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Musings on folk, Americana, country, bluegrass and newgrass

Tag Archives: MerleFest


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MerleFest announces new additions to 2018 lineup including Bela Fleck, Abigail Washburn, Mandolin Orange and Brandy Clark

I’m so pleased to announce some of my personal favorites — Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn and Chapel Hill’s Mandolin Orange — have just been added to the MerleFest 2018 lineup, which just keeps getting better!
From the good folks over at MerleFest, this just in:
MerleFest, presented by Window World and slated for April 26 – 29, is proud to announce five additions to the 2018 lineup: The Mavericks, Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn, Mandolin Orange, Alison Brown, and Brandy Clark. The annual homecoming of musicians and music fans returns to the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. MerleFest has already announced over 75 artists for 2018, including Kris Kristofferson, Jamey Johnson, Rodney Crowell, Rhiannon Giddens, Elephant Revival, The Devil Makes Three, a Midnight Jam hosted by Town Mountain and Jim Lauderdale, and many more. The rest of the distinguished lineup for MerleFest 2018 will roll out over the next few months.

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MerleFest announces impressive lineup of judges for 2018 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest including Rodney Crowell, Andrew Marlin and Johnny Williams

This just in from the good folks over at MerleFest:
WILKESBORO, N.C. (January 10, 2018) – MerleFest, presented by Window World and taking placeApril 26 – 29, 2018, has assembled a distinguished team of songwriters – Rodney Crowell, Andrew Marlin (of Mandolin Orange), and previous winner Johnny Williams (of Jeanette Williams Band) – to judge the on-site final round of this year’s Chris Austin Songwriting Contest.

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Year in Review: My favorite musical picks for 2017

While 2017 will be remembered for many things, it turned out to be a great year for new music. Artists including Steve Earle & the Dukes, Lee Ann Womack, Chris Stapleton, Rhiannon Giddeons and Jason Isbell turned out some amazing albums over the past 12 months, but you don’t need me to tell you that.

Instead, I am going to focus on my own purely subjective list that evolves mainly from music festivals I attended, interviews I conducted and stories I published online on this blog, HalfwaySouth.com or on HuffPost that features my favorite genres (primarily folk, Americana, country, rock) and up-and-coming artists that I hope you will take the time to listen to in the coming year and beyond.

And now, in no particular order, here’s my picks for the best listens of 2017. Happy listening! Continue reading →


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Give yourself the musical gift of a Chatham County Line Electric Holiday Tour show this weekend

If, like me, you missed a chance to catch Chatham County Line’s “electric” show, you’re in luck.

The Raleigh, North Carolina-based acoustic string ensemble played the set last year at MerleFest and the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s annual festival.

But they’re far from done.

These harmonic boys, whose music has been described as falling somewhere between Del McCoury and the Jayhawks, are back in Richmond, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and Saxapahaw, North Carolina, over the next three days.

Trust me, you don’t want to miss this show. Continue reading →


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MerleFest announces artist additions to April 26-29, 2018, lineup

Greensboro, North Carolina, native and Grammy Award winner Rhiannon Giddens is among the more than 75 artists scheduled to perform April 26-29 at MerleFest on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, festival organizers announced today.

Giddens, who is also a recent $625,000 MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient and a welcome addition to the hit TV show, “Nashville,” is among four additional artists revealed by the festival along with Elephant Revival, Rodney Crowell and Shinyribs. Continue reading →


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Donna the Buffalo’s Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance returns to Chatham County, North Carolina, on Oct. 5-8, 2017

The annual fall Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance, set for Thursday, Oct. 5 to Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, features more than 50 bands and performers on four stages surrounded by 72 acres of verdant farmland in bucolic Chatham County, North Carolina – just down the road from Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Durham, Burlington and Greensboro. Continue reading →


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Entries for MerleFest’s annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest accepted beginning Oct. 1

To borrow a line from the late, great George Jones, imagine a world without the amazing and refreshing musical stylings of Gillian Welch, Tiff Merritt, Mipso’s Joseph Terrell or Melody Walker of Front Country fame.
If it wasn’t for MerleFest’s Chris Austin Songwriting Contest (CASC), we may have never been exposed to these, and many more, talented artists.


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MerleFest sponsors showcase as part of Bluegrass Ramble at IBMA’s World of Bluegrass on Sept. 26-28

From the good folks at MerleFest:

MerleFest, one of the premier music festivals in the country, will sponsor a diverse collection of artists showcasing their music as part of the Bluegrass Ramble during this year’s International Bluegrass Music Association’s (IBMA) World of Bluegrass. Showcases will take place Sept. 26 – 28 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Continue reading →


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Wild Ponies get back to their roots with ‘Galax’

What happens when you throw a group of Nashville and Galax, Virginia, musicians who have never played together in a barn behind a farmhouse nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains? Musical magic.

That’s exactly what happened a year ago this month when the Wild Ponies – otherwise known as Doug and Telisha Williams – decided to get back to their musical and geographic roots.

“I had spent a lot time playing on my grandfather’s farm and it’s just a beautiful place to spend some time,” Doug said in a recent phone interview. “We wanted to play with people who played with my grandfather and then get some people from Nashville to play as well. It just felt like something we needed to do.” Continue reading →


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Lucinda Williams to perform at Millennium Center as part of SECCA’s popular Crossroads series on Friday, Aug. 11

UPDATE: The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) announces a venue change for the Crossroads #019 @ SECCA concert featuring Lucinda Williams on Friday, August 11, 2017. Due to inclement weather forecast, the concert will now be indoors at the Millennium Center downtown Winston-Salem, located at 101 West 5th St., Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Doors at the Millennium Center will open at 5 p.m. and music will begin at 7. Food trucks will be on site and a cash bar will be available inside the venue. No coolers, chairs/blankets, outside food or drinks, or pets are allowed at the venue. There are also several dining options in the downtown Winston-Salem area.

Free street parking is available after 6 p.m. and paid parking garages are throughout the downtown area. For more information including a detailed map of parking options, please visit the Millennium Center.

The Millennium Center venue provides unreserved seating and standing room areas. Seats are provided on a first come, first served basis.

“We regret having to move the concert from outside on the SECCA grounds, but weather forecasts are predicting thunderstorms and lightning for Friday, which would make doing the show outside difficult and potentially unsafe.” said Andy Tennille, curator of the Crossroads @ SECCA concert series and a member of the SECCA Foundation board. “We appreciate the support of our sponsors, vendors and audience in this decision and thank Greg Carlyle and his team at the Millennium Center for their help.”

For more detailed information about the change of venue, please visit www.secca.org
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