Blue RIdge Music Trails Offers a Fall full of Toe-Tapping Mountain Music

It's time for a hoedown! Literally, put your hoe down and lace up your dancing shoes. You can circle up October 28-30, 2016 at the Annual Fall Square Dance Weekend at The John C. Campbell Folk

School in Brasstown NC. Square dancing is experiencing a resurgence of popularity in many parts of the country, especially among young people. Led by three well-known callers, have fun dancing to live music by Evening Star. All dances will be taught and walked through in advance. The weekend also includes talks on the history of square dancing and a Saturday night (Halloween Costume) community square & contra dance. Some previous contra or square dance experience is recommended. Both ingles and couples welcome.

Hammer Down at The Stompin' Ground in Maggie Valley NC,  every Friday and Saturday night. See a
variety of Appalachian and other American group dance styles performed all in one place and all at the same time. A spacious lobby showcases exhibits telling the history of mountain dance.  The actual dance floor is enormous at sixty by eighty feet. Seating on two levels accommodates nearly a thousand people while the band plays a variety of mountain and popular music, ranging from old-time fiddle and bluegrass tunes to contemporary country hits. Whether you participate or just sit and watch, The Stompin' Ground is just plain good old fashioned fun.


Jimmy’s Pick N Grin, 220 Country Hearth Lane in Andrews NC boasts a house band, fronted by Steve Jordan, that moves easily between all acoustic old-time and bluegrass music and popular country styles, featuring songs and playing styles from the 1940s through the 1980s. Cloggers and flatfooters crowd the floor during the instrumental buckdance numbers, while other attendees prefer to line dance, two-step, or waltz – the musicians strive to please the dancing needs of everyone. Special guest singers and musicians appear on stage to add variety and spontaneity to the show. Check the Facebook page for special events and times.

And then there's the Alleghany Jubilee in the historic Spartan Theater building at 25 North Main Street in downtown Sparta NC.  If you love to flatfoot, clog, square dance or just tap your foot to old time mountain music, the Alleghany Jubilee is where you want to be. The Jubilee is open year-round with a spacious wood dance floor and live mountain music every Tuesday and Saturday night.Check the website for times and music details.


The Feed & Seed in Fletcher NC ( just outside of Asheville halfway to Hendersonville) is featured in the "Back Roads to the Blue Ridge Music Trails " video series produced by The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area with a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council. The Feed & Seed promotes a relaxed family-friendly atmosphere where good friends and good music come together for old-fashioned fun and entertainment. The house band, The Redeye Ramblers, plays traditional and orginal bluegrass and gospel music.

Information for this post provided courtesy of Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina, "your guide to the traditional music of the North Carolina mountains and foothills".

Brevard Music Center Hosts the 8th Annual Mountain Song Festival

September 13-14    8th Annual Mountain Song Festival held in the beautiful covered, open-air auditorium by the lake at Brevard Music Center. This foot-stomping, banjo-picking celebration of bluegrass and newgrass music will feature Steep Canyon Rangers, O'Brian 3 and Carolina Chocolate drops. The event supports the Boys and Girls Club of Transylvania County and has become a premier southeastern festival drawing 5000 music lovers annually.

Find links for local cabin rentals, attractions and complete visitor information on the Brevard NC Guide.

NC State Bluegrass Festival this Weekend in Marion

August 15-17    39th Annual NC State Bluegrass Festival   Featuring Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, Rhonda Vincent & the Rage, The Primitive Quartet, Bobby Osborne & the Rocky Top X-press,  Rye Holler Boys, The Troubadours and dozens more. Tickets are available at the gate or in advance by calling 706-864-7203. 

The event is held  "rain or shine" with performances under covered pavilion. The cafe will be serving breakfast and lunch, with hot food and other concessions also available. Bring your lawn chairs - no alcohol, smoking or pets in the performance area.

Get links for local visitor information on the Marion NC Guide. 

Annual Ola Belle Reed Music Festival this Weekend in Lansing

August 9 - 11   Ola Belle Reed Music Festival A showcase of top notch local and visiting musicians honoring Ola Belle Reed, a local legendary bluegrass and gospel musician. Free event with donations welcomed. Bring a lawn chair or blanket.

