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Tag Archives: Chatham County Line


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MerleFest unveils initial April 29-May 2, 2027, lineup featuring The Avett Brothers, Gilliam Welch & David Rawlings, Toy Factory Project, Del McCoury@88, Wynonna Judd, Sam Bush, Scythian, Mason Via and many more

From the good folks over at MerleFest:

MerleFest, presented by Window World, has unveiled lineup details for its 2027 event, taking place over four unforgettable days from April 29–May 2 on the campus of Wilkes Community College.

Acclaimed Americana duo Gillian Welch & David Rawlings are set to return, alongside Southern rock supergroup Toy Factory Project, North Carolina’s marquee folk-rock outfit The Avett Brothers and country music queen Wynonna Judd.

Also slated for the festival’s 39th installment is a special MerleFest “Delebration,” Del McCoury@88, honoring the bluegrass patriarch with Del McCoury & The Travelin’ McCourys. The lineup also features legacy pickers Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, The Earls of Leicester, and Alison Brown, along with a parade of on-the-rise ensembles including Mountain Grass Unit, Magoo, The Brudi Brothers and more.

Each year, MerleFest honors the legacy of North Carolina music legends Doc and Merle Watson while celebrating and uplifting the next generation of talent. Its “traditional plus” framework invites curiosity and exploration among performers and attendees alike, creating a festival experience that is always fresh while preserving the soul of what makes MerleFest such a cherished annual tradition. For this year’s Late Night Jam, The Travelin’ McCourys present The Grateful Ball. The Late Night Jam continues to foster the spirit of collaboration, spontaneity, and shared musical discovery that has long defined the MerleFest experience. This separately-ticketed, after-hours event is the ideal nightcap for those looking to witness a night of groundbreaking, “only at MerleFest” moments. Visit merlefest.org/purchase for details and to stay tuned for guest announcements.

MerleFest 2027 will welcome Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Toy Factory Project, The Avett Brothers, Wynonna Judd, Del McCoury@88 – a MerleFest “Delebration,” Mountain Grass Unit, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, The Earls of Leicester, Peter Rowan & The Walls of Time Band, Alison Brown, Magoo, The Brudi Brothers, Jake Shimabukuro, Chatham Rabbits, Chatham County Line, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, Altan, Mason Via, Tray Wellington, Slap Dragon, Larry & Joe, Jim Avett, Rev. Robert Jones, Scythian, Donna The Buffalo, Jim Lauderdale, Kruger Brothers, The Waybacks, Presley Barker, Andy May, Banknotes, Carol Rifkin, Charles Welch, The InterACTive Theatre of Jef, Jack Lawrence, Jeff Little Trio, Joe Smothers, Josh Goforth, The Knackered Ramblers, Laura Boosinger, The Local Boys, Mark Bumgarner, Mitch Greenhill & Mitch’s Kitchen, Pete Wernick, T Michael Coleman, Tony Williamson, and Wayne Henderson, with additional artists to be announced in the coming weeks.

The WCC Foundation is excited to continue the Silent Auction, featuring a variety of exciting, high-quality items and the convenience of online bidding. Online bidding opens April 15, 2027! Proceeds support the SAGE (Supporting Academic Goals for Education) First Year Experience program. Stay tuned for more details at merlefest.org/silent-auction.

Mega Raffle is back! We’re excited to welcome back the Mega Raffle, with over $120,000 in cash and prizes to be awarded! Tickets go on sale February 8, 2027, and you do not have to be present to win. Proceeds support the SAGE (Supporting Academic Goals for Education) First Year Experience program. Stay tuned for more details at merlefest.org/silent-auction.

MerleFest 2027 tickets are available now. For general admission passes, as well as covered patio seating, reserved seating, camping, parking, and more, please visit merlefest.org/purchase.
MerleFest volunteer applications are now open. As a volunteer, participants will receive free entry to the festival for the entire day of their shift, free parking and shuttle, and 10% discount at River’s Edge Campground. Most importantly, volunteers will be supporting a major fundraiser for the students of Wilkes Community College. Please visit merlefest.org/volunteer to sign up now before the April 10, 2027, deadline.

Apply to be a MerleFest vendor! MerleFest Shoppes and Heritage Craft Vendors are thoughtfully chosen to provide a variety of unique, high-quality goods for every MerleFest fan. Vendor fees include tent, fire extinguisher, tables, chairs, nighttime lighting, 24-hour security, general admission passes, and on-campus parking. It’s a great opportunity with incredible value! Please visit merlefest.org/vendors to apply now before the application window closes on Jan. 15, 2027.

Apply to be a MerleFest food vendor! MerleFest is now accepting applications for food vendors! A limited number of food vendors will be featured in the Shoppes at MerleFest, with vendors carefully selected to offer fans top-quality food and service. Ideal applicants will have a diverse menu that includes traditional items, along with vegetarian, vegan, and/or gluten-free options. Please visit merlefest.org/vendors to apply now before the application window closes on Dec. 1, 2026.

