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Musings on folk, Americana, country, bluegrass and newgrass

Tag Archives: Virginia


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Scythian, David Childers to play benefit for Water For People at Lincoln Theatre in downtown Raleigh on Aug. 4

Celtic rock band Scythian and folk singer-songwriter David Childers have announced they will perform on Saturday, Aug. 4, in downtown Raleigh’s the Lincoln Theatre at a benefit concert for Water For People.
Doors for this all-ages show will open at 5 p.m. and the music starts at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $25 to $50.
Water for People is a non-profit dedicated to providing water and wastewater education, training, and service in an effort to protect public health and the environment.

“We are always excited to come back to North Carolina and Raleigh in particular hold a lot of great memories for us with IMBA and the First Night Raleigh show we’ve played,” explains one of Scythian’s frontmen Danylo Fedoryka (vocals, guitar, accordion).

“To link a return show to a great cause makes it twice and meaningful for us and we hope that people will come out and support a great cause.”

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The Judy Chops share the love this summer with latest album release

One of my favorite places to discover new music is at festivals like this week’s Red Wing Roots Music Festival in Mt. Solon, Virginia. And three years ago, one of the acts my husband and I were lucky to find was The Judy Chops who hail from the nearby Shenandoah Valley. Continue reading →


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The Steel Wheels present sixth annual Red Wing Roots Music Festival on July 13-15, 2018, with a new stage

The Steel Wheels present the sixth annual Red Wing Roots Music Festival on July 13-15, 2018. Three days, four stages and 40 bands at the beautiful Natural Chimneys Park and Campground in Mt Solon, VA, in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. Continue reading →


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First Listen: Super Doppler releases ‘Edge Off’ as part of its ‘Super Secret Singles Club’

I was first introduced to the unique retro country-tinged, psych rock music stylings of the band of brothers, Super Doppler,  at Southwest Virginia’s Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival and FloydFest several years ago.

Over the years, the band’s sound has evolved and its new single,  “Edge Off,” which will be released on Wednesday, June 27, is representative. A sound that has evolved, albeit retroactively, to be reminiscent of what you might have hear blasting out of your 1975 Chevy Vega speakers as you cruised around with the windows rolled down.

“Edge Off” is the fifth single Super Doppler has released this year as part of the band’s monthly digital single series, “Super Secret Singles Club,” that runs through July 2018. The band is also gearing up for an extensive headline tour of the U.S. this summer to promote the new singles.

The single was written and produced by Super Doppler and tracked and mixed by Adrian Olsen at Montrose Recording in Richmond, Virginia, and mastered by Cameron Henry at Welcome to 1979 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Six months after the release of Super Doppler’s debut, Matthew E. White-produced album “Moonlight Anthems” (June 2017), the band announced its “Super Secret Singles Club,” a monthly digital singles club that would span from February through July 2018. Bridging melodic psychedelic pop with country-funk grooves, twangy dueling guitars, and a proclivity for layered vocal harmonies, Super Doppler has come to embrace a spirited, genre-agnostic ethos, according to the band’s bio. The “Super Secret Singles Club” releases are no exception, continuing to defy the stifling label of a traditional “genre” while exploring the depths of what is considered rock ‘n roll.

All born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, the members Super Doppler began their journey as a loose collective of high school friends with a common interest in late nights and loud music. Desperate to escape the impending reality of the 9 to 5 workday, the group decided to hit the open road and play for anyone willing to listen. No matter how dark the basement or lonely the bar, it was here in the farthest fringes of the music industry that these ragtag renegades would make their stand.

Four years and 500+ shows later after forming, the band released “Moonlight Anthems,” their debut record under the Super Doppler moniker. Produced by fellow Virginia wunderkind White of Spacebomb Records, “Moonlight Anthems” showcases the shared retro influences of the five-piece band; more specifically, a group of high school friends turned bandmates that includes two sets of brothers, Michael and Bryan Adkins (guitar and drums, respectively), and fraternal twins, Neal and Cole Friedman (keyboards and bass, respectively), alongside long-time comrade Harry Slater (guitar).

With six new singles set for release over the first half of 2018 and a full length record that is less than a year old, Super Doppler wants you to know they are here to stay. With stops at SXSW in Austin, Texas, in March and Sloss Music & Arts Festival in Birmingham, Alabama, the band has plans to stay busy on the road throughout the rest of 2018.

Want to hear more? Follow Super Doppler on Spotify

 


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Gaelic Storm to headline Scythian’s 2018 Appaloosa Roots Music Festival over Labor Day Weekend

Scythian announced today Gaelic Storm will be headlining the Celtic rock band’s annual Appaloosa Roots Music Festival on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018.

