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Musings on folk, Americana, country, bluegrass and newgrass

Tag Archives: MerleFest


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Violet Bell and Zoe & Cloyd to perform as part of Cary’s Marvelous Music Mainstage series on Friday, Nov. 8

Halloween may be over but fans of Americana music are in for a special treat as two talented duos — Violet Bell and Zoe & Cloyd — hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, at the Cary Arts Center.

I first had the pleasure of hearing Violet Bell perform its original Americana tunes woven from threads of folk, soul, bluegrass, psychedelic and classical music at Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival. On stage and in the studio, the energy and chemistry between Lizzy Ross and Omar Ruiz-Lopez is fiery, intimate and intuitive. Learn more at www.lizzy.net

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Zoe & Cloyd, who I first discovered at MerleFest, is made up of renowned fiddler and vocalist Natalya Zoe Weinstein and songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist John Cloyd Miller. Together, they delight audiences with soaring harmonies and heartfelt songwriting, seamlessly combining original folk, country, old-time and bluegrass with sincerity and zeal.

Zoe and Cloyd recently released their third album, “I Am Your Neighbor,” on Friday, Sept. 27, on Organic Records during the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) annual event in downtown Raleigh.

Learn more at www.zoeandcloyd.com

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Tickets start at $23 and can be purchased online at ETix.

For more information, call (919) 462-2055 or visit Marvelous Music Series.


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5 reasons to attend The Shindig 2019

If you’ve had trouble finding the schedule for The Shindig 2019 “Music For Your Beers” that kicks off at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2,  in downtown Clayton, North Carolina, it’s below and you’re welcome.


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Inaugural Earl Scruggs Music Festival set for Sept. 4-5, 2020 in Mill Spring, N.C.

RALEIGH — One of Grammy award-winning Dobro player Jerry Douglas’ earliest memories is hearing Earl Scruggs play banjo on the radio in his childhood Cleveland home.
“I doubt I would be a musician now if it hadn’t been for that sound,” Douglas told a group gathered at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) annual conference and music festival in the Raleigh Convention Center on Friday, Sept. 27, for the announcement of the inaugural Earl Scruggs Music Festival set for Sept. 4-5, 2020, at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina.

Douglas continued, “Little did I know that later in life he would be my friend.A s far as I’m concerned this festival named in his honor is far overdue. But I also believe that’s the way Earl would want it to be. We can only hope that we can make him proud in how we perceive his legacy to the world.”

Douglas, who started his group the Earls of Leicester as a tribute to Scruggs, will act as musician in resident for the festival.

Scruggs, who has deep ties to North Carolina, popularized a three-finger banjo picking style that became a defining characteristic of bluegrass music.
The two-day event that will feature music from bluegrass, folk, blues, roots and Americana styles to celebrate Scruggs is a collaboration between the Earl Scruggs Center located in Shelby and WNCW radio station located on the campus of Isothermal Community College. The festival will benefit both the radio station and the college.
In addition to Douglas, the initial lineup includes Marty Stuart, Alison Brown, Dom Flemons, Radney Foster, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, The Barefoot Movement and Unspoken Tradition. Both Foster and Unspoken Tradition performed as part of the announcement that was made by festival director Steve Johnson, formerly of MerleFest.

Few other artists in American history have had such an impact as Scruggs, according to a festival press release. His work in 1946/47 with Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys and later with Flatt and Scruggs helped create an entire genre of music. His banjo playing was so fresh and different for the time that it was christened the “Scruggs style” of banjo and is still the most prominent banjo performance style in the world.

“Earl was my uncle, so I knew him a long time,” says JT Scruggs, a board member of the Earl Scruggs Center. “The first Earl Scruggs Music Festival presents an opportunity to bring exposure and new visitors to the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, North Carolina. The proceeds from the festival will also help to keep the center in good financial shape. The festival will bring great music and many different groups to the region. And I hope that people will hear things about Earl that they may have never heard before as all the artists share their personal stories. I know that Earl would be proud of what we are doing and that we are remembering him through the festival.”

Noah Wall of The Barefoot Movement grew up in North Carolina.

“I feel so lucky to have that in common with legends like Earl Scruggs,” he said. “He was such a trailblazer, not just a pioneer of bluegrass, but he also pushed the boundaries of traditional music. I don’t think he set out to be different for the sake of standing out, I think he did it for sake of the music itself. He just sought after good music, music that moved him, and that is so inspiring to me.”

In October, two new acts — Acoustic Syndicate and Blue Highway– were announced. More artists, both national and North Carolina-based, will be added over the coming months. The festival will feature more than 20 artists and three stages in a beautiful setting at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, according to organizers. Camping, lodging, restaurants and other amenities will be available onsite.
For tickets and more information, visit www.earlscruggsmusicfestival.com/ and


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Zoe and Cloyd release newest album, ‘I Am Your Neighbor’ during IBMA’s 2019 World of Bluegrass annual festival

If you are attending this week’s International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s World of Bluegrass conference and festival in Raleigh, North Carolina, you hopefully have a chance to catch one of Zoe & Cloyd‘s many sets as one the event’s Official Showcase Artists.

