There are numerous live music festivals and venues throughout North Carolina, Virginia and beyond on tap to help you celebrate the official kickoff of summer over the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend. Following are a few highlights. If I’ve missed one, let me know! Continue reading
Tag Archives: Jason Isbell
On Huffington Post: MerleFest Band Competition features possible future festival headliners
The following piece also ran on The Huffington Post here.
Headliners such as John Prine, Jason Isbell and John Oates have drawn nearly 80,000 Americana music fans annually to the hills of MerleFest on the campus of Wilkes Community College each April for the past 28 years. But it is the young musicians trying to make their mark who can provide some of the freshest and transcendent moments at this festival founded by the legendary Doc Watson, who called it “traditional-plus” music.
On Huffington Post: ‘Carolina Ghost’ proves Thomas Wolfe wrong
North Carolina native Thomas Wolfe famously wrote, “You can’t go home again.” But another native son of the Tarheel State, Caleb Caudle, is proving Wolfe wrong. Continue reading
MerleFest 2016 adds Jason Isbell, Tommy Emmanuel and Mike Farris and The Roseland Rhythm Revue and to lineup
From the folks at MerleFest today:
“MerleFest, presented by Window World and slated for April 28-May 1, 2016, is proud to announce three powerful new additions to the 2016 lineup: breakout Americana star Jason Isbell, legendary Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel and inspiring gospel songster Mike Farris and The Roseland Rhythm Revue. These three new artists join more than 100 other artists already announced, including John Prine, Old Crow Medicine Show, Dave Rawlings Machine, Brandi Carlile, The Wood Brothers, Steep Canyon Rangers, Tim O’Brien, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Peter Rowan, Alison Brown, Doug Seegers, Will Overman Band and more! The four-day event, the largest roots and Americana music festival in the nation, takes place on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the heart of Appalachia. MerleFest continues the legacy of Doc Watson and is a benefit for the college. This homecoming of roots music artists and fans draws nearly 80,000 participants every year.”
The 2016 lineup is available online at www.MerleFest.org/lineup.
On Huffington Post: Five questions with Caleb Caudle, whose album ‘Carolina Ghost’ debuts Feb. 26
This post also ran on The Huffington Post here.
After country sensation Chris Stapleton won Best New Artist and Male Vocalist of the Year at the 49th CMA Awards, Caleb Caudle wrote on his Facebook page that the success of artists like Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson and Jason Isbell give him hope. Speaking of Isbell, you may recall that last summer I wrote a post about why I thought Caudle is the next Isbell. Turns out, I am not alone. With the release of his upcoming album, Carolina Ghost, later this month on This Is American Music, the North Carolina born and bred alt country/singer/songwriter has caught the attention of Yahoo Music, which named him a rising artist and debuted the track, “Broken Hallelujah,” here.
Caudle’s also featured on the Country Fried Rock podcast here, Saving Country Music named “Carolina Ghost” an album to look forward to in 2016 and both American Songwriter and Paste Magazine have debuted tracks.
Five songs that prove Caleb Caudle should be the next Jason Isbell
If you haven’t heard of Caleb Caudle, just wait. You will. The recent success of alt-country darling Jason Isbell’s rock-folk-country-chart topping album, “Something More Than Free,” gives similar artists like Caudle hope that they too can break out and that their genre-defying music can be heard by the masses. Continue reading
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