A pair of special performances are also set for the Saturday night: a performance led and curated by Kesha dubbed “Superjâm Esoteríca: The Alchemy of Pop” and a “Weird Al” Yankovic show titled Bigger & Weirder Roovue. Others on the bill include Geese, Turnstile, Four Tet, Modest Mouse, Clipse, Alabama Shakes, Teddy Swims, the Neighbourhood, Role Model, Vince Staples, and Blood Orange. The festival is held at the Bonnaroo Farm in Manchester, Tennessee.
Also on the bill are Griz, Japanese Breakfast, Wednesday, Wet Leg, Smino, Zack Fox, the Dare, Rachel Chinouriri, Passion Pit, Amyl and the Sniffers, Osees, Snow Strippers, Freddie Gibbs & the Alchemist, Major Lazer, Yungblud, Fcukers, Holly Humberstone, Boys Noize, Confidence Man, Lil Jon, Mt. Joy, and Yungblud, among others.
On Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 10 a.m. head to the Red Wing website to secure your tickets and camping for Red Wing XIII.
Three-day General Admission Tickets Launch begins with Early Bird Tickets at $154. When they sell out, Tier 2 Tickets $164 will automatically open. As a family-friendly event,Teens ($104) + Kids/6-12yos ($39) +Kids 5 & under (free) will also be up for grabs!
Camping? You have options! From No Frills to Glamping and everything in between, Red Wing Camping is a favorite festival tradition! Some options sell fast — plan ahead, purchase early and have a backup ready so you don’t miss out!
Chimney Ridge Camping (2 options) — starting at $129 RW Glamping(3 options) — starting at $1,199 + add A/C or additional cots! Z-Lot Dry-RV(3 options) — starting at $279 SuperGroup Site — $3,200 Premium RV Site — $945 No Frills Tent Site— $89
Nestled in the rugged San Juan Mountains of Southwestern Colorado, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, set forJune 18-21, 2026, is not only an iconic representation of all kinds of music, but a place of awe inspiring beauty; somewhere you can dance under the sun (and rain) and embrace your truest self. The 2026 lineup is yet to be announced but Telluride Bluegrass tickets go on sale Dec. 11 at shop.bluegrass.com and they are sure to sell out quickly!
MerleFest, presented by Window World, has unveiled lineup details in a press release for its 2026 event, taking place over four unforgettable days from April 23–26 on the campus of Wilkes Community College.
Fourteen-time GRAMMY winners Alison Krauss & Union Station will mark their long-awaited return to the MerleFest stage since their Sunday night closing appearance at the festival’s 25th celebration.
Also making a comeback are Old Crow Medicine Show, a longtime festival favorite whose ties to its founding legend Doc Watson trace back to the turn of the millennium. The revelrous string ensemble will also play host to this year’s Late Night Jam –– a beloved MerleFest tradition that was revived last year after a brief hiatus. Also on the bill are golden-voiced West Virginia singer/songwriter Charles Wesley Godwin, hard-driving Southern rock stalwarts Blackberry Smoke, decorated flatpicker and vocalist Molly Tuttle, along with Old Crow Medicine Show frontman Ketch Secor, Steep Canyon Rangers, The Creekers, Trey Hensley, and many more. Additional acts will be announced in December, organizers say.
Each year, MerleFest honors the legacy of North Carolina music legend Doc Watson while celebrating and uplifting the next generation of talent. Its “traditional plus” framework invites curiosity and exploration among performers and attendees alike, creating a festival experience that is always fresh while preserving the soul of what makes MerleFest such a cherished annual tradition. One can’t-miss experience this year is the Saturday night Late Night Jam, hosted by Old Crow Medicine Show. This separately-ticketed, after-hours event is the ideal nightcap for those looking to witness a night of groundbreaking, “only at MerleFest” collaborations. Visit merlefest.org/purchase for details and to stay tuned for guest announcements.
MerleFest 2026 will also welcome Sam Bush, The Jerry Douglas Band, Peter Rowan & The Walls of Time Band, Sister Sadie, Jake Shimabukuro, Hogslop String Band, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, Dom Flemons & The Traveling Wildfires, Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Melissa Carper, Leon Timbo & The Family Band, DUG, Scythian, Donna The Buffalo, Jim Lauderdale, Kruger Brothers, The Waybacks, Amelia Day, Andy May, Banknotes, Carol Rifkin, Charles Welch, The InterACTive Theatre of Jef, Jack Lawrence, Jeff Little Trio, Joe Smothers, The Knackered Ramblers, Laura Boosinger, The Local Boys, Mark Bumgarner, Mitch Greenhill & Mitch’s Kitchen, Pete & Joan Wernick, Presley Barker, Roy Book Binder, T. Michael Coleman, Tony Williamson and Wayne Henderson, with additional artists to be announced in the coming weeks.