The event features top-notch award winning visiting and local musicians from Americana, Bluegrass, Old-time, Country and Folk traditions, the Ola Belle Reed Festival is a community-based event and fundraiser sponsored by the Greater Lansing Area Development Committee (GLAD), a 501(c)3 organization committed to the revitalization of Lansing, the birthplace of Ola Belle Reed. The group consists of community volunteers who are dedicated to this annual event in the spirit of Appalachian tradition.

The Festival site is located in the town of Lansing NC, 15 minutes north of West Jefferson and near the banks of Big Horse Creek and in the shadow of Phoenix Mountain. Musical acts will provide continuous day and evening concerts in addition.  

The The Swannanoa Gathering Continues with Mano and Banjo Week and Fiddle Week

August 4 - 10   The Swannanoa Gathering  is Warren Wilson College's continuing education program of summer folk arts workshops held on the campus in the Swannanoa Valley on the outskirts of Asheville.
Each week offers a different instrument and/or musical style.

This week is Mando & Banjo Week and Fiddle Week.. Public Concerts are offered at Kittredge Theatre at 7:30 PM throughout the Gathering.

Warren Wilson College is located between Asheville and Black Mountain just off route 70.

Old Time Bluegrass Fiddlers Convention in Jefferson NC

August 2 - 3  Old Time Bluegrass Fiddlers Convention  This bluegrass and old-time music competition is typical of the many fiddlers conventions. There is lots of jamming and socializing among the musicians‚ and visitors are welcome to listen. This event is sponsored by the Rotary Club of the Jeffersons‚ and advance tickets are available from the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce. The events will be held in the Ashe County Park.

Get complete get a link for the Bluegrass Fiddlers Convention and local visitor information on the Jefferson / West Jefferson NC Guide. 

Labor Day Weekend Smoky Mountain Folk Festival

August 31 - September 1:   Annual Smoky Mountain Folk Festival at the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center offers two nights of the finest traditional music and dance of the Southern Appalachian Region. The main shows begin at 6:00 PM, both Friday and Saturday, on the grand stage of the Stuart Auditorium overlooking beautiful Lake Junaluska.

Both nights will include a rich variety of the region's finest fiddlers, banjo players, string bands, ballad singers, buck dancers, and square dance teams as well as the marvelous sounds of dulcimer, harmonica, juice harp, bagpipes, spoons, saws, and folk ensembles.

Smoky Mountain Folk Festival Tickets are available at the door for $12 per night. Advanced sale tickets are $10 per night, and can be purchased at the Haywood County Arts Council office at 86 N. Main Street in Waynesville, or at the front desk of the Administration Building at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center The special children's tent performances are free.

Get a link for details about the Smoky Mountain Folk Festival on the Lake Junaluska NC Visitor Guide

Old Time and Bluegrass at The Blue Ridge Music Center

September 1 at the Blue Ridge Music Center the Old-Time & Bluegrass Breakdowns concert features two great bands. It will be a memorable night of bluegrass hot picking and powerful old-time music that will make you want to dance. Come on out and support local music and musicians at one of BRMC's last mainstage concerts of the season. So this holiday weekend bring your family to the Blue Ridge Music center and enjoy local BBQ while you hear the best, traditional music at sunset!
 

 

Travers Chandler has been turning heads with his singing and mandolin playing in the bands of James King, Dan Paisley and his own band Avery County. Travers Chandler and Avery County came together in 2009 with the intent of preserving the legacies of bluegrass music's lost heroes, while bringing these sounds to new audiences. They have played on the WPAQ Merry-Go-Round, PBS' Song of the Mountains and festivals throughout the Blue Ridge. These hot pickers will prove their merit on the mainstage Saturday night.

The Dry Hill Draggers of Franklin County started with banjo player Jimmy Boyd and his brother Billy Boyd in 1981. Their uncles all played old-time music, including Uncle Charlie Boyd, who was buried with his fiddle. With a solid reputation for hard-driving, flatfooting music, today the band consist of the 2nd generation players who carry on in the unique stringband tradition of the Blue Ridge. In Jimmy's own words:"The old-time music drew me in to play it. Music like that is in your genes. You are what your genes are." To this day, Dry Hill Draggers are widely regarded as Franklin County's best old-time band.

