The 15th annual Wintergrass music festival, featuring a mix of straight-ahead bluegrass, newgrass and beyond performances and workshops by nationally touring and regional artists, is set for February 19-22 at four locations in downtown Tacoma, Washington. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Submissions are now being sought for the 17th annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, hosted by MerleFest. Open to aspiring songwriters, who derive no more than 50% of their income from songwriting or music publishing, the contest deadline is February 18. Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale chairs a volunteer panel of Nashville songwriters, publishers and other music industry professionals, who will judge entries based on originality, lyrics, melody and overall commercial potential. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Although summertime is the traditional festival season, a couple of music festivals of note take place in Oregon during January. The Fifth Annual River City Bluegrass Festival is slated for Jan. 9-11 in Portland, while the Florence Winter Folk Festival is set for Jan. 17-19. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
MerleFest, one of America’s most popular Americana music festivals, has announced its 2009 artist lineup. Celebrating the music of the late instrumental virtuoso Merle Watson and his father Doc Watson, the “traditional-plus†music festival – featuring traditional, roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region -- takes place April 23-26 on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
The David Grisman Quintet and The Avett Brothers headline the inaugural Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival. Set for Saturday, November 22, from noon to 11 p.m., at the Congress Theater, the festival also will feature more than a dozen other acts – both homegrown and touring musicians – with musical styles ranging from bluegrass and blues to roots and jam-band. Early-bird general admission tickets are $31. A portion of the proceeds will support the research efforts of the Chicago-based Save Tiny Hearts Foundation, which seeks to help eradicate congenital heart defects in children. For more information and to order tickets, visit www.cbgbfestival.com.
Dailey & Vincent, who released their debut CD earlier this year, captured the most awards during last night’s 19th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards Show at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville Tennessee. The group, whose leaders (Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent) apprenticed for years under Doyle Lawson and Ricky Skaggs, was named Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year and Emerging Artist of the Year, while its self-titled debut on Rounder Records was named Album of the Year and “By the Mark†was named Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year. In addition, Dailey was named Male Vocalist of the Year, while Vincent was among the featured artists on the Recorded Event of the Year – Everett Lilly & Everybody and Their Brother (Swift River Music). [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Tom Paley and John Cohen, two of the founding members of the influential New Lost City Ramblers, were the first-ever dual recipients of the Brown Jug award in recognition of their significant contributions to bluegrass and old-time music in the Northeast United States. The two were honored during the 11th Park Slope Bluegrass & Old-Time Jamboree in Brooklyn, New York earlier this month. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)'s annual "World of Bluegrass" returns to Nashville, Sept. 29-Oct. 5. Featured events include a four-day IBMA Business Conference, a three-day Bluegrass Fan Fest, and the 19th International Bluegrass Music Awards Show. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
The Long Island Bluegrass Festival will take place at Tanner Park on Kerrigan Road, near the Great South Bay, in Copiague, NY on Saturday, Aug. 16, from noon-8 p.m. Presented by the Babylon Arts Council and the Town of Babylon, the festival will be headlined by Dan Paisley & the Southern Grass and also will feature performances by Buddy Merriam & Back Roads, James Reams & the Barnstormers, Too Blue, Acoustic Electrix, Free Grass Union, Michael Daves and Blue Detour. Now in its sixth year, the family-friendly festival -- for which admission is $10 for adults and free for children under 12 -- also will include workshop tents, plenty of opportunities for jamming, music and activities for children, crafts, and a food court. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Earl Scruggs and Doc Watson are among the inaugural class of inductees in the new Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. The two nationally known artists from the greater Blue Ridge Mountains region, which extends from north Georgia to northwestern Virginia, were honored during ceremonies June 13 at the Walker Center on the campus of Wilkes Community College (home to Merlefest). The Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame was created in 2006 as a project of the Wilkes Heritage Museum and the nonprofit Old Wilkes, Inc. Through exhibits, interactive displays and an annual celebration of inductees, the Hall of Fame seeks to educate visitors, while defining and interpreting the rich musical heritage and traditions of the Blue Ridge Mountains area and musicians in all genres from the region who have contributed to it. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
More than 50 bands and performing artists are slated to appear over eight days during the Bill Monroe Memorial Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival, June 14-21, in Bean Blossom, Indiana. There’s also bound to be plenty of informal pickin’ at the campgrounds. Now in its 42nd year, the oldest, continuous running bluegrass festival in the world is expected to draw thousands of music lovers from near and far to a small rural town in Southern Indiana’s Brown County that the Father of Bluegrass considered to be his second home. Bean Blossom was cited as one of “10 Top Places to Hear Authentic American Music†in USA Weekend’s May 16-18 issue. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Many fans of bluegrass, roots and Americana music will be heading to Driftwood, Texas and Wilkesboro, North Carolina in April for major festivals. Early-bird tickets are now on sale for the Old Settler’s Music Festival and Merlefest. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
