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Musings on folk, Americana, country, bluegrass and newgrass

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2022 N.C. State Fair Folk Festival features some of state’s top musical talent

The N.C. State Fair has a tradition of featuring some of the state’s most talented artists and this year is no exception.

For 2022, the N.C. State Fair Folk Festival has moved to Heritage Circle next to the historic church. Talented musicians from across North Carolina feature performances ranging from old-time bluegrass music to folk and Americana. 

I am looking forward to hearing some of my personal favorites —
Into the Fog, Big Daddy Love, The Barefoot Movement, Violet Bell, Abigail Dowd — as well as being introduced to new talent such as Sweet Potato Pie, Russ Thompson, Jarrett Raymond and Dawn Landes, among others.

HERITAGE CIRCLE STAGE

 Thursday, October 13
 1 p.m.
3 p.m.
5 p.m.
6:30 p.m.		SPP Sweet Potato Pie All-female bluegrass band blends Americana, country, and gospel into their classic sound 
  Friday, October 14
 10 a.m.
12 p.m.		Russ Russ Thompson Folk and Americana singer-songwriter out of Greensboro  
 4 p.m.
6 p.m.
8 p.m.		BDL Big Daddy Love Winston-Salem’s purveyors of Appalachian rock,
bluegrass, and psychedelic jams 
 Saturday, October 15
 10 a.m.
12 p.m.		Jarrett Jarrett Raymond Wilmington-based folk singer-songwriter
and 1st Place winner at NC Dogwood Festival
 2 p.m.
4 p.m.
6 p.m.
8 p.m.		Ages Past Ages Past “Traditional with a twist” bluegrass from Western NC
 Sunday, October 16
 10 a.m.
12 p.m.		Chris Chris McGinnis Sultry, salty, and deeply rooted folk music out of Morganton, NC 
 2 p.m.
4 p.m.
6 p.m.
8 p.m.		John Jon Shain & F.J. Ventre Blues, jazz, and folk from these gifted Durham scene mainstays 
 Monday, October 17
 11 a.m.
1 p.m.
3 p.m.
5 p.m.
7 p.m.		Sideline Sideline Pickin’ and grinnin’ on these bluegrass classics and original compositions from some of the capital city’s finest 
 Tuesday, October 18
 11 a.m.
1 p.m.
3 p.m.
5 p.m.
7 p.m.		Into the Fog Into The Fog Adventurous genre-jumping newgrass from
Raleigh-by-way-of-Wilmington 
 Wednesday, October 19
 11 a.m.
1 p.m.
3 p.m.
5 p.m.
7 p.m.		Holland The Holland Brothers Old-school country and country-blues from the Piedmont duo
 Thursday, October 20
 11 a.m.
1 p.m.
3 p.m.
5 p.m.
7 p.m.		Barefoot The Barefoot Movement Americana and bluegrass quartet originating from Granville County
 Friday, October 21
 10 a.m.
12 p.m.		David David & Kolby Bluegrass, gospel and country music duo from Greensboro 
 2 p.m.
4 p.m.
6 p.m.
8 p.m.		Violet Violet Bell Delicated progressive folk duo from Chapel Hill 
 Saturday, October 22
 10 a.m.
12 p.m.		Abigail Abigail Dowd Greensboro’s folk singer-songwriter known for her vivid lyrics and unique classical influenced guitar style 
 2 p.m.
4 p.m.
6 p.m.
8 p.m.		Grassomatic  The Grassomatics Bluegrass and more out of the capital city
 Sunday, October 23
 10 a.m.
12 p.m.		Dawn Dawn Landes Folk and Americana-pop songwriting
from the Chapel Hill musician
 2 p.m.
4 p.m.
6 p.m.
8 p.m.		Carolina Line Carolina Line Bluegrass Bluegrass and country straight out of Southport/Oak Island, NC 
   
  


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Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival set for Oct. 6-9

The Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance is a collaboration between the Shakori Hills Community Arts Center and Donna the Buffalo’s GrassRoots Festival Organization, providing a family-friendly celebration of music, dance, art and education.

The Shakori Hills Community Arts Center is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Make a donation to the SHCAC! The Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival Organization is also a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit. Find out more about the GrassRoots Family.

For tickets and more information, visit this link https://www.shakorihillsgrassroots.org/

About Donna the Buffalo

A friend and fellow musician suggested the band name of “Dawn of the Buffalo,” which was misheard as “Donna the Buffalo.” The name stuck, and a couple years later in 1991, Jeb Puryear started the GrasssRoots Festival along with Donna the Buffalo, his family and everyone else that he knew.

Now almost 30 years later, Donna the Buffalo tours regularly and hosts multiple GrassRoots festivals. Their devoted fans, The Herd, are a self-organized “tribe” of people who met at the group’s shows and travel to see them.


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Carolina in the Fall Music and Food Festival returns to Wilkesboro Sept. 23-24

I call it the mini-MerleFest. After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic, I’m excited to announce Carolina in the Fall Music and Food Festival, presented by Window World, is set to return on Sept. 23-24, 2022, to Wilkesboro.

Organizers say significant changes have been made for this year’s festival including a new presenting sponsor, Window World, which also sponsors MerleFest.

