Chapel Hill, North Carolina’s own Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz, who make up one of today’s premiere American roots duos, will be playing live at 8:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 26 on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube!
Any donations that come in via PayPal or Venmo (@mandomarlin) will be split 50/50 with the Compass Center for Women and Families, an organization that provides resources and shelter to those experiencing domestic violence.
In the meantime, check out this interview with Mandolin Orange I published a while back on Huffington Post.
Wilkesboro, N.C. – In lieu of their annual gathering of music fans and musicians from across the globe, MerleFest presented by Window World has announced a rebroadcast of the Watson and Cabin stages from the 2012 MerleFest weekend.
As a thank you to every fan who has attended and supported MerleFest over the years, this broadcast is being presented free of charge. Simply visit MerleFest.org and click the live stream link on the homepage to view the broadcast over the course of the originally scheduled MerleFest 2020 weekend, April 23-26.
MerleFest 2012 holds a special place in the history of the festival. Music legend Doc Watson played the Watson Stage alongside lifelong friends for the final time in 2012. The love and support for Doc shines bright during these performances that also mark the 25th year of the festival he and others started in memory of Doc’s late son, Eddie Merle Watson. “We are thrilled to be able to bring MerleFest 2012 to our loyal fans during the days that we would normally be celebrating MerleFest 2020,” says festival director Ted Hagaman. “Reliving Doc’s final festival will bring back wonderful music, moments, and memories for all to enjoy. We appreciate Window World for making this happen.”
More sad news as music festivals continue to cancel in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, this time from the good folks over at Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival:
“As you all know, Shakori Hills is a very special place that brings together music and dance fans twice a year to celebrate life and art. Therefore, you know how painful it is to announce the cancellation of theSpring 2020 festival due to the coronavirus.
“Carol Woodell, board president of theShakori Hills Community Arts Center (SHCAC), would like you to know, “In the interest of slowing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and with particular concern for the health of our festival family, the performers, staff, and our Chatham County community, it is with deep sadness that we are canceling our Spring festival,” said Carol Woodell, board president of the Shakori Hills Community Arts Center.
“The SHCAC is also cancelling all other programs until further notice, including all Road to Shakori shows, the Junior Appalachian Musicians classes, and multiple voice and art classes.”
WAKE FOREST, NORTH CAROLINA — The Wake Forest Listening Room shows with Momma Molasses and Sarah Siskind at Magnolia Roots will go on as scheduled this weekend, March 13 and March 14, unless they hear differently from the artists. So, come out and support live, original music if you can. The musicians – and the venues – will appreciate it. Check social media for updates here.
WILKESBORO, NORTH CAROLINA — MerleFest organizers are agonizing over whether to cancel the music festival that attracts some 80,000 Americana fans honoring the legacies of the late, great Doc and Merle Watson. The deliberations are in direct response to Gov. Roy Cooper’s Thursday announcement about limiting crowds to fewer than 100 to stop the spread of coronavirus.
MerleFest officials wrote on the website Thursday: “We will be issuing an official statement concerning MerleFest 2020 by the close of business on Friday, March 13. Thank you for your patience and support.”
In the meantime, let’s take a look at the economic impact this music festival, which for the past 30 years has acted as the unofficial kick off to the music festival season, has on the region, keeping in mind this does not include music and merchandise sales for the artists, etc.
In 2019, MerleFest reported the following economic impact on the Wilkes Community College; Wilkesboro; and surrounding Wilkes County.
For the uninitiated, WCC closes down its campus during the last full week of April to become home to MerleFest.
WILKESBORO, NORTH CAROLINA — Over the past two decades, hundreds of young musicians have taken part in the Acoustic Kids programming at MerleFest presented by Window World. This year—the showcase’s 20th anniversary—young musicians from the MerleFest audience will once again step on stage and perform in Andy May’s Acoustic Kids Showcases. Some participants are just learning to play their instrument, some play just for the fun of it, and some go on to international renown. Put on by long-time music educator and accomplished multi-instrumentalist, Andy May, Acoustic Kids is open to any musicians ages 16 or younger who register online before March 15.
RALEIGH — Summer concerts and movies have been a North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) tradition for two decades, and we’re excited to launch another season of great music and entertainment. Our venue—the Joseph M. Bryan, Jr., Theater in the Museum Park—is situated in the heart of the Museum campus amid gardens, meadows, woodlands, and sculpture.
Presented with Cat’s Cradle, Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes will perform at 8 p.m. on Sunday, April 26. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Nü Mangos will open the show. Continue reading →
Raleigh, put on your dancing shoes because the boys of Scythian are coming back to town on Thursday, Feb. 27.
They have rocked the dance tent at the annual International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) for years, kept First Night Raleigh attendees warm and festival goers on their feet as perennial favorites at MerleFest and Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion, among many others.
Named after Ukrainian nomads, Scythian (pronounced sith-ee-yin) plays immigrant rock with thunderous energy, blending Irish-Gypsy-American string-rock, clever storytelling, catchy songwriting and humor, beckoning crowds into a barn-dance rock concert experience.
These Celtic rockers will bring their all-ages, high-energy show back to Raleigh’s Lincoln Theatre, 126 E. Cabarrus St. Tickets can be purchased at this link. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
Chapel Hill singer-songerwriter Jonathan Byrd will take the stage before Scythian. Byrd has been called “a folk singer with the heart of a rock ‘n’ roll band.” Byrd is a preacher’s son, a Gulf War veteran and an award-winning songwriter from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, known for literary, outsider songs that have become campfire favorites. The Chicago Tribune called Byrd “one of the top 50 songwriters of the past 50 years.”
Scythian features tunes with gypsy, Celtic, bluegrass and Americana influences just in time to provide an appropriate warm up for St. Patrick’s Day. The band’s entertaining stage presence, band camaraderie and audience interaction captivates from the first note. Powerful vocals, fiddle, guitar, accordion, upright bass, drums are just a taste of the myriad instruments the quartet brings to its raucous stage causing iHeart Radio to state, “Scythian has reinvented folk rock in America.” And The Washington Post has called Scythian, “Washington D.C.’s most energetic and eclectic band.”
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