IBMA Announces First Round of Wide Open Bluegrass Festival Main Stage Performers

The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) released an initial list of performers for PNC presents Wide Open Bluegrass, which takes place Sept. 30-Oct. 1 in Raleigh, North Carolina. This year’s lineup showcases an array of bluegrass styles, from traditional to progressive and from emerging artists to IBMA Hall of Famers.

Wide Open Bluegrass is an urban bluegrass event that includes both ticketed main stage performances at Raleigh’s Red Hat Amphitheater and free stages. A portion of proceeds from the ticket sales of Red Hat Amphitheater go to the IBMA-operated Bluegrass Trust Fund, a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to individuals in the bluegrass music community in times of emergency need.

The festival is part of IBMA’s World of Bluegrass events, which begin at the Raleigh Convention Center Tuesday, September 27. A second round of performers and special collaborations for Wide Open Bluegrass will be announced in the coming months.

The lineup for Wide Open Bluegrass, as announced so far:

    Friday, September 30: 

• Dailey & Vincent
• Jerry Douglas presents Earls of Leicester
• Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands
• Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives
• Nitty Gritty Dirt Band 
• Peter Rowan Band
• Soggy Bottom Boys

   Saturday, October 1:

• Becky Buller Band
• Greensky Bluegrass
• John Cowan with Darin & Brooke Aldridge
• Larry Sparks & The Lonesome Ramblers
• Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out
• Steep Canyon Rangers
• The Del McCoury Band
• The Kruger Brothers 

IBMA’s World of Bluegrass event, a five-day annual bluegrass music homecoming and convention, consists of four parts: the IBMA Business Conference, September 27 – 29 ; the 27thAnnual International Bluegrass Music Awards, scheduled for Thursday, September 29; PNC presents Wide Open Bluegrass, September 30 – October 1 (which includes both free stages and ticketed festival performances) and the Bluegrass Ramble, an innovative series of showcases, taking place September 27 – 29 in downtown Raleigh and the Raleigh Convention Center.

Single day general admission for performances at Red Hat Amphitheater during Wide Open Bluegrass starts as low as $60 for the general public and $50 for IBMA members. Additional details and pricing information - including member discounts – for Red Hat Amphitheater performances, Bluegrass Ramble Showcase passes, IBMA Business Conference registration, IBMA Award Show tickets and hotel reservations are available at IBMA’s website, ibma.org. Tickets for all events are on sale now and may be purchased at www.ibma.org or 1-800-514-3849.

 

Michael Franti and Spearhead to Headline Band Together's Main Event

Spring is here and that means music and the largest charity concert in the Southeast! Band Together NC, a Triangle-based organization that uses live music as a platform for social change, has announced singer-songwriter-guitarist, filmmaker and humanitarian Michael Franti and his band, Spearhead, as its headlining band for this year’s Main Event. The concert will be held June 27 at Red Hat Amphitheater and will benefit Band Together’s partnership with StepUp Ministry.
 

With the multi-platinum success of his song "Say Hey (I Love You)" and the chart breaking 2010 release of The Sound Of Sunshine, Franti and his band guarantee a show that will be thought provoking as well as energetic. Franti and Spearhead know all about how the power of music can inspire, uplift and make people want to dance or cry, combining colossal dance beats, electronic effects and lyrical sincerity. A popular smash hit from the band’s 2013 album All People is “I’m Alive (Life Sounds Like)” and another well-known single is “Say Hey (I Love You)” from 2008 album All Rebel Rockers. Altogether, Michael Franti and his band Spearhead have produced 21 single tracks and 10 studio albums.

Also appearing at the June 27 Main Event is the winner of the 2015 Last Band Standing, Fat Cheek Kat, who brings high-energy horn and guitar-driven funk with equal amounts of soul. Additional supporting acts will be announced in the coming weeks. 

This year Band Together’s Main Event is moving to Red Hat Amphitheater, located in downtown Raleigh, which has become a beacon for live entertainment in the Southeast.

This year, through community support, corporate and individual donations and our dedicated volunteers, Band Together and StepUp Ministry will partner to raise $2 million. Proceeds from the event will go towards sustaining StepUp Ministry Raleigh, establishing StepUp North Carolina (a parent organization), and starting StepUp Ministry in Durham, where the unemployment rate has surged to five percent. With this new location, StepUp will be able to expand and sustain its process in the Triangle.

Tickets will go on sale Friday, April 24 through E-tix. For ticket information or to learn more about Band Together and the event, visit www.bandtogethernc.org, become a fan on Facebook, join their LinkedIn group or follow @bandtogethernc on Twitter. To learn more about our 2015 nonprofit partner visit, http://www.stepupministry.org. 
 