The WCC Foundation is thrilled to continue the Silent Auction this year, featuring the convenience of online bidding and the chance to view items in person throughout the festival. You can browse and place bids before and during the festival — all without missing a beat of the music. This year’s auction will showcase an even greater variety of distinctive, high-quality items, and the 50/50 Raffle is back for another exciting year! Proceeds support the SAGE (Supporting Academic Goals for Education) First Year Experience program, empowering students to start strong and achieve their goals. Stay tuned for more details at merlefest.org/silent-auction.
MerleFest 2026 tickets are available now. For general admission passes, as well as covered patio seating, reserved seating, camping, parking, and more, please visit merlefest.org/purchase.
MerleFest volunteer applications are now open. As a volunteer, participants will receive free entry to the festival for the entire day of their shift, free parking and shuttle, and 10% off camping at River’s Edge Campground. Most importantly, volunteers will be supporting a major fundraiser for Wilkes Community College. Please visit merlefest.org/volunteer to sign up before the April 15 deadline.
Apply to be a MerleFest vendor! Vendors are carefully selected to provide a variety of quality and unique goods for every MerleFest fan. Included in the vendor fee is the cost of your tent, tent setup, fire extinguisher, gutters, table, chairs, lightbulb for night time illumination, on-campus security, as well as general admission passes for the entire festival and one on-campus parking pass. Simply put, it’s a great deal! Please visit merlefest.org/vendors to apply now before the application window closes on Jan. 15.
Apply to be a MerleFest food vendor! MerleFest is looking for a few select non-profit organizations to fill availability in the main food tent! If your civic organization or local non-profit has food service experience and would like to participate, please visit merlefest.org/vendors to apply. The application window closes on Dec. 1.
Apply to be a food truck vendor! MerleFest is accepting applications for food trucks. A limited number of food trucks will be featured in the Shoppes at MerleFest. These vendors will be carefully selected in order to bring only the best offerings and service to our fans. Please visit merlefest.org/vendors to apply now before the application window closes on Dec. 1.
Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on Campbell Law School’s website on Oct. 15.
David Childers ‘81 has been called one of North Carolina’s most underrated song writers.
The Campbell Law School alumnus practiced law with his father, Max Childers, in his Gaston County hometown of Mount Holly after graduation. For more than a decade, Childers handled everything from criminal to domestic cases to DUIs, ”just whatever was thrown at me,” he told music writer Mark Kemp in this story from The Charlotte Ledger in August 2025.
Childers began writing songs on his acoustic Gibson guitar, basing them loosely on some of the characters and their lives he saw through his law practice. He started performing in small Charlotte clubs. He released his first CD when he was 45 with his then group, The Mount Holly Hellcats.
Childers continued to practice law along with his music making throughout the late ’90s, recording three more albums with a variety of notable musicians, including members of Charlotte bands Lou Ford and The Rank Outsiders and the late West Coast guitarist Duane Jarvis, who played with Lucinda Williams.
But on a hot, humid night in July 2000, Dolph Ramseur of Ramseur Records, an independent label that would go on to produce Childers along with The Avett Brothers, happened to catch Childers at the legendary Double Door Inn in Charlotte.
“Most of the songs he performed that evening were filled with the subject matter of Jesus, damnation, salvation, the Devil, forgiveness and redemption,” Ramseur is quoted in Childers’ bio on his website. “I will never, ever forget it. It was such an inspiration that the next day I wrote David a personal letter asking him if we could make a record together about those things in which he was singing about. We have been friends ever since. No record or manager contract. Just a handshake.”
That record, “Blessed in an Unusual Way,” ended up being recorded in Ramseur’s home. “David’s been a kind of a rock for me in many ways,” Ramseur told Kemp. “Much like it is with the Avetts and me, David and I speak the same language — that Southern Piedmont mill town thing. We’re all made from the same stuff.”
Ramseur adds on Childers website, “It is my hope David’s greatness as a songwriter and artist will be recognized and appreciated by many in years to come.”
Turns out, on Thursday, Oct. 16, that hope will come true as Childers will be inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, which is home to musical legends, including James Taylor; the late, great Doc Watson; John Coltrane; and the aforementioned Avett Brothers.