The Old-Time & Bluegrass Breakdowns Concert starts at 7 PM. Concert seating opens at 5:30 PM. Admission $10/$8 students & seniors. Children 12 and under are free. As always, there will be free Mid Day Mountain Music in the BRMC breezeway from 12-4pm and the free Roots of American Music museum will be open 9am-8pm on this concert night. Bring lawn chairs and the whole family. Picnics welcome. Smokehouse BBQ available. No pets or alcohol. For info call (276) 236-5309 x112.

Tickets are available at the Galax Visitor Center, Barr's Fiddle Shop, online and at the gate. The Blue Ridge Music Center is located at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The summer-evening concert series occurs every weekend through mid-September in the outdoor amphitheater at the foot of beautiful Fisher Peak.

Blue Ridge Music Center presents Bluegrass and old time Pickers

August 25 at the Blue Ridge Music: Center Hot Pickers, New Bands in Concert.  Two great bands for a memorable night of bluegrass hot picking and spirited, old-time music that will make you want to dance. Come on out and support local music and musicians at one of BRMC's last mainstage concerts of the season. Bring a picnic and enjoy beautiful, traditional music at sunset!

Jus' Cauz is a popular bluegrass band that hails from Danville, Virginia that formed three years ago. Mark Hudson is the lead singer and guitar player for the group. David Lewis plays mandolin, Larry Hall - bluegrass banjo and Jerry Steinberg will play the low tones on the doghouse bass. Tim Smith, formerly of the Bluegrass Cardinals, will be fiddling in place of regular fiddler, Tim Martin, who is on medical leave. Jus' Cauz performs regularly all over the Blue Ridge and their concert on Song of the Mountains will be airing soon on PBS. The band scored big at the Virginia Folk Music Association festival in Chesterfield, VA. Recent awards there include: first place lead vocals, first-place fiddle, banjo and guitar ribbons as well as second place bluegrass band. Expect to hear the best in traditional bluegrass from this new band of seasoned players.

The Old-Time Pals are a hard-driving, traditional, old-time band from Grayson and Carroll counties in Virginia. The group includes Tim Donley on fiddle, Trish Kilby-Fore on banjo, Steve Kilby on guitar and Erin Creed on bass. Influences for the group include: Harold B. Hausenfluck, the Spencer and Birchfield Families, Enoch Rutherford, Larry Pennington, Barbara Poole and others. All members of the band have won top honors at fiddlers' conventions and contests across the country. The Old-Time Pals are, as their name suggests, good friends who play fine music together. You won't want to miss hearing them perform!

The Hot Pickers, New Bands Concert starts at 7 PM. Concert seating opens at 5:30 PM. Admission $8/$5 students and seniors. Children 12 and under are free.

As always, there will be free Mid Day Mountain Music in the BRMC breezeway from 12-4pm and the free Roots of American Music museum will be open 9am-8pm on this concert night. Bring lawn chairs and the whole family. Picnics welcome. Smokehouse BBQ available. No pets or alcohol. For info call (276) 236-5309 x112.

Tickets are available at the Galax Visitor Center, Barr's Fiddle Shop, online and at the gate. The Blue Ridge Music Center is located at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The summer-evening concert series occurs every weekend through mid-September in the outdoor amphitheater at the foot of beautiful Fisher Peak.

Find more NC music events and concerts on the NC Event Calendar.

The Blue Ridge Music Center hosts Blues Masters

August 18 -  Blues masters will converge at the Blue Ridge Music Center and explore the blues of the Piedmont, the mountains and beyond at the Country Blues & Songsters concert. Performers include three top bluesmen: Dom Flemmons of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, 84-year-old blues songster Boo Hanks of Virgilina, VA, and North Carolina ace guitarist/singer Lightnin' Wells. There will also be a pre-concert performance talk called, "Talkin' About the Blues," led by folklorist, Gregg Kimball.