The duo — Western North Carolina natives Natalya Zoe Weinstein and John Cloyd Miller — have been on my radar since I discovered them at MerleFest. Fans of the former Americana trio Red June will recognize the Appalachian roots husband and wife duo that made up two-thirds of that group.

I continue to be particularly impressed by the fiddle stylings of Weinstein and the guitar and banjo talents of Miller as well as their gorgeous harmonies. Their traditional approach to their music take you back to an earlier era. If you like Mandolin Orange, you’ll like Zoe & Cloyd.

Based in Asheville, the couple have been making music together in various arrangements since first meeting in 2005.

I had a chance to chat briefly with Weinstein after the band’s set at Social Architect on Wednesday night and she said they were really excited to be featured again as IBMA Official Showcase Artists, an honor they haven’t enjoyed since 2016. In addition to performing during the week at the business conference you can find them playing at the free WOB StreetFest on Friday and Saturday in downtown Raleigh.

“This week is always a highlight of our year, and we are really looking forward to catching up with folks and hearing lots of great music,” Weinstein said.

At the end of their toe-tapping inducing performance, they rolled out a new tune, “Only Game In Town,” which lead  Weinsteint to joke with the audience that during IBMA at least, this was NOT the case.

Zoe and Cloyd are using the IBMA’s annual event to release their third album, “I Am Your Neighbor,” on Friday, Sept. 27, on Organic Records. 

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MerleFest’s Chris Austin Songwriting Contest accepting entries for 2020 festival beginning Oct. 1

WILKESBORO, NORTH CAROLINA — MerleFest, presented by Window World, will begin accepting entries for the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest (CASC) on Wednesday, Oct. 1, according to a press release.

CASC is one of the most acclaimed songwriting contests in roots and Americana music and has a reputation for launching careers as well as drawing attention to important new talent. The contest is split into four genre-based categories including bluegrass, general, gospel, and country. First through third place winners will be chosen in each category at MerleFest 2020, set to take place on April 23 – 26, 2020.

MerleFest is an annual homecoming of musicians and music fans on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro. First-tier tickets for MerleFest 2020 will go on sale on Nov. 12, with Tier 2 pricing beginning Feb. 17, 2020, and Tier 3 pricing beginning April 23, 2020.

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Shay Martin Lovette of Boone, N.C., wins MerleFest 2019 band competition

Past winners include Ashley Heath and Her Heathens, Fireside Collective

Boone, North Carolina-based musician Shay Martin Lovette found himself in good company late Saturday afternoon during MerleFest.

A perennially favorite of those interested in seeking out new music, the MerleFest Band Competition pits up-and-coming artists against each other in a competition that plays out live on The Plaza Stage near Lowe’s Hall on the Wilkes Community College campus.

This year’s band competition finalists included Lovette, Pretty Little Goat (Brevard, NC), None of the Above (Piedmont Triad, NC), Brooks Forsyth (Boone, NC), Alex Key and the Locksmiths (Wilkesboro, NC), Massive Grass (Wilmington, NC), Redleg Husky (Asheville, NC), and The Mike Mitchell Band (Floyd, Virginia).  

Once the last note of a fiddle string drifted away, the guitars were stored in their cases and the judges had cast their ballots, it was announced that Lovette had won the competition and the opportunity to play on the festival’s coveted Cabin Stage in a prime-time performance slot in front of more than 10,000 Merlefest fans, following blues great Keb’ Mo’ and preceding bluegrass legend Sam Bush.

Lovette and his band performed “Heat Lightning,” “Wherever You Roam,” and “Parkway Bound” in the competition. When they hit the Cabin Stage, they added two new songs, “First Day Here” and “Promenade.”

Learn more about Lovette at www.shaymartinlovette.com.

Lovette joined the ranks of other talented band contest winners who include Ashley Heath and Her Heathens (2018), The Trailblazers (2017) and Fireside Collective (2016).  

For the uninitiated MerleFest is a celebration of Americana, bluegrass, folk, roots, blues, country, gospel and more music that the late, great Deep Gap musician Doc Watson would qualify as “traditional plus” music. During the four-day festival, MerleFest also offers a songwriting competition — Chris Austin Songwriting Contest — for up-and-coming songwriters to have their music heard by Nashville songwriters.


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Steep Canyon Rangers shine at MerleFest 2019 with ‘North Carolina Songbook’ debut

MerleFest 2019 attendees received a special treat on Sunday afternoon when the Steep Canyon Rangers hit the stage.

