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Musings on folk, Americana, country, bluegrass and newgrass


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Taylor Swift vs. Ed Sheeran: Models for releasing new music continue to evolve

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Music artists are faced with a conundrum today that is worthy of a song. And it’s not just music artists. Ask anyone who is trying to promote a book or any other form of artistry. Do you give your artistic works away to gain exposure? Or do you try to get fans to pay for your hard-earned efforts, instead?

For example, many musicians these days are giving away new tunes on Amazon Prime, Apple Music, SoundCloud and Spotify, just to name a few, in order to try to build a following in the hopes that the masses will then seek out live shows. Continue reading →


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MerleFest announces artist additions to April 26-29, 2018, lineup

Greensboro, North Carolina, native and Grammy Award winner Rhiannon Giddens is among the more than 75 artists scheduled to perform April 26-29 at MerleFest on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, festival organizers announced today.

Giddens, who is also a recent $625,000 MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient and a welcome addition to the hit TV show, “Nashville,” is among four additional artists revealed by the festival along with Elephant Revival, Rodney Crowell and Shinyribs. Continue reading →


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Rooster Walk 10 announces initial lineup featuring JJ Grey & Mofro, Marcus King Band, Billy Strings and Jerry Douglas

Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival fans, listen up:

The Axton, Virginia, Memorial Day weekend music festival set for May 24-27 turns 10 in 2018 and the initial roll out of artists in the lineup doesn’t disappoint.

J Grey & Mofro,, a southern soul and funk band from Florida, and The Marcus King Band along with  Billy Strings will return, both of whom were big hits at Rooster Walk 9. MerleFest favorite and dobro master Jerry Douglas and his jazz-grass band including guitarist Mike Seal and drummer Doug Belote, will make their Rooster Walk debut.

Also announced were Rooster Walk staples Americana/alt-country rockers Yarn  and R&B rockers Commonheart.

Of these acts, The Marcus King Band, Billy Stirngs, Yarn and The Commonheart are slated to play two sets each.

Early bird tickets are now on sale at this link. http://roosterwalk.com/rw-10/rw9-tickets/
The family friendly festival is held at the idyllic Pop’s Farm music venue located just outside of Martinsville.
Rooster Walk 10 will feature some 50 bands as well as arts/crafts/food vendors, kids’ activities, outdoor activities, on-site camping and more.


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Time is running out to get tickets to Doc Watson tribute ‘Docabilly’ featuring Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

From the good folks at Acoustic Routes Concerts:

ANN ARBOR, Michigan – Acoustic Routes Concerts has announced Docabilly! – a celebration of the music of Arthel “Doc” Watson on what would have been his 95th birthday – is on track to sell out with fewer than 100 tickets remaining. Continue reading →


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Six questions with Robert Earl Keen, who kicks off his ‘Merry Christmas From the Fam-O-Lee’ holiday show tour on Monday, Nov. 27

If you haven’t bought your tickets for Americana icon Robert Earl Keen’s annual holiday show tour, “Merry Christmas From the Fam-O-Lee,” that kicks off Monday, Nov. 27, at the Tivoli Theatre in Chattanooga, Tennessee, it’s not too late. And if you’ve never experienced it’s sure to become a favorite family tradition. Continue reading →


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Lowland​ ​Hum​ ​releases​ ‘S​ongs for Christmas Time’ just in time for the holidays

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It’s a week before Black Friday, but you can start easing into the holiday spirit today with ​Lowland ​Hum’s ​”Songs ​for Christmas ​Time,” a ​collection of low-key holiday tunes “f​or ​those ​who ​need ​something ​a little ​less ​triumphantly ​cheerful ​during ​their ​holiday ​season.” Continue reading →


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Leftover Salmon to perform at The Rives Theatre in Martinsville, Virginia

Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival and FloydFest fans, listen up: You can catch a rare acousticLeftover Salmon! set beginning at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 16, at the historic Rives Theatre in Martinsville, Virginia. Continue reading →


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The Couldn’t Be Happiers share their ‘Baggage’ with WHUPFM listeners

What happens when a tattooed Texas troubadour blends melodies and shares harmonies with a sassy blonde country crooner from North Carolina? You get the Couldn’t Be Happiers,  a Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based duo that formed in July 2017. Continue reading →


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Black Lillies, Yarn, Dangermuffin headline The Shindig 2017 on Nov. 4

The Shindig festival advertises itself as “music for your beers.” The event, set for Saturday, Nov. 4, in downtown Clayton, North Carolina, certainly has something for music lovers — nine bands on two stages — and for beer lovers with more than 13 beers on tap from local craft breweries.

Musical acts include The Black Lillies, Yarn, Dangermuffin, Acoustic Syndicate, Forlorn Strangers and many more for free!

A limited number of VIP Tickets are available at theshindig.net


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Wild Ponies get back to their roots with ‘Galax’

Wild Ponies Album Release Show is Friday, Oct. 13, at the Rives Theatre. Tickets are $15/$18 (Season Passes Accepted).

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What happens when you throw a group of Nashville and Galax, Virginia, musicians who have never played together in a barn behind a farmhouse nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains? Musical magic.

That’s exactly what happened a year ago this month when the Wild Ponies – otherwise known as Doug and Telisha Williams – decided to get back to their musical and geographic roots.

“I had spent a lot time playing on my grandfather’s farm and it’s just a beautiful place to spend some time,” Doug said in a recent phone interview. “We wanted to play with people who played with my grandfather and then get some people from Nashville to play as well. It just felt like something we needed to do.”

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