Childers is being inducted alongside country music star Luke Combs, Clyde Mattocks, Dexter Romweber, Hattie “Chatty Hatty” Leeper and Robert Deaton. The North Carolina Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place annually to honor music legends with roots in North Carolina. The ceremony is open to the public for a night filled with music, celebration and nostalgia. The 2025 class to be enshrined during the annual induction ceremony at the Mooresville Performing Arts Center.
The ceremony is a commemorative occasion in which music industry professionals who have made a significant impact on American Music are introduced as new members of our Hall of Fame. The ceremony will feature each inductees’ acceptance of their induction, video presentations and live performances. Tickets are $50 and $80 and are available at this link.
Childers’ Hall of Fame induction comes at a time when the musician, poet and artist could use some good news. In summer 2024 Childers was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. While he tried to keep his illness quiet, once his friends and other musicians found out they created a GoFundMe account to help with his bills. To date, they’ve raised more than $30,000.
Childers told Kemp, “I had no idea how appreciated I was … I mean, the amount of love that just poured in. And not only that, but also the financial help. I get checks in the mail for $500! I’m like, ‘What’s this for?’ and they’re like, ‘Well, just because of what you’ve done. You’ve meant a lot to me — your music.’”
His latest song, about a vagrant in the Durham bus station, includes the lines, “Sometimes bad things happen… Keep your focus. You might get an answer. There might just be an angel standing next to you.”
Kemp writes, “Childers has put his trust in angels his entire life. His songs and paintings are all about darkness and light, sin and redemption, hard times and freedom. He doesn’t know where life will take him from here, but he knows he’s going to be OK.”
Childers continued, “That’s one thing I want people to understand, I’m doing fine. I get out there, I walk about a mile and a half a day. I cut grass with a push mower. I lift weights. I paint all the time. I’m back to playing gigs…I’m probably the happiest I’ve been in my life. I ain’t planning on dying anytime soon.”
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.
One of the “coolest cats” to ever pick up a banjo will entertain the crowd at the award-winning Carolina Bible Camp Bluegrass Festival on Saturday, Sept. 13, in Mocksville, North Carolina.
Sammy Shelor, winner of the 2011 Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, will headline the festival with his popular group, the Lonesome River Band.
Tickets to Davie County’s Carolina Bible Camp Bluegrass Festival are available online now at www.cbcbluegrass.com. Ticket platform Zeffy makes the process easy.
The Sept. 13 schedule of bluegrass’s finest also includes:
– PBS Song of the Mountains host Tim White & Troublesome Hollow
The Southeast Tourism Society (STS) has named the North Carolina Folk Festival as one of its Signature Events of the Southeast for 2025, recognizing it among the region’s top annual festivals. Travel industry experts select these top events each year, shining a spotlight on the people and experiences that make them special.
“Being named a Signature Event of the Southeast is an incredible honor, but it’s only the start,” said Jodee Ruppel, NC Folk Festival executive director, in a release. “This recognition inspires our commitment to keep growing with more amazing artists, diverse traditions, and bringing new audiences to Greensboro to experience the vibe of our festival and our city.”
The 2025 NC Folk Festival will fill downtown Greensboro with the sounds of global music Sept. 12–14. This year’s headliners include Sammy Rae & The Friends (Friday), Arrested Development (Saturday) and Steep Canyon Rangers (Sunday).
The three-day festival, now in its 11th year, began as the National Folk Festival before transitioning into its North Carolina version. It draws more than 100,000 visitors to downtown Greensboro annually.
“Being named a Signature Event of the Southeast is a tremendous honor that speaks volumes about the North Carolina Folk Festival’s impact—not just in our community, but across the region,” said Melvin “Skip” Alston, chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, in a release. “Guilford County has long been a destination for arts, culture, and community, and we couldn’t be prouder of the Folk Festival in achieving this national recognition. The festival is a celebration of the rich diversity that makes our community special, and this accolade reinforces what we’ve always known—it’s one of the best events in the South.
“It’s wonderful to see the N.C. Folk Festival recognized as a Signature Event of the Southeast. This honor reflects the talent, diversity and community spirit the festival brings to Greensboro every year, and it’s exciting to see something that started here getting regional recognition,” says Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan.
For more than 40 years, STS has celebrated the Southeast’s premier festivals, honoring the dedication of event organizers while providing additional exposure. Events considered for the STS Signature Events of the Southeast recognition must be at least three years old and attract a minimum of 1,000 attendees.
