The lineup includes IBMA favorites Balsam Range, Jim Lauderdale, The Tray Wellington Band, Unspoken Tradition, Hank Pattie and the Current, Stillhouse Junkies and other bluegrass greats. It also features rising stars in the Americana world like Sunny War, Shinyribs, Palmyra, Town Mountain and the Susto String Band, plus gospel bands from the Black Church traditions of Eastern North Carolina.
The N.C. State Fair has a tradition of featuring some of the state’s most talented artists and this year is no exception.
For 2022, the N.C. State Fair Folk Festival has moved to Heritage Circle next to the historic church. Talented musicians from across North Carolina feature performances ranging from old-time bluegrass music to folk and Americana.
I am looking forward to hearing some of my personal favorites — Into the Fog, Big Daddy Love, The Barefoot Movement, Violet Bell, Abigail Dowd — as well as being introduced to new talent such as Sweet Potato Pie, Russ Thompson, Jarrett Raymond and Dawn Landes, among others.
HERITAGE CIRCLE STAGE
Thursday, October 13
1 p.m. 3 p.m. 5 p.m. 6:30 p.m.
Sweet Potato Pie All-female bluegrass band blends Americana, country, and gospel into their classic sound
Friday, October 14
10 a.m. 12 p.m.
Russ ThompsonFolk and Americana singer-songwriter out of Greensboro
4 p.m. 6 p.m. 8 p.m.
Big Daddy LoveWinston-Salem’s purveyors of Appalachian rock, bluegrass, and psychedelic jams
Saturday, October 15
10 a.m. 12 p.m.
Jarrett RaymondWilmington-based folk singer-songwriter and 1st Place winner at NC Dogwood Festival
2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. 8 p.m.
Ages Past“Traditional with a twist” bluegrass from Western NC
Sunday, October 16
10 a.m. 12 p.m.
Chris McGinnisSultry, salty, and deeply rooted folk music out of Morganton, NC
The Barefoot Movement is a Triangle-based award-winning Americana band.
Did you know there is a free, family-friendly concert series on the picturesque shore of Lake Raleigh in April and May of 2022? LIVE@Lake Raleigh is a collaboration between NC State LIVE and Visit Centennial that celebrates the unique voices of North Carolina’s extraordinary music scene.
This year’s shows are set for April 7, April 21, May 5 and May 19. In addition to the free concerts there will be food trucks on hand. The concert events are held on the shore of Lake Raleigh, at the corner of Main Campus and Campus Shore drives. Gates open at 5 p.m. and the shows start at 6 p.m. Parking is free: SEE MAP HERE.
MerleFest, presented by Window World, is proud to announce the full lineup for MerleFest 2021, which will take place Sept. 16-19 on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, according to a press release from IVPR.
The following is MerleFest’s complete list of performers including the previously announced headliners: Sturgill Simpson, Tedeschi Trucks, Melissa Etheridge, Mavis Staples, Margo Price, LeAnn Rimes, Shovels & Rope, Balsam Range, Amythyst Kiah, JOHNNYSWIM, The Milk Carton Kids, We Banjo 3, Adam Traum, Banknotes, Bill and the Belles, Brittney Spencer, Cane Mill Road, Carol Rifkin, Charles Welch, Charley Crockett, Chatham Rabbits, Cordovas, Creole Stomp with Dennis Stroughmatt, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Donna the Buffalo, Happy Traum, Hogslop String Band, Iron Horse Bluegrass, Jack Lawrence, Jeff Little Trio, Jim Lauderdale, Jody Carroll, Joe Smothers, Joe Troop (of Che Apalache), John Cowan, Kelsey Waldon, Kruger Brothers, Laura Boosinger, Mark Bumgarner, Mary Flower, Mitch Greenhill & String Madness, Moore Brothers, Nefesh Mountain, Oliver Hazard, One Fret Over, Paul Thorn, Pete & Joan Wernick, Peter Rowan & Free Mexican Airforce with Los Texmaniacs, Piedmont Bluz, Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, Presley Barker, Rev. Robert Jones, Robbie Fulks, Roy Book Binder, Sam Bush Band, Sam Williams, Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, Scythian, Shinyribs, Sierra Ferrell, Smitty and the Jumpstarters, Sweet Potato Pie, T. Michael Coleman, Terrapin Creek, The Barefoot Movement, The Cleverlys, The InterACTive Theatre of Jef, The Local Boys, The Waybacks, Tommy Emmanuel, Tony Williamson, Wayne Henderson, Wyld Fern, Yasmin Williams and Zoe & Cloyd.
This lineup of world-class bands and artists will be joining the annual homecoming of musicians and music fans.
MerleFest tickets will go on sale on June 10. More information can be found at merlefest.org. MerleFest, presented by Window World, would also like to remind potential volunteers that the volunteer application period is now open and the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest (CASC) is accepting submissions until June 15. Information on both of these can be found at www.merlefest.org.
This just in from the good folks over at MerleFest:
MerleFest, presented by Window World, is proud to announce the next round of artist additions for MerleFest 2020, which will be held April 23-26. Greensky Bluegrass, Mavis Staples, Paul Thorn, Cane Mill Road, Sweet Potato Pie, The Barefoot Movement, Nefesh Mountain, and Smitty and the Jumpstarters will be joining the annual homecoming of musicians and music fans on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Greensky Bluegrass: “There’s this great duality to our band,” reflects Greensky Bluegrass mandolinist vocalist and songwriter Paul Hoffman. “We’re existing in a few different places at once. We’re a bluegrass band and a rock band. We’re song-driven and interested in extended improvisation.” Formed in 2000 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Greensky Bluegrass kicked off their career playing living rooms and open mic nights across the Midwest. By 2005, they were touring nationally, and by 2006, they were playing the first in a long series of appearances at the annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Bandmates Hoffman, Bruzza, dobro player Anders Beck, banjoist Michael Arlen Bont, and upright bassist Mike Devol spent most of the following decade on the road, fine-tuning a live show modeled not after the toned-down production of traditional bluegrass music, but the full-on spectacle of rock. Greensky Bluegrass will perform Friday night on the Watson Stage. Continue reading →
Fresh off the release of their latest single, International Bluegrass Music Association’s award-winning The Barefoot Movement will bring their heartfelt, energetic and down home holiday celebration at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13, to the Cary Arts Center.
Complete with all of your classic seasonal favorites wrapped in a Christmas package, you’ll hear acoustic renditions of everything from Chuck Berry’s “Run Run Rudolph” to Perry Como’s “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas” and emotional takes on the more tender songs of the season like “Oh Holy Night” and “Hark The Herald Angels Sing,” according to a press release.
“Surrounded by stories and Christmas memories from the band, the music and cheer will fill you with an enduring feeling of love and hope that will warm your heart throughout the year!”
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.
This just in from the good folks over at MerleFest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina:
MerleFest, the popular music festival founded by the legendary Doc Watson and presented by Window World, offers music lovers a sneak peek of this spring’s festival when MerleFest On the Road tours throughout the Southeast during March. The tour will feature select artists that will perform at MerleFest 2018 or have performed previously at the festival: The Way Down Wanderers, The Barefoot Movement and Andy May.
musicreporterblog 