About MerleFest
MerleFest, presented by Window World, was founded in 1988 as a fundraiser for the Garden of the Senses at Wilkes Community College to memorialize world-renowned flatpicker Doc Watson’s late son, Eddy Merle Watson. MerleFest is a celebration of “traditional plus” music, a unique mix of traditional, roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, including old-time, classic country, bluegrass, folk and gospel, and blues, and expanded to include Americana, classic rock, and many other styles. The festival hosts a diverse mix of artists on its 12 stages during the course of the multi-day event. MerleFest is the primary fundraiser for the WCC Foundation, funding scholarships, capital projects, and other educational needs.


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22nd Fall Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance set for Oct. 1-4, 2026

The Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance, a collaboration between the Shakori Hills Community Arts Center and the GrassRoots Festival Organization, provides a family-friendly celebration of music, dance, art and education.

Tickets are on sale now for the 22nd Fall Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance set for Oct. 1-4, 2026, in bucolic Chatham County, N.C., about a 30-minute drivewest of Raleigh and east of Greensboro.

This year’s lineup features your host, Donna the Buffalo, along with alt-country sensation Margo Price, Anders Osborne, The Steel Wheels and appropriately, Chatham County Line, among many, many more acts.

On-site camping is available. Learn more at this link.

The Shakori Hills Community Arts Center is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Make a donation to the SHCAC!

The Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival Organization is also a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit. Find out more about the GrassRoots Family.


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That Station’s Artist Notes returns to NC State’s The Corner with River Shook, Chatham County Line members, Couldn’t Be Happiers, Mipso’s Joseph Terrell and many more

That Station’s Artist Notes will return to The Corner this year with more beautiful summer evenings of music and relaxation, organizers have announced.

Each night will feature an artist who will play their unique brand of music and share personal insights. Chris Edge will guide us through the ups and downs of our featured artists’ careers and the stories behind their songs.

The event is free and so is parking. We’ll have food trucks on-site and beer available for purchase. You can bring camp chairs, leashed dogs and coolers with beer, wine and food.

Gates will open at 6:30 p.m., and performances will begin at 7 p.m.  The address is 941 Main Campus Dr. in Raleigh. The CornerView map 

Following is the 2026 season lineup:

May 29: River Shook and Emma Rae
Food truck: The Flat Drum

June 12: Dave Wilson & John Teer (of Chatham County Line) and hushpuppy
Food truck: MoMoMandu

July 10: Larry & Joe and Couldn’t Be Happiers
Food truck: Greek on Wheels

July 24: IAMDYNAMITE and Rich Richards
Food truck: Kao Thai

Aug 7: Joseph Terrell (of Mipso) and Emily Burdette
Food truck: The Blue Window


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Old Crow Medicine Show to headline ‘Music for the Mountains’ benefit show in Raleigh on Oct. 27

From the good folks at WRAL: Ketch Secor, founder of Old Crow Medicine Show, shares his deep connection to North Carolina, where the band first found its roots and inspiration.

Though he grew up in Virginia and now lives in Tennessee, Secor says his heart is in North Carolina.

“I look to those mountains for my inspiration and my heart really,” the  founder and frontman of Old Crow Medicine Show told WRAL on Thursday, Oct. 24. “If your heart is really for the western mountains in North Carolina, it’s broken now.”

Old Crow Medicine Show started playing together more than 25 years ago and got it’s first break on the streets of Boone.

“Old Crow Medicine Show met Doc Watson, the granddaddy of all pickers on the street corner right out in front of Boone drug on King Street in Watauga County,” Secor said. “So that was sort of my encounter with the roots, with the traditional music makers of North Carolina.” 

Perhaps most well-known for the song “Wagon Wheel,” Secor wrote along with Bob Dylan’s lyrics, Old Crow garnered much inspiration from the mountains.

“The southern highlands are really the region that that that, you know, without without them, there’d be no rock and roll, there’d be no country music,” Secor said. “It’s really quite sacred to us. You know, if you love song, American song is really at at its peak, up in those jagged peaks.”

Many places that have meant so much to Secor and his bandmates were forever changed by Hurricane Helene.

“The little town of Beach Creek that we lived in in Avery County, North Carolina, has had terrible, irrevocable damage, the place where we’re supposed to play this weekend, Spruce Pine in Mitchell County, North Carolina. I mean, Mitchell County has just been devastated,” Secor said.

Secor has been on the ground in the mountains, helping deliver supplies and seeing the damage for himself. He says the recovery is just beginning.

“We need to remind folks that that the the hard work really is what’s ahead,” he said. 

