Organizers for the WinterWonderGrass Festival have unveiled the lineup for the festival’s return to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, from Feb. 27 to March 1, 2026.
The 13th annual festival will feature performances from 30 celebrated acts, including Americana fusion trio The Devil Makes Three, two-decade progressive bluegrass trailblazers The Infamous Stringdusters and Leftover Salmon, the Colorado-native jam legends and returning festival favorites.
WinterWonderGrass’ stacked bill highlights some of today’s most inventive folk, bluegrass, jamgrass, Americana and roots performers, including Colorado’s own “transcendental folk” troupe Elephant Revival, Nashville-based axeman and company Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, acclaimed singer-songwriter and mandolin master Sierra Hull, among many others. The 2026 artists in residence will be Andy Frasco, AJ Lee, Tyree Woods and Lindsay Lou, the latter of whom also held the role in 2025.
In keeping with its longtime custom, WinterWonderGrass will return with two core surprise-packed supergroup performances: WinterWonderWomen and Pickin’ On The Dead, led by Dark Star Orchestra’s Rob Eaton. Other standouts booked for the three-day celebration include Mountain Grass Unit, Moontricks, Clay Street Unit and Chaparelle.
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.
The annual concert series is held in a spacious outdoor amphitheater at the base of Fisher Peak just off The Blue Ridge Parkway (Milepost 213) between Galax, Virginia, and Mount Airy, North Carolina.
* Dori Freeman (July 26) * Donna The Buffalo (Aug. 2) * Sister Sadie (Aug. 16) * Paul Thorn (Aug. 23) * Del McCoury Band (Aug 30)
In addition to the Saturday concerts the Music Center also offers:
Midday Mountain Music: Free local and regional music from 12-3 p.m. every day the Music Center is open on the breezeway. Milepost Music: Free concerts from 2-4 p.m. Sundays from June through September at iconic destinations on the Parkway. On the Road: Throughout the year, the Music Center presents events at partner locations off the Parkway or virtually.
Visit the FAQ page for more information about concerts.
Everyone’s favorite Celtic rockers Scythian, also affectionately known as MerleFest’s house band, are headed down south to the land of the pines with a show in Charlotte on Thursday, July 10, and one in Boone on Friday, July 11. And if that’s not enough Scythian, you can catch them at a FREE show on Saturday, July 12, in Herndon, Virginia.
The 15th anniversary of Hopscotch Music Festival, North Carolina’s premier indie and experimental music festival, returns to the heart of downtown Raleigh on Sept. 4-6, 2025.
The festival will kick off at some of Raleigh’s most beloved and iconic stages, including City Plaza and Moore Square, The Pour House, the Ritz and many more.
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