Sam Bush loves North Carolina. And gauging from the roar of the appreciative crowd of some 200 souls gathered at the Cat’s Cradle live music venue in downtown Carrboro on Saturday night, North Carolina loves Sam Bush and company, and in this particular instance, the Sam Bush Band.
“It don’t get no better than to play in North Carolina,” Bush said from the stage.
His fans agree. “As always, Sam and band were amazing,” commented Rick Henderson of Raleigh. “No two shows are the same, but they’re all terrific.”Continue reading →
Hosted by one of MerleFest’s fan favorites, Donna the Buffalo, Shakori has a similar vibe and similar artists to the aforementioned festivals. But if you live in or near the Triangle, it’s just a short drive to Shakori’s home in bucolic Chatham County.
And for music festival lovers, it offers not one but two chances to camp out and catch some great live music each year — one in the spring and one in the fall.
I had the pleasure of meeting up and hanging out with some of my fellow die-hard festivarians (yes, it’s a word) at the spring 2017 festival featuring some amazing sets by Rising Appalachia, Violet Bell, Dangermuffin, The Mastersons and Steve Earle and the Dukes, just to name a few.
But if you don’t want to take my word for it, Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine named it among its Bests of the Fests of 2018.
And for $90, you can take advantage of the 2018 fall festival, Oct. 4-7, and its 50-plus acts including headliners Lettuce and, of course, Donna the Buffalo, as well as Ryan Mountbleau, Urban Soil and Shiloh Hill, among others.
But don’t wait. Tickets go up after Friday, Aug. 17, and before the rest of the acts are announced on Monday, Aug. 20.
In the meantime, catch some of the acts who presumably will be at Shakori this fall on “The Road to Shakori” tour.
Shiloh Hill is a self-described eclectic folk-rock band that layers traditional folk instruments over a rock band rhythm section. My husband and I had the pleasure of discovering their unique sound last year at Craft City Sip-In in Greensboro, North Carolina.
From the good folks over at Cary, North Carolina’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre:
Wednesdays this fall just got a whole lot more fun with the return of Pickin’ In The Pines at Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre. Shows will take place on Wednesday evenings in August and September and feature local and regional talent from 5:45 – 8:30 p.m. The music will take place on the spacious Crescent Deck, a casual and comfortable environment to enjoy a mid-week outing with friends. All seating on the deck and lawn area is general admission.
From the good folks over at the Carolina Bible Camp Bluegrass Festival:
MOCKSVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA – Organizers for the seventh annual Carolina Bible Camp Bluegrass Festival announced statewide locations for purchasing tickets to the Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, event featuring musical artists Alison Brown, Bobby Hicks and Mark Kuykendall and Asheville Bluegrass, Song of the Mountains emcee Tim White and Troublesome Hollow, Fireside Collective, The Snyder Family Band, The Trailblazers, and Dwight Hawkins.
A year after the Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based dynamic musical duo, Couldn’t Be Happiers, formed, they will release two tracks — “Cajun Spider-Man” and “Mad” — on July 24 that couldn’t be more different or more reflective of the artists. The two-track CD is appropriately called “His and Hers” and is available on Spotify.
Jordan Crosby Lee (vocals, guitar) is a tattooed Texas troubadour who blends melodies and shares harmonies with a Jodi Hildebran (vocals, guitar, harmonica, percussion), a sassy blonde country crooner from North Carolina. Hildebran is a singer/songwriter whose love of pop and Americana music permeates her writing.
I have written in the past that the Couldn’t Be Happiers combine all the best things about classic country music.
That hasn’t changed with the release of the duo’s latest two tracks. I find Lee’s up-tempo “Cajun Spider-Man” tune reminiscent of the storytelling song genre the great Tom T. Hall and Roger Miller, among others, made famous. It’s outlandishness also reminds me a bit of Bruce Springsteen’s more recent “Outlaw Pete.”
Hildebran’s “Mad” is unique in its delivery allowing her the depth of her vocals to shine with a Rhiannon Giddeons’ quality I haven’t heard from Hildebran until now. “Mad” sounds like it should be listened to in a dim speakeasy lit only by candlelight while sipping on a Manhattan.
But don’t take my word for it. Take a listen for yourself:
The Town of Cary is offering three live musical opportunities for fans of all ages and all kinds of genres on Saturday, July 21, 2018. And the cost ranges from free to $30. Continue reading →
The Americana band, New Reveille, which recently signed a label and management deal with Loud & Proud Records, will release “The Keep” on Sept. 7, 2018. Nashville-based producer / engineer Ben Fowler (Rascal Flatts, Ruby Amanfu, Lucy Hale, Kip Moore), a Multi-Platinum, Grammy Award winning, ACM Engineer of the Year nominee, produced their debut release, according to a press release. Continue reading →
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