He also wants you to know you can support Western North Carolina on Sunday, Oct. 28, and have fun doing it by checking out the band on stage at Red Hat Amphitheater during the Music for the Mountains benefit concert. WRAL is a proud sponsor for this event. Joining Old Crow will be Chatham County Line, B.J. Barham of American Aquarium and more.

 “I want you guys to come out there bring bring your dancing shoes and your wallets,” Secor said. 


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Sam Bush, Rhonda Vincent, Steep Canyon Rangers, Chatham County Line, Amythyst Kiah, and many more to perform at 2024 IBMA Festival Main Stage on Sept. 27-28

During the two-day festival, the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and Pinecone bring some of the best in bluegrass music across downtown Raleigh, from the Main Stage at the Red Hat Amphitheater to six street stages on and around Fayetteville Street on Sept. 27-28, 2024.

The 2024 lineup features:

FRIDAY
Sierra Ferrell, Sam Bush, Rhonda Vincent & the Rage, Crying Uncle

SATURDAY
Steep Canyon Rangers (with special guests Chatham County Line), Sierra Hull, Amythyst Kiah, Danny Paisley

In addition to the Red Hat Amphitheater, there are six more stages at IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC. Performers on those stages include:
Balsam Range; Barefoot Movement; Broken Compass; Compton & Newberry; Chris Jones & the Night Drivers; Country Current (US Navy Band); Dewey & Leslie Brown; Earl White String Band; Evans, Smith & May, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen; From China to Appalachia (Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer with Chao Tian); Golden Shoals, The Gospel Jubilators; The Gravy Boys; Hank, Pattie & the Current; Henhouse Prowlers; Jacob Jolliff Band; Jake Blount; Jake Leg; Jim Lauderdale; Junior Appalachian Musicians; Kaia Kater; Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands; Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road; New Dangerfield; Nixon; Blevins & Gage; Raised in Raleigh All Star Jam; Sister Sadie; Songs From the Road Band; The Tan & Sober Gentlemen; Tray Wellington Band; Union Grove Old Time Fiddlers’ Convention 100th Anniversary; Unspoken Tradition; The Williamson Brothers; Wyatt Ellis; and more!

IAs in years past, events during IBMA World of Bluegrass will take place at the Raleigh Convention Center, the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, the Red Hat Amphitheater and at various venues in town.

“This is our favorite time of year. I just love seeing everyone coming down to Raleigh with guitars and banjos slung over their shoulders,” said David Brower, festival producer and executive director of PineCone, in a press release. “In addition to all the bands playing the big stages, there’s also something special for the everyday pickers. We’re dedicating a stage to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Union Grove Old Time Fiddlers Convention. We’ll have contests for fiddlers, banjo, mandolin and guitar players, plus a great big square dance to cap off the afternoon each day. Lifting up North Carolina’s musical traditions is something we’ve been proud to do with the festival over the last decade.”

For the 12th year, PNC Bank returns as the presenting sponsor of IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC. “Since helping bring this festival to Raleigh during the early days of PNC’s local growth story, all of us at PNC have been committed to making this event a success for visitors, residents and local businesses,” said Jim Hansen, PNC regional president for Eastern Carolinas, in a release. “We look forward to this year’s event, the community togetherness it will foster and the economic impact it will create.”

IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC is part of the five-day IBMA World of Bluegrass event, billed “The Most Important Week in Bluegrass,” which also includes the IBMA Business Conference, the IBMA Bluegrass Ramble showcase series and the 35th Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards, Sept. 24-28.

Tickets and hotel reservations will open for IBMA members May 8 and to the general public May 15. More information is available at the IBMA World of Bluegrass website, worldofbluegrass.org.

ABOUT IBMA

IBMA is the non-profit music association that connects, educates, and empowers bluegrass professionals and enthusiasts, honoring tradition and encouraging innovation in the bluegrass community worldwide. IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC, featuring the best of the best in bluegrass today, helps benefit the IBMA Trust Fund—a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that assists bluegrass professionals during financial emergencies—and introduces the music to thousands of new fans every year.

ABOUT PINECONE

PineCone is the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music. It is a Raleigh-based nonprofit that serves as the official local host and festival producer for IBMA’s World of Bluegrass. It was founded in 1984 by a group of friends looking to preserve, present and promote music and dance that’s rooted in the Piedmont. PineCone hosts year-round events that highlight rich and diverse musical traditions that’ve been passed down informally for generations. There’s more about PineCone’s concerts, jam sessions, workshops, camps, youth programs and weekly radio show at pinecone.org.


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Bourbon & Beyond 2024 announces lineup for Sept. 19-22 in Louisville

Billed as the world’s largest music, food and bourbon festival, Bourbon & Beyond 2024 has announced its lineup and there is literally something for every musical taste on the menu. The event is planned for Sept. 19-22 at the Highlands Festival Grounds and Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville.

Tickets and packages can be purchased at this link.


