Thirty artists and bands have been selected to participate in the Bluegrass Ramble series of showcases slated to take place at select venues throughout downtown Raleigh, North Carolina during the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s World of Bluegrass 2014, Sept. 30-Oct. 4.
The following artists/bands were chosen by the IBMA’s showcase selection committee from among 166 who applied: Barbwire, Becky Buller, Compton & Newberry, Constant Change, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Davidson Brothers (from Australia), Donna Ulisse, Driven, Flatt Lonesome, Helen Highwater Stringband, Irene Kelly, Jeff Scroggins and Colorado, Jim Lauderdale, Monroe Crossing, Moore Brothers Band, Mr. Sun, Mustered Courage (from Australia), New Country Rehab (from Canada), Newtown, Rebecca Frazier and Hit & Run, Red June, Sister Sadie, Special Consensus, The Barefoot Movement, The Danberrys, The Earl Brothers, The Grass Cats, The Lonely Heartstring Band, The Railsplitters, and The Rigneys. Profiles and artist website links may be found online in the World of Bluegrass section on the IBMA website.
“This year, we had more applications for Bluegrass Ramble showcase opportunities than ever before,” said Jon Weisberger, IBMA’s board chair. “The quality – and breadth – of the artists chosen to appear are at an all-time high. I believe that every one of them merits the attention of the industry, and I know that audiences attending their performances around Raleigh are going to find a lot to enjoy.”
Besides these “official” showcase performers, other artists will be added to the Bluegrass Ramble via sponsored shows at the venues. Privately hosted “After Hours Showcases (Tuesday-Saturday) and a new “Wide Open After Hours” showcase format (Friday and Saturday) also are on the docket to afford artists many opportunities to perform at sanctioned IBMA events during World of Bluegrass 2014.
Both IBMA Business Conference attendees (with ID) and the general public (with wristbands that can be purchased online) will be admitted to the Bluegrass Ramble showcases.
IBMA’s World of Bluegrass is considered bluegrass music’s annual industry gathering and family reunion. This is its second year in Raleigh, having uprooted from its Nashville base in 2013. The inaugural week-long event in Raleigh last September drew an estimated 154,000-plus attendees, according to the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, a figure that exceeded expectations. Besides the bureau, IBMA has partnered with PineCone – The Piedmont Council of Traditional Music, the City of Raleigh, and a local organizing committee to extend its outreach to the roots music community and local bluegrass music fans in the Carolinas.
Featuring a wide array of professional development seminars, meetings and forums, a keynote speaker to be announced, artist showcases and late-night hospitality functions, an exhibit hall, and plenty of networking and relationship-building opportunities, the business conference portion of World of Bluegrass 2014 will extend from Tuesday, Sept. 30 trough Thursday, Oct. 2. The 25th annual International Bluegrass Music Awards, a centerpiece of the week, are slated to be presented on Thursday evening, Oct. 2, while the festival portion of World of Bluegrass 2014 will take place Friday and Saturday, Oct. 3 and 4. Featuring both free stages and ticketed performances, the Wide Open Bluegrass Music Festival will afford attendees and the general public opportunities to hear a wide variety of bluegrass music and enjoy a street fair with music stages, vendors of all sorts, and youth activities.
For more information and to register and/or purchase tickets for World of Bluegrass 2014 or any of it individual events, visit www.ibma.org/world-of-bluegrass or call (888) GET-IBMA.
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