 Boo Hanks grew up sharecropping tobacco in Vance County, N.C. His father played blues guitar in the style of Blind Boy Fuller and would entertain those in his small community at local events and all-night tobacco curings. Boo Hanks grew up hearing this music and listened to blues records. He bought his first guitar from Sears-Roebuck for $2 and entertained his local community much like his dad did. In recent years, Boo has gained national recognition and started performing further afield from his home. Boo released a new album this June with Dom Flemons called "Buffalo Junction," named after Boo's hometown. Tim Duffy, Music Maker founder, says, "Boo Hanks is the last remaining beacon of pure Piedmont blues."

Dom Flemons is a grammy award winning artist who has played all over the country with his band the Carolina Chocolate Drops. On stage, Dom, rolls from one instrument to another, (guitar, harmonica, banjo, bones), with a fearless attitude toward tradition and repertoire. He is also a great singer and a deep well of information on all aspects of the tradition of black stringband music in America.

Lightnin' Wells breathes new life into the vintage tunes of the 1920s and depression era America and has been performing for over thirty years at almost every festival, camp and blues venue in the country. He is an avid researcher and accomplished guitar, harmonica, uke and banjo player. With his experience, knowledge and well-honed performance skills, Lightnin' Wells has established himself at the forefront of the traditional blues revival.

The Country Blues & Songsters concert starts at 7pm on Saturday, Aug 18th. Concert seating opens at 5:30pm. Admission $10/ $8 students & seniors. Children 12 and under are free.

A"Talkin' About the Blues" performance-talk will take place in the small theater at 5 PM. Free. Reservations for the talk recommended. As always, there will be free Mid Day Mountain Music in the BRMC breezeway from 12-4pm and the free Roots of American Music museum will be open 9am-8pm on this concert night. Bring lawn chairs and the whole family. Picnics welcome. Smokehouse BBQ available. No pets or alcohol.

For info call (276) 236-5309 x112. Tickets are available at the Galax Visitor Center, Barr's Fiddle Shop, online at www.BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org and at the gate. The Blue Ridge Music Center is located at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The summer-evening concert series occurs every weekend through mid-September in the outdoor amphitheater at the foot of beautiful Fisher Peak. Sponsors for this concert include: NCTA, ArtWorks, NPS, BRPF and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.

Chimney Rock Park Music on the Mountain Concerts

Music on the Mountain will feature some of Western North Carolina’s most talented bluegrass and string musicians at Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park. The concerts will be held at the Pavilion, an intimate covered venue in the Meadows, and are  limited to only 300 tickets each.

Sunday, August 12, 3:30-7:30pm – Balsam Range from Haywood County, IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year nominees in 2010 Nd 2011, headline with The Harris Brothers from Lenoir, NC.

Sunday, Sept. 16, 3:30-7:30pm – Features Asheville’s Town Mountain, 2011 Official Showcase Artists at IBMA, and Darin & Brooke Aldridge, the “Sweethearts of Bluegrass” from Cherryville, NC, nominated IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year and SPBGMA gospel group, album, song and female vocalist of the year.

TICKET SALES: Advance tickets for Annual Passholders on sale July 24; non-passholder tickets on sale August 1. Tickets on sale online, by phone at 800-277-9611 and in-person at the Ticket Plaza. Cost per ticket: $22 advance, $25 at gate; youth (ages 6-15): $12 advance, $15 at gate. Both concerts (adults): $40. Includes a complimentary one-day Park admission.  Annual Passholders: $12 advance, $15 at gate, Both concerts (adults): $20; Grady’s Kids Club Members: $7. A portion of every concert ticket will be donated to the Friends of Chimney Rock State Park. Event will be held rain or shine.

Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park is a developing international tourist attraction located 25 miles southeast of Asheville on Highway 64/74A in Chimney Rock, NC.  (800) 277-9611

Learn more about Chimney Rock on the Chimney Rock NC Visitor Guide

The Blue Ridge Music Center hosts The Gibson Brothers and Wayne Henderson

the Gibson Brother

 

Friday, June 15th, will be an unforgettable night of hot picking, down home stories and the best of American music. As a prelude to the 18th annual Wayne C. Henderson Festival & Guitar Competition, Wayne Henderson & friends from as far afield as Texas to Rugby, Virginia, will heat things up on the Music Center stage before turning it over to the award-winning Gibson Brothers band.

