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Musings on folk, Americana, country, bluegrass and newgrass

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Ticket prices for FloydFest ’26 on July 22-26 go up July 1

FloydFest organizers have released the final lineup of acts to be included in the 2026 edition of the festival, FloydFest~Daydream, which is set to take place at FestivalPark on July 22-26.

The inaugural announcement regarding FloydFest~Daydream on Nov. 6 introduced a quartet of 2026 headliners: Grammy Award-winning rock-and-soul juggernaut Tedeschi Trucks Band, rock-and-roll cultural legends My Morning Jacket, songcraft-alchemist Stephen Wilson Jr. and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Lukas Nelson.

Organizers said these headlining acts “serve as a powerful representation of both Across-the-Way’s brand of purposeful programming, as well as the company’s dedication to delivering artists who top its patrons’ annual request lists.”

The strengths of those headliners are buttressed by additional artists in 2026’s initial announcement: 

  • Larkin Poe
  • The Word (Ft. Robert Randolph, John Medeski, and North Mississippi Allstars)
  • Andy Frasco and The U.N., Amble
  • AJ Lee and Blue Summit
  • The Creekers
  • Penelope Road 
  • Caitlin Krisko and The Broadcast
  • Jason Scott and The High Heat
  • Lespecial
  • MT Jones 
  • Cruz Contreras and The Black Lillies
  • Coyote Island
  • Johnny Mullenax
  • Isaac Hadden
  • Music Road Co.

All artists on the initial announcement (and all subsequent announcements) can be discovered and explored via extensive bios, links and music at www.floydfest.com/lineup.

Additional information — including a 2026 Site Map, updated FAQs, Children’s Universe information, a playlist featuring FloydFest~Daydream artists, more information about camping and parking, and more as announcements roll out — is available online at www.floydfest.com. 

Patrons are encouraged to secure tickets now for FloydFest 26~Daydream by visiting either www.floydfest.com or www.aftontickets.com/floydfest26daydream. Following the increase to Tier 1 pricing on Nov. 14, the Tier 2 increase is set for March 1, 2026, with the third and final move to Tier 3 pricing scheduled for July 1, if tickets remain.

Visit the following link for tickets and more information: www.floydfest.com


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Jim Lauderdale releases latest album with the Po’Ramblin’ Boys at MerleFest 2026

One of the constants at MerleFest is that it will rain. Sometimes it’s just a few drops and sometimes it’s a downpour, but as someone who has attended this premiere outdoor (mostly) festival that celebrates all types of music faithfully for more than two decades, I can promise you that something will fall from the sky and this year was no different.

Photo by Pixels on Paper Photography

Another constant at MerleFest is Jim Lauderdale, who made his 29th appearance this year. You can always find Lauderdale, a native North Carolinian, performing on one stage or another as well as jumping in to jam with The Waybacks during the popular Album Hour or just walking around the Wilkes Community College campus on his way to or from another set chatting with other musicians or fans.

This year Lauderdale released his 39th album — yes, you read that right 39th — called “The Birds Know” with The Po’Ramblin’ Boys at MerleFest on April 24. Lauderdale kicked off Friday’s festivities on the Creekside Stage with tunes from his new bluegrass album as well as his 38th album, Country Super Hits Volume 2, which he released in March. 

It’s not the first time the Americana legend has teamed up with IBMA Award-winning torchbearers The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys. “The Birds Know” is a follow-up to 2023’s “The Long and Lonesome Letting Go” which also featured The Po’Ramblin’ Boys.

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A dozen reasons to attend MerleFest 2026 on April 23-26

If you are already a fan of MerleFest, then you can skip to No. 1. For the uninitiated, however, MerleFest is the younger, Eastern cousin of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. I discovered this gem of Americana festivals more than two decades ago after I moved to North Carolina from spending nearly a decade out West attending the Telluride festival. You may be surprised to learn that MerleFest has nothing to do with Merle Haggard, although that has proved confusing over the years. It was especially confusing the year the Hag himself closed out the four-day music festival. Instead it is named in memory of Eddy Merle Watson, son of bluegrass legend and North Carolina native Doc Watson. Known as one of the best flat-picking and slide guitarists of his generation, Merle Watson died in a farming accident in 1985 at the age of 36. Doc Watson  started the Americana festival that bears his son’s name as a fundraiser for Wilkes Community College in 1988 to honor his son and their style of music, that Doc referred to as “traditional plus,” meaning the traditional music of the Appalachian region plus whatever other styles the Watsons were in the mood to play. We lost Doc Watson in 2012 but he and Merle Watson’s musical celebration continues on featuring bluegrass, Americana, country, blues, rock and many other styles. This year’s festival will play host to a diverse number of artists, performing on 13 stages during the course of the four-day event April 23-26. Watch this video from the very first #MerleFest 1988 featuring Mark O’Connor, Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas, Béla Fleck, Sam Bush and John Cowan, many of whom will be performing this year. And while there are many more than 12 reasons to attend MerleFest, it seemed fitting to highlight a dozen reasons since that is the same number of stages the festival features.

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An Evening with the Couldn’t Be Happiers on Friday, June 20, at Wake Forest Listening Room

An Evening with Couldn’t Be Happiers

The name says it all.

Tuck Satterfield of The Simple Joy writes: “Energetic and quirky, Couldn’t Be Happiers is a folk-rock /Americana duo that enjoys every moment of their second chance at happiness. And it’s pretty damn contagious. Described by Doug Davis of Flytrap Studios as ‘Violent Femmes meets Johnny and June,’ this married songwriting duo joyfully blends rock, pop, bluegrass, and folk into a sound that is uniquely their own. The CBH songbook includes stories about the obsessive drive of a Bigfoot hunter, the life cycle of a plastic bag, the end of the world from global warming, the untold perspective of the first woman hanged in North Carolina, and the acrobatic feats of strength performed by a Cajun burglar feeding his gambling habit. But aside from the stories, what you’ll notice first is the voices — and in particular the beautiful homespun harmonies. Those voices will take you from church to holler to Opry and back again all in one song, thanks to the exhilarating power of Jodi’s vocals and the smoothly classic twang of Jordan’s. With Jodi on drums and harmonica, and Jordan on guitar, Couldn’t Be Happiers roll out an incredible sound, a set of great original songs, and a live show that all but dares you not to enjoy yourself.”

If you want to hear more, head on out to The Wake Forest Listening Room, 415 Brooks St., on Friday, June 20!

The Wake Forest Listening Room features original local, regional and national musicians.

Find tickets at: www.etix.com/ticket/p/65028954/an-evening-with-couldnt-be-happiers-wake-forest-wake-forest-listening-room

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