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Musings on folk, Americana, country, bluegrass and newgrass


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Mile 0 Fest Key West 2025 tickets on sale

Five Nights of Music in Paradise

Jan. 21- Jan. 25, 2025

From the good folks at Mile 0 Fest Key West:

Calling all music lovers! Immerse yourself in the laid back island vibes of Mile 0 Fest Key West, a premier boutique music festival. Each year boasts a stellar lineup of established and rising artists performing in beautiful outdoor venues. Experience all Key West has to offer while listening to your favorite bands and making new life-long friends.

With only a few thousand passes available, don’t wait to book your dream music vacation!

Learn more at this link: https://www.mile0fest.com


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Nickel Creek, Margo Price, Bruces Hornsby, Watchhouse, Annabelle’s Curse and many, many more to perform at Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion on Sept. 8-10

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival is an electrifying music experience that features the very best roots music. Held annually in September in historic downtown Bristol TN/VA, the three-day music is amped to the beat of Appalachia’s past, present, and future. The Festival digs down deep into the roots of the traditional Appalachian sound and lifts its branches to new heights. It all happens in the heart of the Birthplace of Country Music.

For tickets, to volunteer or get more information, visit https://birthplaceofcountrymusic.org/festival.


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Carolina in the Fall Music and Food Festival returns to Wilkesboro Sept. 23-24

I call it the mini-MerleFest. After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic, I’m excited to announce Carolina in the Fall Music and Food Festival, presented by Window World, is set to return on Sept. 23-24, 2022, to Wilkesboro.

Organizers say significant changes have been made for this year’s festival including a new presenting sponsor, Window World, which also sponsors MerleFest.

“We have been blessed with great local support for the festival from the very beginning and that tradition continues as Window World has taken over the role of the presenting sponsor for Carolina in the Fall”, said Dale Isom, festival organizer, on the event website. “We are very thankful for all of our sponsors over the years and their desire to provide excellent entertainment to our community”. 

Additionally, this year’s festival will be held entirely in the Carolina West Wireless Community Commons in Historic Downtown Wilkesboro. 

“Probably the biggest change to the festival is that it will be free to those that want to attend free”, Isom added. “We will sell a limited number of Reserved Seats to help fund the festival and the rest is free to the public”. 

The goal from the very beginning was to present a free festival, said Jens Kruger, of the festival’s host band, The Kruger Brothers, who call Wilkesboro home. “It just took us a while to figure out how to do it. We are excited to offer an amazing weekend of free music to our community and those that will visit Wilkesboro.”

The festival begins on Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday’s festivities will begin at noon.

“We are very excited about the bands we have lined up for this year’s festival,” said Festival Director Michelle Isom on the website. “We have worked very hard to bring excellent talent to Wilkesboro just as we have in our previous years. As always, we focus on bringing bands from North Carolina as this festival is a celebration of our musical roots. We are thankful to have the Kruger Brothers back as our host band and this year they are bringing a very special surprise for our audiences”. 

For more information and the full lineup, visit www.carolinainthefall.org

Famous for an amazing selection of food trucks, Carolina in the Fall will be bringing some of western North Carolina’s best trucks to feed their audiences. The festival will also have a limited number of vendor tents. The festivities will include the Annual Chad Lovette Memorial Run to benefit the American Cancer Society. Festival beer and wine sales will be handled by the Wilkes Heritage Museum with all proceeds going to benefit the museum.

Carolina in the Fall Music and Food Festival is a production of Heart of Folk, LLC along with the Town of Wilkesboro and The Kruger Brothers.


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MerleFest 2020 adds Melissa Etheridge, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, The Marcus King Band, and more

From the good folks at MerleFest:

MerleFest, presented by Window World, is proud to announce the next round of artist additions for MerleFest 2020, which will be held April 23-26. Melissa Etheridge, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, The Marcus King Band, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, and John Cowan will be joining the annual homecoming of musicians and music fans on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Today’s lineup announcement adds five great artists to MerleFest’s already stacked lineup: Willie Nelson & Family, Alison Krauss, John Prine, The Jerry Douglas Band, Sam Bush, Billy Strings, Jim Lauderdale, Kruger Brothers, The Waybacks, Scythian, Donna the Buffalo, Peter Rowan and the Free Mexican Airforce, Tommy Emmanuel, Colin Hay, Shinyribs, Charley Crockett, Darrell Scott, The Steel Wheels, Kelsey Waldon, Gangstagrass, Robbie Fulks, Amythyst Kiah, Cordovas, Alison Brown, Andy May, “B” Townes, Banknotes, Bill and the Belles, Bryan Sutton, Carol Rifkin, Charles Welch, Chatham Rabbits, Che Apalache, The Cleverlys, Creole Stomp with Dennis Stroughmatt, David Holt, Fireside Collective, Flattop, Happy Traum, Hogslop String Band, InterACTive Theatre of Jef, Irish Mythen, Iron Horse Bluegrass, Jack Lawrence, Jeff Little Trio, Jody Carroll, Joe Smothers, Ken Crouse, Laura Boosinger, The Local Boys, Los Texmaniacs, Mark Bumgarner, Mary Flower, Mitch Greenhill, Pete & Joan Wernick, Piedmont Bluz, Presley Barker, Rev. Robert Jones, Roy Book Binder, Sierra Ferrell, String Madness, T. Michael Coleman, Tony Williamson, Wayne Henderson, The Moore Brothers, The Williams Brothers, and Wyld Fern.

