This just in from the good folks at Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival:
Progressive stringband Greensky Bluegrass and legendary reunited reggae band The Wailers will top the lineup for the ninth annual Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival, set for May 25-28, 2017 just outside of Martinsville, Virgina. The two bands were announced Tuesday, Jan. 10, along with new additions Anders Osborne, Anderson East, The Motet, Susto, Mission in the Rain, Juliana MacDowell and “artist at large” Josh Shilling.
Treat yourself (and preferably someone else) to the gift of music this holiday season and make plans to catch two of Virginia’s hottest up-and-coming acts — Will Overman Band and Carbon Leaf — on Saturday, Dec. 17, at The National, 708 E. Broad St., Richmond, Virginia.
If you haven’t had the chance to hear Mipso, the unique string band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, perform live, you’re in luck. You can catch them beginning at 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18, at the historic Rives Theatre in uptown Martinsville, Virginia. Season passes are accepted, otherwise tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Tickets available locally at Daily Grind, Woodall’s Music and online here.
Johnny Buck, co-founder and executive director of Rooster Walk, announced today that the two nonprofits are officially joining forces.
From the press release, “The boards of Rooster Walk Inc. and Arts at the Rives Theatre (ART), who already often work together to bring live music and arts events to Martinsville-Henry County, recently voted to formalize their relationship by combining under the Rooster Walk umbrella.
WEATHER-RELATED UPDATE FROM ROOSTER WALK FOLKS: Hurricane be damned, we’re throwing a keg party with a Grammy winning band! Brewster Walk is moving INSIDE the Rives Theatre. Beers, bands and buddies all under one roof! Also, VIPs now get unlimited pours!! Schedule remains the same (see pic below). Tix still avail VIP $50 / GA $30 / grab em locally at Rising Sun Breads, Daily Grind Coffee House & Cafe – Martinsville or online at www.roosterwalk.com. See ya Saturday!
The second annual Brewster Walk Craft Beer Festival & Concerts will take place Saturday, Oct. 8, in uptown Martinsville, Virginia, on the street in front of the Rives Theatre, 215 E. Church St.
The following post also ran on The Huffington Post here.
If you weren’t at Pop’s Farm in Axton, Virginia, the home of Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival, under the stars on Saturday, Aug. 20, you missed an incredible high-energy performance by the incomparable Southwest Virginia native Josh Shilling and his band, Mountain Heart.
The following was also published on The Huffington Post here.
Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia-based alt-folk band Annabelle’s Curse isn’t so much a curse as a happy accident. A series of accidents actually.
One of the original group’s founders guitarist Zack Edwards explains that he showed up on the porch of the other co-founder Tim Kilborne (vocals, banjo, guitar) six years ago after being introduced through mutual friends at Emory and Henry College.
“We started playing music and I just never went home,” Edwards remembers. “We did that for a little while, writing songs on the front porch and playing open mic nights.”
Fans of Mountain Heart and Annabelle’s Curse can catch both acts at a special show on Saturday, Aug. 20, at Pop’s Farm, the home of Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival.
The “King of Telluride” has been taking the East Coast by storm in recent years. Sam Bush has been a staple at Merlefest since its inception, but the mandolin virtuoso is no stranger to FloydFest and this spring played Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival for the first time.
Now, on the heels of his newest album release, “Storyman,” he’s headed to The Festy Experience, The Infamous Stringdusters music festival that benefits the Can’d Aid Foundation, set for Oct. 7-9 at the Lockn Festival property in Nelson County, Virginia, located between Charlottesville and Lynchburg.
In addition to Bush, Charlottesville resident Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lee Ann Womack, Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Steep Canyon Rangers, the North Mississippi All Stars and Anders Osborne (aka North Mississippi Osborne), are among the acts at the top of the bill for The Festy.
This story also appeared on The Huffington Post here.
Mason Via is transcending musical genres with his unique brand of what has been described as Appalachian funky folk, soulful acoustic, rhythm and bluesgrass and groovy Americana. His debut album, “Up, Up, Up,” is an eclectic mix of Appalachian string instrumentation, world percussion and soulful vocals mixed with powerful songwriting.
But it’s his country roots that come through the loudest and clearest when he hits the stage. No surprise really when you learn that the Danbury, North Carolina, native grew up in the shadow of Hanging Rock State Park in rural Stokes County on the banks of the Dan River.
“Living in correspondence with nature is one of the main points of my music,” Via, pronounced like “sky,” explains on a new micro-documentary, “Back to the Rock,” on his website.
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