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MerleFest 2024 lineup to include Old Crow Medicine Show, Turnpike Troubadours, The Teskey Brothers, Nickel Creek, Steep Canyon Rangers, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, and many more

From the good folks at MerleFest:

MerleFest, presented by Window World, has announced the initial lineup for its 36th annual event, taking place April 25-28, 2024, on the campus of Wilkes Community College. Leading the breadth of can’t-miss performances this year are Grammy-winning rogue-folk ensemble Old Crow Medicine Show (celebrating both their 25th anniversary and nearly 25 years since their MerleFest debut in 2000), Red Dirt stalwarts Turnpike Troubadours, decorated blues-rock duo The Teskey Brothers, and recently reunited bluegrass sensation Nickel Creek. MerleFest favorites Steep Canyon Rangers, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, The Earls of Leicester, and more are also set to appear. View the initial lineup below. Additional artists to be announced in the coming weeks.

MerleFest 2024 tickets are available now. For general admission passes, as well as patio seating, reserved seating, camping, parking, and more, please visit merlefest.org/purchase.

MerleFest 2024 will welcome Old Crow Medicine Show, Turnpike Troubadours, The Teskey Brothers, Nickel Creek, Steep Canyon Rangers, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, The Earls of Leicester, Shinyribs, Peter Rowan, Scythian, Donna the Buffalo, Jim Lauderdale, Kruger Brothers, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Chatham County Line, Chatham Rabbits, John McEuen, Willi Carlisle, Adeem the Artist, The Sensational Barnes Brothers, The Waybacks, Alexa Rose, Andy May, Ashes & Arrows, B. Townes, Banknotes, Buffalo Nichols, Carol Rifkin, Charles Welch, Flattop, Goldpine, Gravity Check Juggling, The InterACTive Theater of Jef, Jack Lawrence, Jake Kohn, Jeff Little Trio, JigJam, Joe Smothers, Josh Goforth, Kyshona, Laura Boosinger, The Local Boys, Mark Bumgarner, Mitch Greenhill & Mitch’s Kitchen, Nefesh Mountain, Palmyra, Pete & Joan Wernick, Presley Barker, Roy Book Binder, The Silent Comedy, T. Michael Coleman, Them Coulee Boys, Tony Williamson, Uwade, and Wayne Henderson. For artist performance dates, visit merlefest.org/lineup.

MerleFest Volunteer applications are now open. As a volunteer, participants will receive free entry to the festival for the entire day of their shift, free parking, and shuttle, and 10% off camping at River’s Edge Campground. Most importantly, volunteers will be supporting a major fundraiser for Wilkes Community College. Please visit merlefest.org/volunteer to sign up before the April 13th deadline.

Applications to be a MerleFest vendor are also open. Vendors are carefully selected to provide a variety of quality and unique goods for every MerleFest fan. Included in the vendor fee is the cost of your tent, tent setup, fire extinguisher, gutters, table, chairs, lightbulb for nighttime illumination, on-campus security, as well as general admission passes for the entire festival and one on-campus parking pass. Simply put, it’s a great deal! Please visit merlefest.org/vendors to apply now before the application window closes on January 15th.


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That Music Fest is coming to DBAP in June

That Music Fest presented by Come Hear NC is a two-day music festival celebrating the artists who make music right here in North Carolina! Join then at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Friday, June 24, and Saturday, June 25, for a stacked line up of incredible music. You can see 12 artists on the Main Stage, another six on the Landing Stage and seven more on the Concourse Stage sponsored by Tito’s Handmade Vodka. That’s 25 bands on 3 stages under the stars at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park!

Single Day Tickets and Weekend Passes are available at the link below. 

https://thatstation.net/that-music-fest-schedule/


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MerleFest 2019 announces lineup for Late Night Jam hosted by Chatham County Line

This just in from the good folks over at MerleFest:
MerleFest, presented by Window World, is proud to announce the 2019 lineup for their beloved Late Night Jam.  Sponsored by The Bluegrass Situation and hosted by Raleigh’s own Chatham County Line, this year’s Late Night Jam will feature Molly Tuttle, Jim Lauderdale, The Brother Brothers, Donna the Buffalo, Presley Barker, Ana Egge, Steve Poltz, and more.

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Leftover Salmon, Chatham County Line, Front Country, Forlorn Strangers, Annabelle’s Curse among headliners for 2018 North Carolina Brewers & Music Festival set for May 11-12 in Huntersville

I have no idea how the North Carolina Brewers and Music Festival, which combines two of my favorite things, hasn’t hit my radar until now. Maybe it’s because it’s located at 4431 Neck Road in Huntersville, just north of Charlotte. Or maybe it’s because the organizers just never thought to reach out to me since it began in 2011, from what I can gather from the website.

It’s certainly not because of the music, or the featured breweries.

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