front
Porch Fest, among others.
Two of my favorite bands — Will Overman Band and Annabelle’s Curse — are playing at The Tin Pan, 8982 Quioccasin Road ,in Richmond, Virginia, April 1-2. If you’re in the area, you need to buy your tickets now because both shows are sure to sell out.
I discovered both bands at Rooster Walk 7. Annabelle’s Curse is returning to Rooster Walk 8 over Memorial Day and hosting The Howling Craft Beer and Music Festival May 27-28 while WOB is performing at MerleFest and Front Porch Fest.
If you haven’t heard either of these bands play live, you won’t want to miss either one of these shows!
MerleFest, slated for April 28–May 1, 2016, announced today John Oates, a legend of American music, will be joining the official 2016 festival lineup as the final headliner. Also announced, Donna the Buffalo will host the much-anticipated Midnight Jam at the Walker Center, and the Jam will be sponsored by The Bluegrass Situation.
The Black Lillies and Mipso are among the headliners at MerleFest favorite Scythian‘s second annual roots music Appaloosa Festival set for Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 3-4, in Front Royal, Virginia, which is about an hour from Washington, D.C., in the stunning Shenandoah Valley. Continue reading →
The Fiddle and Bow Society has been bringing folk and acoustic music to the Triad area since 1981. On Saturday, March 5, organizers are planning a mini-festival at Muddy Creek Music Hall in the historic Bethania Mill to celebrate this milestone. The event, which is scheduled from 1 to 5 p.m., will feature Low Lily, The Fretless, Mountain Birch Duo featuring WFDD’s Paul Brown and Crann Ull.
Tickets are $20 at the door, which opens at 11:30 a.m. Organizers suggest you get there early if you want a good seat. For more information, call (336) 414-1699 or visit www.fiddleandbow.org.
North Carolina native Thomas Wolfe famously wrote, “You can’t go home again.” But another native son of the Tarheel State, Caleb Caudle, is proving Wolfe wrong. Continue reading →
While you’re thawing out from the latest blow Old Man Winter has landed, here’s a thought that should warm you: It’s only 72 days until MerleFest, which is set for April 28-May 1 on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
For the first time, MerleFest, the music festival founded in 1988 by the legendary Doc Watson in honor of his son and fellow musician Eddy Merle Watson, will offer music lovers a sneak peek of this spring’s festival when “MerleFest On the Road” tours throughout the Southeast during March. The tour will feature select artists scheduled to perform at MerleFest 2016: Tellico, High Plains Jamboree and Zoe & Cloyd.Continue reading →
This also ran on The Huffington Post here and on Halfway South here.
MADISON, N.C. — Seth Williams went from playing the blues on Madison’s Market Street to Memphis’ famed Beale Street at the 32nd International Blues Challenge Jan. 26-30. If the fans reaction is any indication, it won’t be this young musician’s last trip to the home of the blues and the birth place of rock ‘n roll.
“I think he did really well,” says T.L Lineberry, operations director for the Carolina Blues Festival. “He’s young and has a lot of talent.”
Williams, a 17-year-old native of Reidsville, North Carolina, was among the talent performing in the Blues Challenge Youth Showcase along with blues musicians from around the world who competed for cash, prizes and industry recognition. Williams earned a spot on one of the storied stages by winning the youth competition in October at the Blind Tiger in Greensboro, North Carolina. Continue reading →
“MerleFest, presented by Window World and slated for April 28-May 1, 2016, is proud to announce three powerful new additions to the 2016 lineup: breakout Americana star Jason Isbell, legendary Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel and inspiring gospel songster Mike Farris and The Roseland Rhythm Revue. These three new artists join more than 100 other artists already announced, including John Prine, Old Crow Medicine Show, Dave Rawlings Machine, Brandi Carlile, The Wood Brothers, Steep Canyon Rangers, Tim O’Brien, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Peter Rowan, Alison Brown, Doug Seegers, Will Overman Band and more! The four-day event, the largest roots and Americana music festival in the nation, takes place on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the heart of Appalachia. MerleFest continues the legacy of Doc Watson and is a benefit for the college. This homecoming of roots music artists and fans draws nearly 80,000 participants every year.”
musicreporterblog 