The 2nd Annual Next Door Music Festival brings a mix of live music, food and community from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 16, to downtown Oxford, North Carolina.
Hosted by Next Door Radio, this nonprofit FREE event at 105 W. Spring St. donates 100 percent of proceeds to Family Living Violence Free (FLVF), supporting survivors of domestic violence. The lineup spans punk, emo, indie dream pop, Americana and atmospheric rock, featuring North Carolina bands Late Bloomer, Blab School, Entrez Vous, The Yardarm and Long Relief. Headliner Noise Beneath the Floor brings a national presence from Columbus, Ohio, and Athens, Georgia.
The festival will also feature eight food trucks, 75 local vendors and a farmers market. After the main event, head to Tobacco Wood Brewing Co. for the After Party from 6–9 p.m.), featuring three more NC bands, brews, and food. This community-rooted event draws visitors from across the region for a full day of music and connection.
Fans of Yarn and RoosterWalk Music and Arts Festival will be excited to hear that the 5th rendition of the band’s annual alternative music festival is moving to Pop’s Farm just outside Martinsville, Virginia, on Oct. 16-18, 2025.
Tickets are on sale now at this link and start $110. The event’s address is 675 Hobson Road, Axton, Virginia.
Band leader and founder Blake Christiana says, “We are moving Yarnival 5 to Pop’s Farm in an effort to make it just a little bit bigger and hopefully even better. Big huge thanks and love to Jay and Constance Wyant for allowing us to grow this event at Alder Creek Farm for its first four years.
“In sticking with our small festival appeal where every ticket is a VIP, we will be limiting the number of tickets we sell and continue the laidback vibe that has made our past Yarnival’s so welcoming, friendly and comfortable. WE DO EXPECT A SELL OUT, SO GET YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE.
“We will continue to feature whatever kind of music we feel like alongside our feature of alternative forms of entertainment, i.e. magic, carnival arts, circus performers, burlesque, etc… You won’t be seeing any super ‘big names’ at our festival but you will be seeing talent that is equal to or even greater than said ‘big names.’ Most likely some will even go on to become ‘big names.’ The difference between a band that draws a hundred people every night and 10,000 people every night is a tiny speck of dust. Albeit magic dust, but just a little dust nonetheless.”
More about Yarn
Blake Christiana, founding member of Yarn, has the music in him. In fact, you could say that Blake is the music and the music is Blake; that’s how deeply he inhabits the songs he writes and plays. You can hear him struggling with his feelings, whether it’s on a skittering country shuffle or on a mid-tempo folk ballad or a straight-ahead rocker. His restless search for the chords and lyrics over the past 20 years has produced a plethora of memorable music, and since 2007 he’s led Yarn, a band that’s evolved from its earliest days as a bar band in New York City to an outstanding roots band that’s shared stages with Dwight Yoakam, Marty Stuart, Alison Krauss, and Leftover Salmon, among many others.
Yarn got their start by playing a weekly residency at Kenny’s Castaways in Greenwich Village in 2007. “We played there every Monday night for two years. I was writing like crazy, and we’d try out the songs. It was like rehearsing on stage; every night was different, and sometimes we played in front of five people and sometimes there’d be 100 people there.” Over the years, musicians have rotated in and out of Yarn, but drummer Robert Bonhomme and bassist Rick Bugel, along with Christiana, have remained the core of the band.
17 years and over 10 albums later, Yarn has a new album, “Born, Blessed, Grateful & Alive,” out in July 2024, and their exuberance shines as bright as ever; they lay down jubilant songs—even when the lyrics might be a little less than joyous—and play effortlessly across a number of genres. Joining Christiana, Bonhomme, and Bugel in the studio for this he album were guitarists Mike Robinson (Railroad Earth), Andy Falco (Infamous Stringdusters), and Mike Sivilli (Dangermuffin), bassist Johnny Grubb (Railroad Earth), harmony vocalists Heather Hannah and Elliott Peck (Midnight North), and keyboardist Damian Calcagne, who co-produced the album along side Blake Christiana.
The soaring Allman Brothers-esque mid-tempo rocker “Turn Off the News” opens with a cascading piano run that tumbles into the band’s echoing vocals that reverberate with a gospel-inflected acclimation of the joy we feel when we can “turn of the news” and “shake off the blues” of the incessant 24 hour depressing news cycle. The country shuffle “Somethings Gotta Change” strolls along the crystalline riffs of a pedal steel that darts in and out of a honky-tonk piano; the song exudes a joyous spirit even in the face of the world falling down around it.
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