musicreporterblog

Musings on folk, Americana, country, bluegrass and newgrass


Leave a comment

Emmylou Harris to make debut at Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival 2024

Emmylou Harris, a 2018 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner and member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, will bring her band to headline the 14th annual Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival on May 23-26, 2024 ,at Pop’s Farm just outside Martinsville, Virginia. Joining her at the top of the band lineup will be celebrated guitarist Cory Wong, an exploding star on the international music scene.

Harris has been estimated to have sold more than 15 million records worldwide. She has also earned 13 Grammy Awards and placed 27 singles into the top 10 US country chart. She will make her Rooster Walk debut with a Saturday evening set.

Wong will also make his RW debut when his band performs a Friday night headlining set. A former member of Vulfpeck, Wong’s live shows are lauded for their instrumental wizardry, incredible cohesiveness and their sheer, energetic fun.

Other bands getting added to the lineup include: Couch (Boston, Massachusetts – funk/rock/soul); Catilin Krisko & The Broadcast (Asheville, North Carolina – rock); Arkansauce (progressive bluegrass from northwest Arkansas); Sneezy (high-energy party music from Chicago, Illinois); Sticks N Thorns (bluegrass duo featuring Andy Thorn of Leftover Salmon and Jon Stickley); Travis Book & Friends (Asheville, Americana/rock band led by The Infamous Stringdusters’ Travis Book); The Jared Stout Band (southern rock from the New River Valley of Virginia); T.C. Carter Band (blues from Martinsville); Lua Flora (Asheville – beach folk); Big Fat Gap (Chapel Hill, North Carolina – bluegrass); Jules & The Agreeables (Key West, Florida – rock); DJ What (Martinsville – DJ); and Pirates of the Piedmont (Martinsville – pirate shanties).

Read more: Emmylou Harris to make debut at Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival 2024 Continue reading


1 Comment

Sarah Siskind and Sunliner shine with ‘LOVE’

North Carolina native Sarah Siskind and Sunliner will release their long awaited and latest collaboration,” LOVE,” on April 14, 2017.

In a handwritten note delivered with the album, Siskind wrote, “Well after all this time, here it is!”

Trust me when I say it’s worth your time to give a listen to this sampler to get just a taste of what this fresh and funky new album has to offer. It’s a mix of rock, folk, country, jazz fusion and delta blues, that all the while somehow manages to stick to its Americana roots. It ranges from the upbeat “By You” to the heartbreaking “Not Enough.”

“This whiskey is the closest thing I have to a friend … I wake up late at night and cry; I drink the bottle til it’s dry, but it’s not enough to make me forget how you love me.”

Continue reading


Leave a comment

Travis Book and Sara Siskind open for Mary Chapin Carpenter on June 8 at Carolina Theatre

You may recognize Winston-Salem native and singer-songwriter Sarah Siskind from the ABC hit “Nashville” and her equally talented husband Travis Book of The Infamous Stringdusters. The duo are working on an album to be released later this year as Sunliner, which has performed at Rooster Walk and Red Wing Roots festivals, among others. Sunliner debuted with a new drummer, the venerable Jeff Sipe, at White Squirrel Festival in Brevard in May.

Book and Siskind, who performed at The Rives Theatre on Valentine’s Day 2015 (did I mentioned they are married?) , are opening for the incomparable Mary Chapin Carpenter at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, June 8, at the historic Carolina Theatre in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina. Carpenter is touring in support of her new full-length album, “The Things That We Are Made Of,” which was released in May to critical acclaim.

Continue reading


Leave a comment

‘Live at the Rives Theatre Concert Series’ kicks off season with Asheville Country Music Revue, Junto and Kristin Diable on Saturday, Jan. 31

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — The historic Rives Theatre in uptown Martinsville, Va., will kick off its annual “Live at the Rives Theatre Concert Series” season on Saturday, Jan. 31, with Asheville Country Music Revue and Junto, featuring members of Sanctum Sully, as well as Kristin Diable. Continue reading