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Musings on folk, Americana, country, bluegrass and newgrass


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Mountain Heart, Annabelle’s Curse to perform at Pop’s Farm on Saturday, Aug. 20

Fans of Mountain Heart and Annabelle’s Curse can catch both acts at a special show on Saturday, Aug. 20, at Pop’s Farm, the home of Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival.

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Inaugural HillFest 2016 to feature Hackensaw Boys, Annabelle’s Curse, The Church Sisters over Labor Day weekend in Hillsville, Va.

The inaugural HillFest 2016 is set for Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 2-4, in Hillsville, Virginia.

Among the 30-plus acts in the lineup are Hackensaw Boys, Fake Flowers Real Dirt, Annabelle’s Curse, The Church Sisters, Will Jones, Highway 249, Another Roadside Attraction, The Mastertones, The New Ballard Branch Bogtrotters, Changing Lanes, Mickey Galyean & Cullen’s Bridge, Mad Iguanas, Firecracker Jam, Backporch Bluegrass, Josiah & The Greater Good, Tara Mills & Jimmy Stelling, The Loose Strings Band, Gipsy Danger and more to be announced, according to organizers.

You can find the schedule here.

In addition to live music on four stages, HillFest 2016, “Shakin’ Off the Fleas,” will include camping, food and various other vendors.

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HoustonFest 2016 is set for June 10-11 in Galax, Virginia

HoustonFest is an annual bluegrass and old-time music festival, celebrating song and service, which is held at Felts Park, 601 South Main St., in Galax, Virginia, on the second weekend in June.  HoustonFest 2016 is set for Friday, June 10, through Saturday, June 11.

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On Huffington Post: FloydFest’s On-the-Rise Competition opens Saturday, April 2

Mix up some Swampcandy, Annabelle’s Curse, Look Homeward and The Midatlantic in a bowl, and what you get are some of FloydFest fans’ favorite flavors.

What do you call it? Who knows, but it sure sounds good.

All were chosen as winners and runners up in the festival’s On-the-Rise (OTR) Competition in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

Now, FloydFest fans have a chance to choose who takes part in the festival’s OTR 2016
competition during an eight-week roster of shows at The Phoenix, a little “cubby-of-
cool” in Roanoke, Virginia’s Old Southwest neighborhood. The competition starts April
2 and runs through the end of May, says Kris Hodges, co-founder of the festival set for
July 27-31 off the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milemarker 170.5. Several of the bands are
alumni of other area festivals, including Rooster Walk Arts and Music Festival and Front
Porch Fest, among others.

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Bruce Hornsby, The Wood Brothers among initial lineup for FloydFest 16 set for July 27-31

FloydFest is getting a jumpstart on the summer 2016 music festival season with the announcement of its initial lineup along with a couple of surprises. Continue reading


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On Huffington Post: Five musical takeaways from Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion

You probably think of NASCAR’s storied “Thunder Valley” when you think of Bristol, intersected by the Virginia/Tennessee border. What you might not realize is that it’s also the Birthplace of Country Music. In fact, Congress passed a bill officially recognizing it as such in 1988. Continue reading

FloydFest


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Emily Lou Harris, Rodney Crowell among FloydFest 2015 lineup; ticket prices go up April 1

FLOYD, Va. — This is no April Fools’ prank: If you haven’t gotten your tickets for “Fire on the Mountain,” otherwise known as FloydFest 14, you’ll want to before Wednesday, April 1, when the prices go up. Visit http://floydfest.com/ to learn more and take advantage of early bird ticket prices.

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Yarn performs at Rooster Walk 6


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Steep Canyon Rangers among bands added to Rooster Walk 7’s Memorial Day Weekend lineup

The Grammy-winning bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers has been added to the Rooster Walk 7 lineup for the May 21-24, 2015, festival on Pop’s Farm in Axton, Va. Continue reading