After an 11-year hiatus, the North Carolina Hops & Roots Festival — a celebration of local music, craft beer, movement and community connection — is returning June 27–29 to The Plant in Pittsboro.
The local musical lineup of dozens of acts across multiple stages includes: • Dr. Bacon • Big Fat Gap • The Radio • Larry Bellorín & Joe Troop In addition, participants can:
Stretch out with daily yoga sessions from Yoga Garden Sip local pours from bmc Brewing Jam around the fire Camp under the stars
And enjoy: • Local food trucks • Fire circles & night market vibes • Craft vendors
Joining the Lineup: Lettuce, Keller Williams, Ghost-Note, Dangermuffin, Ashes & Arrows, a stellar cast of Artists at Large, plus 15 more bands! Discounted tickets available until Feb. 1!
The countdown to the 15th annual Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival is on, and organizers are thrilled to announce the final lineup, featuring funk legends Lettuce, festival icon Keller Williams, and 26 more incredible acts, officially completing the band lineup! The festival will take place May 22-25, 2025, at the scenic Pop’s Farm in Martinsville, Virginia.
Lettuce will return for their third all-time performance at Rooster Walk, following standout shows at RW12 and their headline set at RW8. Meanwhile, Keller Williams, a long-time fan favorite, will bring his unique energy to the festival for the very first time, performing a special 90-minute funk set backed by the all-star Rooster Walk House Band.
“We couldn’t be more excited about the stellar lineup we’ve put together for Rooster Walk 15,” said Johnny Buck, executive director of Rooster Walk Inc. “Lettuce has always been a crowd favorite, and to finally have Keller Williams joining us, an artist that’s been on the wish list since our very first festival. This festival is truly going to be something special.”
Along with Lettuce and Keller Williams, the festival will showcase Ghost-Note (Dallas, TX), a band that features many of Snarky Puppy’s members; they are sure to bring their jazz-funk wizardry to Rooster Walk’s late-night stages. Dangermuffin (Folly Beach, SC) will return for their fifth appearance at the festival, while Ashes & Arrows, the breakout Asheville, NC band recently featured on America’s Got Talent, will make its Rooster Walk debut.
The Artists at Large for this year’s festival are a dream team of musical talent, joining forces to create unforgettable moments throughout the weekend. The all-star cast that will bring an unprecedented level of musicianship to the Rooster Walk House Band performances includes: Ron Holloway (sax, Baltimore, MD), Jeff Sipe (drums, Black Mountain, NC), Josh Shilling (keys & vocals, Nashville, TN), Isaac Hadden (guitar / Asheville, NC) / Keyser George (guitar / Nashville, TN); Wallace Mullinax (guitar/ Charleston, SC); Florencia Rusinol (vocals & guitar / Johnson City, TN); and Jake Dempsey (bass / Roanoke, VA).
Other additions to the lineup include: Dale and the ZDubs (reggae / Maryland); Erin & The Wildfire (R&B / Charlottesville VA); Arts Fishing Club (Americana / Appleton, Wisc.); Underground Springhouse (jamband / Athens, GA); Mighty Joshua (reggae / Richmond, VA); Hustle Souls (soul / Asheville, N.C.); Deau Eyes (indy / Richmond, VA); Future Joy (future-funk / CO & FL); Striking Copper (roots / Wilmington, N.C.); Winyah (rock / Charleston, S.C.); Bella Moulden (indy / Buffalo, N.Y.); Woody Woodworth & The Piners (country / Richmond, VA); Rebecca Porter (country / Harrisonburg, VA); Jules & The Agreeables (rock / Loudon County, VA); and magician Hunter Rhodes (magic / Richmond, VA).
Emmylou Harris, a 2018 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner and member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, will bring her band to headline the 14th annual Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival on May 23-26, 2024 ,at Pop’s Farm just outside Martinsville, Virginia. Joining her at the top of the band lineup will be celebrated guitarist Cory Wong, an exploding star on the international music scene.