“We have been blessed with great local support for the festival from the very beginning and that tradition continues as Window World has taken over the role of the presenting sponsor for Carolina in the Fall”, said Dale Isom, festival organizer, on the event website. “We are very thankful for all of our sponsors over the years and their desire to provide excellent entertainment to our community”. 

Additionally, this year’s festival will be held entirely in the Carolina West Wireless Community Commons in Historic Downtown Wilkesboro. 

“Probably the biggest change to the festival is that it will be free to those that want to attend free”, Isom added. “We will sell a limited number of Reserved Seats to help fund the festival and the rest is free to the public”. 

The goal from the very beginning was to present a free festival, said Jens Kruger, of the festival’s host band, The Kruger Brothers, who call Wilkesboro home. “It just took us a while to figure out how to do it. We are excited to offer an amazing weekend of free music to our community and those that will visit Wilkesboro.”

The festival begins on Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday’s festivities will begin at noon.

“We are very excited about the bands we have lined up for this year’s festival,” said Festival Director Michelle Isom on the website. “We have worked very hard to bring excellent talent to Wilkesboro just as we have in our previous years. As always, we focus on bringing bands from North Carolina as this festival is a celebration of our musical roots. We are thankful to have the Kruger Brothers back as our host band and this year they are bringing a very special surprise for our audiences”. 

For more information and the full lineup, visit www.carolinainthefall.org. 

Famous for an amazing selection of food trucks, Carolina in the Fall will be bringing some of western North Carolina’s best trucks to feed their audiences. The festival will also have a limited number of vendor tents. The festivities will include the Annual Chad Lovette Memorial Run to benefit the American Cancer Society. Festival beer and wine sales will be handled by the Wilkes Heritage Museum with all proceeds going to benefit the museum.

Carolina in the Fall Music and Food Festival is a production of Heart of Folk, LLC along with the Town of Wilkesboro and The Kruger Brothers.


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Old Crow Medicine Show performs on CBS Saturday Morning on Sept. 3

Old Crow Medicine Show

If you are a frequent reader of this blog and/or attend many of the music festivals I write about, you are no stranger to the talents of Old Crow Medicine Show.

On Saturday, Sept. 3, the rest of the nation and beyond will have the chance to experience the unique musical stylings of this alternative Americana group that in the past year has headlined MerleFest, FloydFest, the Grand Old Opry, and others too numerous to mention.

The Grammy-award winning band, which recently released its seventh studio album, is set to perform in the last half of the second hour of CBS Saturday Morning. For Saturday Sessions, the band will perform “Gloryland” and “Paint This Town,” the title of their newest album.


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MerleFest 2021 announces Late Night Jam hosted by Shinyribs and Music City Roots


Keeping with a longstanding tradition of MerleFest’s all-hands-on-deck late night jam, MerleFest, presented by Window World, is happy to announce their 2021 installment of the after-hours jamboree: Gulf Breeze: Songs Of The Third Coast. Co-presented by Music City Roots and hosted by the eclectic and enthralling Shinyribs, this year’s late night jam will focus on music from the broadly varied traditions along our countries third coast.

Jim Lauderdale, Hogslop String Band, Brittney Spencer, The Cleverlys, Donna the Buffalo, Peter Rowan, Los Texmaniacs, and Cordovas are slated to join Shinyribs for this momentous event. Tickets for the Gulf Breeze: Songs Of The Third Coast are available now at merlefest.org. Tickets are still available for MerleFest 2021 which will take place September 16-19 on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina

 
“The Gulf Coast region is and continues to be a driver of American culture. When one considers the collective musical history measured from the tip of Florida’s Keys to the tip of Texas’ Rio Grande Valley – with Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana in between – the very notion fills one with awe,” says Shinyribs’ front-man Kevin Russell. “Jazz, Blues, Rock ‘n Roll, Country, Southern Rock, Soul, R&B, Swamp Pop, Reggae, Tex-Mex, Zydeco, Cajun, Swing, Gospel, Bluegrass, Rap, Hip-Hop, Psychedelia, Conjunto, Tejano, Cumbia, Cuban, Bahamian, and all manner of hybrids made from those sub-tropical, humid, salty elements form an undeniable cultural Fertile Crescent that informs and inspires our American song bag to this day. I’ve long tried to pay tribute to this vast repertoire of Americana. MerleFest’s Late Night Jam is the perfect place to do it. I can hardly wait to experience the pastiche of grooves that will be emanating from MerleFest that night.


With the late night jam as well as the entire festival, MerleFest will continue to prioritize the safety of its artists, attendees, staff, vendors and volunteers. The festival will adhere to safety protocols set by local and state governments for a safe live music environment. Stay tuned to merlefest.org for safety protocol updates. 


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Raleigh Magazine: MerleFest 2021 Sticks to Its Roots

Despite changes, the 33rd annual MerleFest, which starts this afternoon, promises to be one fun-filled event.

The show must go on, as they say, and so too will MerleFest 2021, taking place Sept. 16–19 this year on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro. Albeit a little different this year (as most things are these days…) the 33rd annual MerleFest will bring the high energy and exciting performances seen in years past—and promises to be worth the 2.5-hour drive from Raleigh.

