musicreporterblog

Musings on folk, Americana, country, bluegrass and newgrass


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17 reasons to attend the 2017 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion on Sept. 15-17

If you are a fan of roots, rock, country, bluegrass, blues, old-time, folk and Americana music, then you are already a fan of the annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion held on State Street in Historic Downtown Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia, that celebrates the twin cities’ history as the birthplace of country music. This year’s  17th annual three-day music cornucopia that features 100 live acts across 20 stages is set for Friday, Sept. 15, through Sunday, Sept. 17. 

Headliners include Dwight Yoakam, Judah & the Lion, Jerry Douglas Presents: Earls of Leicester, Son Volt, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Deer Tick and The Infamous Stringdusters.
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Catch Nashville’s Forlorn Strangers at Appaloosa Roots Music Festival, IBMA’s Wide Open Bluegrass, Front Porch Fest

I had the pleasure of catching the Forlorn Strangers, a foot-stomping, Nashville-based string quintet, at the Lincoln Theatre in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, a few weeks ago when they opened for Celtic rockers Scythian at an International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)  Wide Open Bluegrass preview show for its upcoming festival Sept. 29-30.

It also turned out to be a preview show for Scythian’s Appaloosa Roots Music Festival set for Sept. 1-3 in Front Royal, Virginia, at which both Scythian and Forlorn Strangers are set to perform. And Front Porch Fest fans will be happy to know they can catch Forlorn Strangers at the festival on Sept. 3 in Stuart, Virginia.

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George Hage of Jack the Radio to perform free, acoustic set at Muddy Creek Cafe on Friday, Aug. 18

George Hage, of Raleigh-based indie rockers Jack the Radio fame, will make a slight departure from the band’s bigger sound by performing a solo, acoustic set from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 18, at the Muddy Creek Cafe, 5455 Bethania Road, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The event is free and open to the public.

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Barn-raising for Appaloosa Roots Music Festival celebrates community

“If I have one piece of advice, don’t burn your business down.”

Solid advice from Strong Oaks Woodshop founder Mike Schmiedicke. It comes from someone who doesn’t want to see what happened to him, his family, his employees and his community happen to someone else.

But this isn’t a story about what Schmiedicke lost in a blaze this past April. It’s about what he found. It’s about friends and community. It’s about how, when we pay it forward, it can come back around in ways we can’t even imagine.

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Annabelle’s Curse, Will Overman Band to play The Garage on Friday, Aug. 18

Two of my favorite on-the-rise bands — Annabelle’s Curse and Will Overman Band — that hail from opposite ends of Virginia are going to converge at The Garage in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this weekend and I can hardly wait. I hope you will consider joining me for what promises to be a night of fantastic original Southern rock and Americana music. I promised you won’t be disappointed. The show begins at 9 p.m.

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Blue Ridge Music Center presents Old Crow Medicine Show, Mipso and Amythyst Kiah on Sunday, Aug. 27

Known for its ability to draw amazing Americana artists including the Steep Canyon Rangers, Ricky Skaggs, Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, The Steel Wheels, Marty Raybon and The Lee Boys, the Blue Ridge Music Center has outdone itself by offering one of its most impressive lineups to date on Sunday, Aug. 27, as part of its annual outdoor summer music series.
Old Crow Medicine Show, Mipso and Amythyst Kiah are set to play beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the Center, which is located just off the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 213 nestled between the southwest Virginia towns of Galax and Fancy Gap. Tickets are $38 for adults and $22 for children.

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Cris Jacobs Band heading out to Pop’s Farm on Friday, Aug. 18

Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival and Deschutes Brewery will present the Southern rockers Cris Jacobs Band at 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 18, on the Pine Grove Stage at Pop’s Farm in Axton, Virginia.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the gate, which opens at 7:30. Tickets are available at the Daily Grind and Rising Sun Breads in Martinsville. Buy tickets online here. Rives Theatre season pass holders get in free.

Deschutes Brewery beers will be available on tap and a food truck will be onsite. Learn more at  http://bit.ly/2tYeoQT.

 


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Wild Ponies get back to their roots with ‘Galax’

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.” Continue reading →


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Exclusive First Listen: Anna Tivel releases first single, ‘Illinois,’ from new album on Fluff & Gravy Records

I admit that sometimes all it takes to get me to listen to a new song by an artist that I have never heard before is a personal connection to the song title. In the case of today’s exclusive first listen, it’s because the song is called, “Illinois.” To know me is to know that I call “The Land of Lincoln” home and no, it does not mean I am from Chicago. I am from Illinois — a proud downstater, who will eventually inherit a portion of my homesteading family’s centennial farm, and a graduate of the University of Illinois at Springfield.

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Lucinda Williams to perform at Millennium Center as part of SECCA’s popular Crossroads series on Friday, Aug. 11

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UPDATE: The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) announces a venue change for the Crossroads #019 @ SECCA concert featuring Lucinda Williams on Friday, August 11, 2017. Due to inclement weather forecast, the concert will now be indoors at the Millennium Center downtown Winston-Salem, located at 101 West 5th St., Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Doors at the Millennium Center will open at 5 p.m. and music will begin at 7. Food trucks will be on site and a cash bar will be available inside the venue. No coolers, chairs/blankets, outside food or drinks, or pets are allowed at the venue. There are also several dining options in the downtown Winston-Salem area.

Free street parking is available after 6 p.m. and paid parking garages are throughout the downtown area. For more information including a detailed map of parking options, please visit the Millennium Center.

The Millennium Center venue provides unreserved seating and standing room areas. Seats are…

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