Harris has been estimated to have sold more than 15 million records worldwide. She has also earned 13 Grammy Awards and placed 27 singles into the top 10 US country chart. She will make her Rooster Walk debut with a Saturday evening set.
Wong will also make his RW debut when his band performs a Friday night headlining set. A former member of Vulfpeck, Wong’s live shows are lauded for their instrumental wizardry, incredible cohesiveness and their sheer, energetic fun.
Other bands getting added to the lineup include: Couch (Boston, Massachusetts – funk/rock/soul); Catilin Krisko & The Broadcast (Asheville, North Carolina – rock); Arkansauce (progressive bluegrass from northwest Arkansas); Sneezy (high-energy party music from Chicago, Illinois); Sticks N Thorns (bluegrass duo featuring Andy Thorn of Leftover Salmon and Jon Stickley); Travis Book & Friends (Asheville, Americana/rock band led by The Infamous Stringdusters’ Travis Book); The Jared Stout Band (southern rock from the New River Valley of Virginia); T.C. Carter Band (blues from Martinsville); Lua Flora (Asheville – beach folk); Big Fat Gap (Chapel Hill, North Carolina – bluegrass); Jules & The Agreeables (Key West, Florida – rock); DJ What (Martinsville – DJ); and Pirates of the Piedmont (Martinsville – pirate shanties).
The North Carolina State Fair always sports a great music lineup and this year is no exception. Its “Homegrown Music Fest” concert series features 11 days, three stages and 117 performances from Oct. 11-21. My advice is that while you’ll certainly want to catch some of the headliners — Raleigh’s own American Aquarium, the War and Treaty, New Reveille, Summer Brooke and the Mountain Faith Band, RaeLynn and Bucky Covington — make sure you catch some of the lesser-known acts on the Waterfall andHeritage Circle Bluegrass stages.
It wasn’t that many years ago that I discovered country, rock superstar singer-songwriter Eric Church, who as you may recall is a North Carolina native, playing for a small crowd at the fairgrounds’ Dorton Arena. Tickets were $5 because at the time you had to pay extra for concert tickets. Good luck finding a $5 or even $50 ticket to one of Church’s shows today.
Dorton Arena shows begin at 7:30 p.m. each night. Lineup for the show begins no earlier than 6 p.m. and doors are at 7 p.m. Each show is free with State Fair admission, and seating in the arena is first-come, first-served general admission.
I recommend making time to see Jack the Radio, the Pinkerton Raid, Katie Basden, Jump Mountain, David Childers, Big Fat Gap and Carolina Line Bluegrass Band among many others too numerous to list on the Waterfall and Heritage Circle Bluegrass stages.
For specific show times visit http://www.ncstatefair.org/2018/Attractions/HomegrownMusic.htm
Ancient Tones – New Sounds Festival is making its debut Sept. 25-27 in Union Grove, North Carolina, with a stellar lineup of Americana, Celtic, bluegrass and old-time mountain music artists including The Horse Flies, Scythian, Yarn, Mountain Heart, Blu Bop, The Fighting Jamesons, Big Fat Gap, Hard Cider, Whiskey of the Damned, Brynmor, The GoodFellers, The Brown Liquor Pickers and Mason Via and Friends.
“I want to put a focus on the the common musical thread that runs through the roots of each of those genres,” says Robert Gabb, festival founder, organizer and musician. “All of these bands were purposely chosen. The premise is tracing the lineage between all this music; tracing the footsteps of the first Celtic settlers which translated into old-time mountain music and then bluegrass and then Americana.”
The culmination of what Gabb, who originally hails from Wales, describes as a cultural heritage festival will come Saturday night when his Irish band heads up a mashup of musicians. “We want to get people out of their seats and dancing.”
3 Days. 30+ Bands. 1 Epic Weekend.
Stretch out with daily yoga sessions from Yoga Garden
Sip local pours from bmc Brewing
Jam around the fire
Camp under the stars
Tickets:
Location:
Yoga Garden
ServPro
bmc Brewing
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