Perennial MerleFest favorites, the band, whose members mostly hail from Brevard, North Carolina, has been affectionately dubbed “Steep” by their fans. And those fans were not disappointed by the band’s special set, titled “North Carolina Songbook,” a tribute to this state’s vast musical heritage.

When Gov. Roy Cooper introduced the band he noted that the state is recognizing 2019 as the “Year of Music.” In a nod to Cooper’s initiative, the band performed one-off set of covers by North Carolina artists, which included, appropriately, Deep Gap native and MerleFest founder the late, great Doc Watson’s “Your Long Journey,” a beloved tune written by his wife, the late Rosa Lee Watson, as well as a haunting rendition of Chapel Hill native James Taylor’s “Sweet Baby James.”

The band said in a release, “The influence of North Carolinians can be heard in almost every genre of popular music from Earl Scruggs to John Coltrane. Many of them worked in textile mills by day and played music with friends and family on the weekends. Some were virtuosos who packed up their influences and took the world by storm. All were, like us, a product of the music and people they grew up with in Carrboro, Jacksonville, Eden, Tryon… every corner East to West.”

Doc Watson soaked up and shared more of this state’s music and played fiddle tunes, blues, jazz, country, rock ‘n roll, and everything in between. This has been Doc’s lasting legacy for the Steep Canyon Rangers, and the band said they were excited to share the North Carolina Songbook for the very first time on Sunday afternoon at MerleFest.

MerleFest, in a release, said it is pleased to partner with Come Hear NC, a promotional campaign of the North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources and the North Carolina Arts Council, to celebrate 2019 as “The Year of Music,” a designation Cooper announced in November of 2018. MerleFest, honoring its locale, has programmed over 35 artists who currently call North Carolina home, each artist representing a different aspect of the state’s great musical history. Come Hear NC was designed to celebrate North Carolinians’ groundbreaking contributions to many of America’s most important musical genres — blues, bluegrass, jazz, gospel, funk, rock and everything in-between.


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MerleFest 2019 Chris Austin Songwriting Competition winners announced

From the good folks at MerleFest:
After they were announced at MerleFest 2019, the Chris Austin Songwriting Competition winners performed at MerleFest 2019 on the Cabin Stage to an audience eager to hear these up-and-coming songwriters before they’ve hit the big time.
Now in its 27th year, the contest is an extraordinary opportunity for aspiring writers to have their original songs heard and judged by a panel of music industry professionals (Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale, better known as The Milk Carton Kids, Cruz Contreras of The Black Lillies, and Texas-troubadour Radney Foster), under the direction of volunteer contest chairperson, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale.

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MerleFest announces finalists for 2019 Chris Austin Songwriting Competition

From the good folks over at MerleFest:
From its first incarnation in 1993, MerleFest’s annual Chris Austin Songwriting Competition has seen the likes of Gillian Welch, Tift Merritt, and Martha Scanlan rise to the top of an always competitive field of up-and-coming songwriters. Legendary songwriters have presided over the competition from the start as judges, too. Darrell Scott, Hayes Carll, and the late, great Guy Clark have all taken a turn at judging the CASC. This year, the event will be judged by Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale, better known as The Milk Carton Kids, Cruz Contreras of The Black Lillies, and Texas-troubadour Radney Foster. Mr. Americana Jim Lauderdale will host the competition and Mark Bumgarner will return as emcee for the finalist contest taking place at MerleFest’s Austin Stage at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 26.

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Raleigh Magazine: MerleFest Grass Roots

The following piece was originally published in the April 2019 issue of Raleigh Magazine:

For the uninitiated, MerleFest wasn’t named for Merle Haggard, although the country legend has performed at the top-rated Americana roots festival over the years. MerleFest, now synonymous with its mix of traditional, roots-oriented music from the Appalachian region, was named for another musician, Eddy Merle Watson, son of the late, great guitarist, singer and songwriter Doc Watson.

A 2.5-hour drive from Raleigh, MerleFest’s 2019 headliners—The Avett Brothers, Brandi Carlile, Wynonna & the Big Noise, Dailey & Vincent, Tyler Childers, Keb’ Mo’, Sam Bush, The Earls of Leicester, Peter Rowan, Amos Lee, The Milk Carton Kids, Steep Canyon Rangers, Scythian and The Del McCoury Band—will no doubt draw music fans to the campus of Wilkes Community College in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

One of the best things about attending MerleFest, whether you’re there for the first time or the 15th, is all of the “new” acts just waiting to be discovered as you wander among the festival’s 13 stages. In between the headliners’ sets on the main Watson Stage are myriad opportunities to check out lesser-known acts among the 80-plus artists set to perform.

Here are six reasons why you should make the short trip to the annual musical homecoming event, which marks the unofficial kickoff to the region’s outdoor music festival season.

Read more here.