MerleFest, now synonymous with its mix of traditional roots-oriented music from the Appalachian region, will feature a plethora of world-class bands and artists on its 13 stages, including Sturgill Simpson, Tedeschi Trucks, Melissa Etheridge, Mavis Staples, Margo Price, LeAnn Rimes and so many more.

Read more about the festival in my latest web exclusive for Raleigh Magazine at this link: https://raleighmag.com/2021/09/merlefest-2021-sticks-to-its-roots/

Stitched Panorama


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MerleFest 2021 Thursday High Notes

Not to snub any other acts at this year’s MerleFest but here’s my list of sets not to miss Thursday evening:

Scythian

I often refer to the boys from Front Royal, Virginia, as MerleFest’s unofficial house band whose lively sets are not to be missed. With a new album out and a year of virtual “quarantstreams” under their belts, Scythian is so excited to be back out on the road playing to live audience. The Celtic rock band promises on their social media that “this year’s MerleFest will be one of the best year’s yet!” Of that, I have no doubt. Learn more at https://www.scythianmusic.com/

Margo Price

In 2016 The Boot wrote: “If you don’t know who Margo Price is just yet, listen to the first track of her debut album, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, and you’ll get a good idea. With ‘Hands of Time,’ Price shares the story of her life in just six minutes — and what a life it’s been.” ‘Nuff said.
Read More: Who Is Margo Price? 5 Things You Need to Know | https://theboot.com/who-is-margo-price/#photogallery-1=2?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral”

The Barefoot Movement

With roots in Oxford, North Carolina (just north of Raleigh/Durham for the geographically challenged) and a soon-to-be released album, “Pressing Onward,” The Barefoot Movement is poised to move from this year’s Cabin Stage to next year’s main Watson Stage. Their 10 new recordings are all produced by powerhouse industry veterans Chuck Plotkin (Springsteen’s Born in the USA, Bob Dylan’s Shot of Love, etc) and Hank Linderman (The Eagles, Chicago, etc). Their lead single “Someday” also hit digital and streaming retailers on Aug. 20 and was released via Bonfire Music Group. Learn more at http://www.thebarefootmovementofficial.com/

Sturgill Simpson

I’ve been looking forward to hearing Sturgill Simpson, who sounds surprisingly similar to the late, great Waylon Jennings, play live since his first genre-bending album, “METAMODERN SOUNDS IN COUNTRY MUSIC,” exploded on to the music scene. With his newest double entrendre and double-album, “Cuttin’ Grass” out, I am sure I won’t be disappointed. Learn more at https://www.sturgillsimpson.com/

Dance Tent with Donna the Buffalo

Donna the Buffalo joined forces with legendary Producer & Engineer Rob Fraboni to record their new album, “Dance in the Street,” at Sonic Ranch, the world’s largest residential recording studio built around an 80-year-old hacienda on a 3,300-acre pecan orchard right along the Mexican border, near El Paso, Texas. If you have ever been to their own Shakori Grassroots Festival, you know the Dance Tent will light up under their lively tunes tonight. Read more at https://www.donnathebuffalo.com/


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IBMA announces nominees for 2019 Momentum, Industry awards

From the good folks at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA):

NASHVILLE — The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) announced the nominees for this year’s Industry Awards and Momentum Awards, which will be presented during the IBMA Business Conference, as part of the organization’s World of Bluegrass event, brought to you by Chiesi USA, Sept. 24-28 in Raleigh.

The recipients of the 2019 Momentum Awards will be presented with their awards at a conference luncheon on Wednesday, Sept. 25, and the recipients of the 2019 Industry Awards will be presented with their awards at a conference luncheon on Thursday, Sept. 26. Thursday’s Awards Luncheon will also include a segment honoring the recipients of the 2019 Distinguished Achievement Awards.

Registration for the IBMA Business Conference is required to attend; registration, tickets and information for all World of Bluegrass events can be found at https://worldofbluegrass.org

“The virtuosity of bluegrass musicians is recognized worldwide. With the Industry Awards, we recognize that same quality, found in our industry professionals who make vital contributions felt by everyone,” says IBMA’s Executive Director Paul Schiminger. “The Momentum Awards celebrate both the incredible achievements of the rising stars in our music, and the generosity of those who mentor them.  Congratulations to each and every nominee for being recognized by your peers!”

Continue reading →


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NCMA hosts first solo exhibition of Scott Avett’s visual art

From the good folks over at the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA):

Raleigh, N.C. — This fall, the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) hosts the first solo museum exhibition of the visual art of Scott Avett, founding member of the Grammy-nominated Avett Brothers band. Open October 12,2019,through February 2, 2020, Scott Avett: I N V I S I B L E will include large-scale portraits, prints, and paintings. Until now Avett’s work with The Avett Brothers has taken center stage. The NCMA exhibition shines a lighton his art making, thereby demonstrating the richness and diversity of his practice.“I’m not anything first—not painter, musician, writer, printmaker, performer—before I am an artist,” said Avett, who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from East Carolina University and lives in Concord, N.C. Continue reading →