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Musings on folk, Americana, country, bluegrass and newgrass


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MerleFest 2017 continues popular Acoustic Kids Showcases, deadline to apply March 21

From the good folks at MerleFest:

WILKESBORO, N.C. (February 21, 2017) – MerleFest, presented by Window World and slated for April 27-April 30, 2017, is pleased to announce the return of the Acoustic Kids Showcases to the 2017 festival.

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On Huffington Post: Help choose which Virginia bands will perform at LOCKN’ 2017

This story can also be found on The Huffington Post here.

A friend asked me recently what my secret is to discovering some of the great new music out there. My answer was easy and immediate: Music festivals. The key to discovering new music is to search out the bands that you have never heard or heard of, those tiny names at the bottom of the poster.

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The Honeycutters heading back to studio for 2017 album, performing at Muddy Creek Music Hall on Sunday, Feb. 26

The Honeycutters may just be the best country roots band out there that you aren’t listening to.”

I wrote that in May 2016 when the Asheville, North Carolina-based, rock-roots-country group released its fourth studio album, “On the Ropes,” since 2009 and the second on Organic Records.

The Honeycutters headed back to the studio in January to record their fifth studio album to be released later this year as the band’s third release on Organic Records. And they are scheduled to perform at Muddy Creek Music Hall , 5455 Bethania Road, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Sunday, Feb. 26. Tickets for the 6 p.m. show are $12 or $15 at the door.

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Anders Osborne, Trongone Band to perform at The Rives Theatre on Thursday, Feb. 16

The Trongone Band will open for Anders Osborne and his full band beginning at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, at the historic Rives Theatre in uptown Martinsville, Virginia.

Tickets are $30 in advance at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2715661 and $35 day of show at the Daily Grind and Rising Sun Breads.

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Don’t miss Annabelle’s Curse, Time Sawyer and The Pinkerton Raid on Saturday, Feb. 18, at The Garage in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

If you are a fan of alt-country-rock, two of my favorite groups are playing on Saturday, Feb. 18, at The Garage in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and trust me, you are not going to want to miss this show!

While the guys from the Elkin-based Time Sawyer are no strangers to Winston-Salem music fans, this is the first time Annabelle’s Curse  will perform live in the Camel City with The Pinkerton Raid so we want to make sure we give them a big welcome.

Doors open at 8 p.m. for the 9 p.m show located in downtown Winston-Salem at 110 West 7th St. This show is a steal with tickets starting at $7 in advance and $8 at the door. Purchase them here.

A folk, rock, songwriter group from Bristol, Virginia, Annabelle’s Curse was voted fan favorites at FloydFest a couple of years ago and are regulars at Bristol Rhythm and Roots  and Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival, which is where I first heard them. Learn more about the group in some of The Huffington Post blog pieces I wrote here. Continue reading


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Carolina Roots MusicFest celebrates second annual event with The Black Lillies, Time Sawyer on May 19-20 in Statesville

Carolina Roots MusicFest is a two-day celebration of diverse music styles performed by outstanding national, regional and local performers including The Black Lillies, The Waydown Wanderers, Forlorn Strangers, The Ragbirds, Time Sawyer, Josh Daniel / Mark Schimick Project, Amigos, Cordovas, The Broad Pickups and Coddle Creek.

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Leo Kottke & Keller Williams present ‘Shut the Folk Up and Listen’ on Feb. 17 at The Carolina Theatre in Greensboro


This special evening of music at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, will feature solo sets by Leo Kottke and Keller Williams, as well as collaborations between the artists at the
 The Carolina Theatre, 310 S Greene St., Greensboro, North Carolina.

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My 2017 Grammy picks and predictions

I did this last year and if you take peek here you’ll find that for the most part (OK about half the time), my picks and predictions were spot on. Let’s see how I fare this year in the categories I chose to pick. The 59th annual Grammy Awards 59th annual Grammy Awards air at 8 p.m. (EST) Sunday, Feb. 12, on CBS. The complete list of nominees can be found here.

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