Gaelic Storm, Santa Monica, California’s internationally renowned Celtic band, has been topping the Billboard World Music Charts for decades.

The band also announced its full lineup on its new festival website, designed by none other than Danylo Fedoryka, that is full of visuals and videos to give fans a sense of the festival.

In an email, the band writes: “We invite you to our hometown for a music festival set under the Blue Ridge Mountains. Appaloosa is making waves and was chosen by Virginia Tourism to receive a ‘Virginia is for Music Lovers’ grant. We hope you can come join us this Labor Day Weekend and allow us to host you in our hometown of Front Royal, Virginia!”

In addition to Gaelic Storm and Scythian, Chapel Hill, North Carolina’s Mandolin Orange will also headline. The lineup includes Town Mountain, Humming House, Fireside Collective, Mountain Duo and Will Overman, among many others.

Visit http://appaloosafestival.com for advance ticket sales and more information.


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8th Annual Chantilly Farm Bluegrass & BBQ Festival to feature Balsam Range, Seldom Scene and Love Canon, among many others May 25-27 in Floyd, VA

I’ve never made it up to the annual Chantilly Farm Bluegrass & BBQ Festival in Floyd, Virginia, in part because it is over Memorial Day Weekend, when I can usually be found at another southwest Virginia music festival, Rooster Walk, which is just down the winding road at Pop’s Farm in Axton,Virginia.

Chantilly’s lineup for its eighth annual event set for May 25-27, 2018, however, may be the just the charm needed to get me up there this year. Continue reading →


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RoosterWalk 10 announces band schedule for Memorial Day Weekend music and arts festival in Axton, Virginia

This just in from the good folks at RoosterWalk Music and Arts Festival: The band schedule is finalized!

RW 10 is set for May 24-27, 2018, at the idyllic Pop’s Farm in Axton, Virginia, just a hop, skip and a jump from Martinsville and Danville.

“You’ve been asking for the Daily Band Schedule. Well, fair music lover, ask no more! Head over to the band schedule page at RoosterWalk.com to begin planning your weekend, note by note!”

So put on your dancing shoes, pack up the kids and the tent and head on over to RW 10 for a holiday weekend that promises to be full of amazing music, craft beer, local cuisine, crafts, outdoor adventure and, most of all, fun.

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The Howling Craft Beer and Music Festival on June 1-2, 2018, to feature Annabelle’s Curse, The Judy Chops and Southern Culture on the Skids

Wolf Hills Brewing Co. has announced its Fourth Annual The Howling Craft Beer and Music Festival is set for June 1-2, 2018. Continue reading →


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Tickets for 2018 Appaloosa Roots Music Festival featuring Mandolin Orange, Town Mountain are half price through April 30

Appaloosa Roots Music Festival  has announced the initial lineup for Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 2018, will include not one, but three, of my personal favorites — North Carolina-based Mandolin Orange, Town Mountain and Fireside Collective — thanks in part to a grant from the state of Virginia’s tourism folks, otherwise known as “Virginia is for Lovers.” Continue reading →


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Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival takes collaboration to a new level for RW10 with Marcus King, Billy Strings debut mashup

 

From the good folks over at Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival:
Marcus King and Billy Strings, two of the hottest names on today’s music scene, will join forces for a world-debut “King & Strings” set on May 25 at Rooster Walk 10, according to a release.

King will join Strings for the duration of a late-night, two-hour set at RW10, and iconic drummer Jeff Sipe will also sit in for the latter portion of the performance.

The two have never met, let alone played together, but each calls himself a fan of the other’s music. The current plan involves an unscripted jam that will begin in the bluegrass/acoustic world native to Strings, before evolving into something more electric and rock-based, with Sipe on the kit.

“I think that will be the most fun, if we showcase a little bit of both. We’ll get Marcus some on an acoustic and then get me on an electric with Marcus,” said the 25-year-old Strings. “We’ll kind of do both of our worlds and make them clash.”

Already a veteran of the special guest sit in, King has played with the likes of Widespread Panic, The Allman Brothers and Greensky Bluegrass, to name just a few. He said he’s looking forward to the improvisational set at Pop’s Farm, which will also feature Billy’s band (banjo, fiddle and bass.)

“I think it’s gonna be a hoot man. If I can be frank, I think it’s a great idea, and we’re gonna have a lot of fun with it,” said King, just 21 years old.

Rooster Walk 10 will take place May 24-27, 2018, at Pop’s Farm in Martinsville, Virginia. Headlining bands include The Wood Brothers, JJ Grey & Mofro and Robert Randolph and the Family Band. To buy tickets or learn more information, visit www.RoosterWalk.com.