The Gibson brothers are renowned for their bluegrass-gospel songs, superb vocals, and stellar instrumental chops. Steve Leftridge of PopMatters says: "Eric and Leigh Gibson might have, pound-for-pound, the most impeccably fine-sounding traditional bluegrass band on the contemporary scene. The reason these guys can't lose is that, quite simply, they sound so great. Eric and Leigh sing bluegrass' tightest harmony blend, and instrumentally the group plays with unmatched alacrity and taste." 

 Wayne Henderson's top-notch finger-picking is a source of great pleasure and pride to his friends, family, and neighbors

n Grayson County and audiences world-wide. Audiences have enjoyed Wayne's guitar playing at Carnegie Hall, on three national tours of "Masters of the Steel-String Guitar," and in seven nations in Europe, Asia and Africa.

Wayne Henderson

 Wayne Henderson is also a first-rate luthier, producing about 20, sought-after instruments a year - mostly guitars and occasionally mandolins, fiddles or ukeleles. Wayne's instruments are most respected for their volume, tone, and resonance and there is a long waiting list for his guitars. Wayne is a recipient of a 1995 National Heritage Award presented by the National Endowment for the Arts.
 
The concert starts at 7pm, Friday June 15. Seating opens at 5:30pm. Tickets are $10 or $8 for students and seniors. Children 12 and under are free. For info call (276) 236-5309 x112. Tickets are available at the Galax Visitor Center and online at www.BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org.

Come early and enjoy the free, new museum, the Roots of American Music. Bring lawn chairs. Picnics welcome. Smokehouse BBQ available. The Blue Ridge Music Center is located at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The summer-evening concert series occurs every weekend through mid-September in the outdoor amphitheater at the foot of beautiful Fisher Peak (only 10 miles from Galax).

The Blue Ridge Music Center is located just over the border in Galax VA, just north of Boone NC.

Blue Ridge Bands at the Blue Ridge Music Center this Weekend

June 9     Blazing Blue Ridge Bands at the Blue Ridge Music Center   Country Bluegrass with Don Rigsby / Whitetop Mountain Band -­ Acclaimed singer/instrumentalist, Don Rigsby joins local supergroup Big Country Bluegrass for an unforgettable night of music. Jump-starting the evening and the flatfoot dancing is favorite old-time group, the Whitetop Mountain Band. 7pm. $12/$10 students & seniors Children 12 & under free. The Blue Ridge Music Center is located Just north of Boone in Galax VA.
Two of the most popular bluegrass and old-time bands in the Blue Ridge will deliver one of the hottest shows of the season this Saturday.  Big Country Bluegrass is renowned for their traditional bluegrass sound, old country songs, barn-burner instrumentals and powerful stage presence. They have a strong following of fans everywhere they go as a result.  They have joined forces with the legendary Kentucky singer and multi-instrumentalist, Don Rigsby, from the band Midnight Call. Back by popular demand on the same show, is Whitetop Mountain Band. Dancers of all ages will not be able to resist the driving rhythm of this renowned stringband. And Emily and  Martha Spencer’s soaring vocals on bluesy and traditional old-time songs will fill you with mountain spirit.

Harmon Field in Tryon Hosts The KingPup Radio Show Log Cabin Music Series

The KingPup Radio Show is a worldwide syndicated radio program hosted by musicians Phil & Gaye Johnson showcasing the traditional music and artists of the Carolna Blue Ridge. If you are a Folk, Old Time Bluegrass, or Acoustic Americana musician or fan make plans to attend any of the series performances:

April 10 - Michael Reno Harrel, Jack Lawrence
May 8 - West End String Band, Chompin at the Bit
June 12 - Carolina Blue, Sanctum Sully

July 10 - Georgia Crackers, Homespun

August 14 - Hickory Flat, Quarterhouse
October 9 - SC Broadcasters, Deep River

Admission is Free but DONATIONS ARE WELCOME. Harmon Field is located at 1 Harmon Field Road in Tryon, NC. Directions - From I-26, take exit 67, NC 108 west toward Tryon. When the road makes a Y, follow the signs to US 176, toward Saluda, to the right onto Harmon Field Rd. Harmon Field will be on your right.