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Willie Nelson, Alison Krauss among others return to MerleFest in 2020

From the good folks over at MerleFest:

Presented by Window World, MerleFest is proud to announce the initial lineup for MerleFest 2020, which will be held April 23-26. The annual homecoming of musicians and music fans returns to the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

“For over 30 years, one of the major factors that has built and sustained MerleFest has been the quality of the artists and performances that our guests see over the four-day festival,” says Ted Hagaman, festival director. “People truly feel that the festival is a great value and that is why music fans and families return year after year. We feel that the 2020 lineup again reflects the diversity and quality of performers, and we look forward to another successful festival in April.”

The complete lineup for MerleFest 2020 will be announced over the next few months. For more information, visit www.MerleFest.org.

Today’s lineup announcement includes Willie Nelson & Family, Alison Krauss, The Jerry Douglas Band, Sam Bush, Jim Lauderdale, Kruger Brothers, The Waybacks, Scythian, Donna The Buffalo, Peter Rowan and the Free Mexican Airforce, Tommy Emmanuel, Shinyribs, Charley Crockett, Darrell Scott, The Steel Wheels, Robbie Fulks, Amythyst Kiah, Cordovas, Alison Brown, Andy May, “B” Townes, Banknotes, Bill & The Belles, Bryan Sutton, Carol Rifkin, Charles Welch, Chatham Rabbits, Che Apalache, The Cleverlys, Creole Stomp with Dennis Stroughmatt, David Holt, Fireside Collective, Flattop, Happy Traum, Hogslop String Band, InterACTive Theatre of Jef, Irish Mythen, Iron Horse Bluegrass, Jack Lawrence, Jeff Little Trio, Jody Carroll, Joe Smothers, Ken Crouse, Laura Boosinger, The Local Boys, Los Texmaniacs, Mark Bumgarner, Mary Flower, Mitch Greenhill, Pete & Joan Wernick, Piedmont Bluz, Presley Barker, Rev. Robert Jones, Roy Book Binder, Sierra Ferrell, String Madness, T. Michael Coleman, Tony Williamson, Wayne Henderson, The Moore Brothers, The Williams Brothers, and Wyld Fern.

Tickets for next year’s festival go on sale today and may be purchased at http://www.MerleFest.org or by calling 1-800-343-7857. MerleFest offers a three-tiered pricing structure and encourages fans to take advantage of the extended early bird discount. Early Bird Tier 1 tickets may be purchased from November 12 to February 16, 2020; Early Bird Tier 2 tickets from February 17 to April 22. Remaining tickets will be sold at the gate during the festival.

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Second annual Balsam Range Art of Music Festival set for Dec. 1-2 at Lake Junaluska

Fans of Balsam Range, listen up:

The 2017 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Album of the Year winners for “Mountain Voodoo” on Mountain Home Records have announced the second annual Balsam Range Art of Music Festival will be held on Dec. 1-2, 2017, on the grounds of the beautiful Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center in Haywood County, North Carolina.   Continue reading


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11th Annual Mountain Song Festival set for Sept. 9-11 in Brevard, North Carolina

11th Annual Mountain Song Festival — three days of bluegrass, roots and Americana music  — is set for Sept. 9-11, 2016, in Brevard, North Carolina. Day passes range from $34-$56.

The main stage for the Steep Canyon Rangers hosted event is in Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium on the campus of Brevard Music Center, a beautiful open air, covered venue.

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Seven questions with bluegrass master Tim O’Brien of Hot Rize, Earls of Leicester fame

Tim O’Brien has been called a lot of things throughout his musical career, which spans more than four decades: newgrass, bluegrass, singer, songwriter, mandolin aficionado.

He has been called a lot of things because, well, he does a lot of things. Continue reading


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Music legend Merle Haggard to perform at MerleFest 2014

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As reported first by Billboard.com today, MerleFest organizers have annouced that legendary country music artist Merle Haggard will perform for the first time at MerleFest as he closes MerleFest 2014 in Wilkesboro, N.C., on Sunday, April 27. Continue reading