In light of the fact that West Virginia native and Grammy-winning, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tim O’Brien is bringing his prodigious talents to Asheville and Raleigh this weekend with “The Banjo Tramps,” today’s Flashback Friday is an interview I had the privilege of conducting at Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival a few years ago. Continue reading
Category Archives: Music Tour
‘MerleFest On The Road’ featuring the Way Down Wanderers, The Barefoot Movement and Andy May offers a sneak peek of 2018 festival offerings
This just in from the good folks over at MerleFest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina:
MerleFest, the popular music festival founded by the legendary Doc Watson and presented by Window World, offers 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 that will perform at MerleFest 2018 or have performed previously at the festival: The Way Down Wanderers, The Barefoot Movement and Andy May.
First Listen: The Price Sisters provide a fresh take on classic bluegrass
Martha Bassett to perform at The Barn at Reynolda Village on Friday, Jan. 26
Doors for the latest installment of the “More Barn” Concert Series featuring bluegrass and folk singer-songwriter Martha Bassett open at 7 p.m. with the show slated to start at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26, at The Barn at Reynolda Village, 106 Reynolda Village, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Silo Bistro & Bar will be on site with wine and beer for sale.
Bassett was raised on the bluegrass and gospel of her native West Virginia farmland, according to her website bio. Classically trained, Bassett is blessed with a crystalline tone, a remarkable range, and sultry delivery. Her performances are known for their emotional honesty and visceral impact, making everyone in the room feel she’s singing directly to them. Her musical inspiration moves effortlessly through swing, jazz, folk, country, and rock guaranteeing playful variety at her live shows.
Mixing originals with choice covers, she navigates sexy torch songs, rip-your-heart-out ballads, and slinky groove tunes with ease supported by a band equally comfortable in acoustic and electric settings. With her fourth disc, “The Goodbye Party,” released in 2017, Bassett explores longing, anger, loss and love. The songs are heartbroken and wistfully triumphant. No Depression describes Martha’s music as “intricate and resoundingly captivating, each song takes me further into a scene.”
Regularly seen on stages at Merlefest, the Eastern Music Festival, Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival and concert venues throughout North Carolina and Virginia, she’s opened for Lyle Lovett, Tony Bennett, the Avett Brothers, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Jim Lauderdale, and Chuck Prophet. Bassett contributed music to the Sony Classics film, “Junebug,” as well. Her tours have taken her up and down the east coast and into the Midwest.
MerleFest announces new additions to 2018 lineup including Bela Fleck, Abigail Washburn, Mandolin Orange and Brandy Clark
I’m so pleased to announce some of my personal favorites — Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn and Chapel Hill’s Mandolin Orange — have just been added to the MerleFest 2018 lineup, which just keeps getting better!
From the good folks over at MerleFest, this just in:
MerleFest, presented by Window World and slated for April 26 – 29, is proud to announce five additions to the 2018 lineup: The Mavericks, Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn, Mandolin Orange, Alison Brown, and Brandy Clark. The annual homecoming of musicians and music fans returns to the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. MerleFest has already announced over 75 artists for 2018, including Kris Kristofferson, Jamey Johnson, Rodney Crowell, Rhiannon Giddens, Elephant Revival, The Devil Makes Three, a Midnight Jam hosted by Town Mountain and Jim Lauderdale, and many more. The rest of the distinguished lineup for MerleFest 2018 will roll out over the next few months.
The Rives Theatre kicks off new year with Chamber Night featuring The Trogone Band
The good folks at the annual Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival are sponsoring the first show of 2018 on Saturday, Jan. 13, at the historic Rives Theatre in uptown Martinsville, Virginia. Continue reading
MerleFest announces impressive lineup of judges for 2018 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest including Rodney Crowell, Andrew Marlin and Johnny Williams
This just in from the good folks over at MerleFest:
WILKESBORO, N.C. (January 10, 2018) – MerleFest, presented by Window World and taking placeApril 26 – 29, 2018, has assembled a distinguished team of songwriters – Rodney Crowell, Andrew Marlin (of Mandolin Orange), and previous winner Johnny Williams (of Jeanette Williams Band) – to judge the on-site final round of this year’s Chris Austin Songwriting Contest.
Northwest String Summit celebrates 17th anniversary July 19 – 22, 2018, at Horning’s Hideout near Portland, Oregon
From the good folks at the Northwest String Summit:
PORTLAND, OREGON — The 17th Annual Northwest String Summit (String Summit) is one of the top boutique live music experiences in the country and presents an array of today’s leaders in the Americana, Bluegrass, Indy Rock, and Jam genres. It all happens at the iconic Horning’s Hideout (North Plains, OR) from July 19 – 22, 2018. Located just 20 miles outside of Portland, Oregon, Horning’s Hideout, a private family-owned reserve of old-growth trees, wild peacocks, ponds, and campsites, stands as one of the most scenic festival sites in the country. A family friendly and locally sourced festival, String Summit caps its capacity at 5,000 attendees to ensure an intimate experience for all festivalgoers at an incredible ticket price. Continue reading
First Listen: Couldn’t Be Happiers debut EP on Saturday, Dec. 23, at Granite Falls Brewing Co.
The promising duo, “Couldn’t Be Happiers,” is releasing its debut EP at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 23, at Granite Falls Brewing Co. in Granite Falls, North Carolina (map).
But you can get an exclusive first listen of this fresh, new music, “Let’s Not Bury the Obvious,” here:
The Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based duo, “Couldn’t Be Happiers.” is made up of Jodi Hildebran (vocals, guitar, harmonica) and Jordan Crosby Lee (vocals, guitar). They remind me of all the best things about classic country music.
“Right now, since we are such a young band, we put together the best representation of ourselves we could in three songs,” Lee explains. “We’re songwriters first. Live performers a close second and recording artists third. That will come.”
The Couldn’t Be Happiers plan on selling hard-copy and digital EPs for $5 “just to recuperate cost, including studio time,” Lee adds. “It will also be on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify. We’re basically giving it away to gain exposure and book more live shows.”
You can learn more about the duo here.
Don’t miss Yarn, Town Mountain and Amanda Anne Platt performing at the Lincoln Theatre on Dec. 16-17
Let me give you the bad news first, The Connells and Billy Strings shows are sold out this weekend.
The good news is that you can still get tickets to see three of my favorites this weekend at the Lincoln Theatre: Yarn and The Dune Dogs on Saturday in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, and Town Mountain and Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters are bringing their Asheville Holiday Hang to the Triangle on Sunday.
If you’ve been to Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival, you’re already a fan of formerly Brooklyn-based Yarn, alt-country, roots rockers who now call North Carolina home. And the Ocracoke, North Carolina-based Dune Dogs call themselves “country-fried swamp n’ roll.”
The Asheville Holiday Hang is an event focused on highlighting talent from the Asheville music community, while raising awareness and donating partial proceeds to Feeding America food banks in each city. Continue reading
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