The Boston Bluegrass Union hosts the 25th annual Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, February 12-14, at the Sheraton Framingham in Framingham, Massachusetts. The indoor festival, located 18 miles west of Boston, will feature regional and nationally touring bands, more than 40 master classes and workshops (for which pre-registration is required), directed slow jams and plenty of picking opportunities throughout the weekend. A number of Rounder artists will perform on Saturday night to help mark the 40th anniversary of the Cambridge-based roots music label. A three-day Academy for Kids program will include instrument instruction, ensemble and singing classes for students ages 6-18.

Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper

Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper

Artists slated to play the Main Stage on Friday include Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass, Josh Williams Band, Buddy Merriam and Back Roads, Acoustic Blue, and Berklee Bluegrass All-Stars. Saturday’s Main Stage lineup will feature J.D. Crowe and the New South, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (2001-2007 IBMA Vocal Group of the Year), Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper (2007-2009 IBMA Instrumental Group of the Year led by seven-time IBMA Fiddler of the Year), Special Consensus, The Spinney Brothers, White Mountain Bluegrass, Sierra Hull and Highway 101, Joe Sings Joe, The Reunion Band, Back Eddy Bluegrass, and Rabbit in a Log with Skip Gorman and Rick Starkey. Artists appearing on the Main Stage on Sunday will include The Gibson Brothers, Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out, Special Consensus, The Spinney Brothers, Southern Rail, and Bluegrass Gospel Project. A Showcase Stage also will feature performances by established and emerging artists throughout the weekend.

Early-bird weekend ticket discounts are available through January 15, while single-day tickets go on sale the following day. For more information on the festival and links to purchase tickets online, visit www.bbu.org/jvhome.htm.

Now in its 34th year, the Boston Bluegrass Union is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, promoting and presenting this original American music genre. Its annual festival bears the name of the late Joe Val, a mandolinist and vocalist who recorded albums on Rounder and brought hard-driving, Bill Monroe-derived bluegrass to New England audiences beginning in the early 1970s.