*Information courtesy of S&A Communications

Old Crow Medicine Show to Perform at Red Hat Amphitheater

photo by Andrea Behrends

In a time when music is often created entirely for radio airtime and generating record profits, it can prove difficult for genuine artists and musicians to gain national attention.  Old Crow Medicine Show is one of the exceptions to this notion.  It seems almost impossible to ask someone to listen to the first notes of their platinum recording, Wagon Wheel, before they soon begin singing along to the Bob Dylan and Ketch Secor original.  Since the release of O.C.M.S. in 2004, OCMS has been able to reach an audience that traditional musicians have been excluded from for many years. Perhaps it is their rather raw and energetic sound or maybe even their ability to utilize lyrics that relate to all listeners.  Either way, OCMS has produced continuous hits and award winning records that have solidified their position as a favorite among all music fans.

Most recently, OCMS has been garnering praise for the release of their newest record, Remedy.  Building off the success of their previous album, Carry Me Back, the band has already released an official video for the track "Sweet Amarillo" and was ranked as high as #4 on the Billboard Top Country charts since its release on July 1.  The title itself, Remedy, implies that it is meant to provide some kind of relief and as described by Ketch Secor, this album is not only a remedy for the people that listen to the album, but for OCMS too.  According to Secor in a recent Rolling Stone's interview, "We needed to take the cure.  We've been at it for fifteen years now.  Let's make a record that is us, looks like us, sounds like us, is completely made by us in Nashville.  There were some parts of the band that needed fixing.  We had to take the cure ourselves."  As evidenced by the success of the record since its release, it is safe to say that listeners are enjoying OCMS's musical remedy.

Remedy begins with "Brushy Mountain Conjugal Trailer", an upbeat track that highlights the musical talents of each member of the band while also telling the story of a southern inmate looking for a good time away from prison life.  Assisting OCMS once again with the third track, "Sweet Amarillo" is the legendary Bob Dylan. Famous for using a fragment of a Dylan original to generate the lyrics for Wagon Wheel, OCMS creates yet another track that benefits from the collaboration with Dylan and lyrics he originally wrote back in 1973. The album also offers a variety of tracks that rely on more than just high energy musical collaboration, such as "Dearly Departed Friend", a story of a fallen soldier's funeral and the emotional struggle experienced by his close friend.  It also seems fitting to include "Doc's Day" on this album as a tribute to that traditional picking music made famous by Doc and Merle Watson.  While OCMS is certainly trying to appeal to the current generation, it is apparent they are aware of those that came before them that made their music possible.

Old Crow Medicine Show is based out of Nashville, TN and comprised of Ketch Secor, Critter Fuqua, Kevin Hayes, Corey Yountz, Chance McCoy, Gill Landry, and Morgan Jahnig.  Remedy is available for purchase on iTunes, Amazon, or through the OCMS website.  Be sure to get tickets for Wednesday, August 20, as OCMS will be performing at Raleigh's Red Hat Amphitheater.  Shovels and Rope is set to open for OCMS starting at 7pm.  Tickets are still available via Ticketmaster.                 

Additional Artists Announced for the World of Bluegrass Festival

 

Additional artists have been announced for the Wide Open Bluegrass festival, which takes place October 3-4 in Raleigh, North Carolina; the list includes Yonder Mountain String Band;  Jerry Douglas presents The Earls of Leicester with Shawn Camp, Tim O'Brien, Johnny Warren, Charlie Cushman and Barry Bales;  Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn;  Balsam Range;  Lonesome River Band;  Chatham County Line;  Noam Pikelny & Stuart Duncan;  Della Mae; Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out;  The Grascals;  Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice;  Special Consensus; Town Mountain;  The Deadly Gentlemen;  James King Band;  Larry Stephenson Band;  Mustered Courage; The Roys and The Davidson Brothers. Of special note in the WOB lineup are two legendary bluegrass artists: Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Jesse McReynolds, from Virginia, and North Carolina’s own Bobby Hicks, a ten time Grammy award winning fiddler who recently received the prestigious North Carolina Heritage Award from the North Carolina Arts Council. For his set, Hicks will be joined by musicians Tony Williamson, Ron Shuffler and other special guests.

These artists will join the previously announced Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder with Bruce Hornsby, Del McCoury Band with special guests, Hot Rize (with Red Knuckles & the Trailblazers), Gibson Brothers, Steep Canyon Rangers, Sierra Hull, The Kruger Brothers with Kontras Quartet’s world premiere of new concerto “Lucid Dreamer” and the Wide Open Jam, featuring the superstar lineup of Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Edgar Meyer, Bryan Sutton and Stuart Duncan as the performers for the ticketed portion of the two-day music festival.

“We’re so pleased that, once again, Wide Open Bluegrass will present such a diverse, acclaimed lineup of artists at both Red Hat Amphitheater and the Raleigh Convention Center this fall,” said William Lewis, Executive Director of PineCone (the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music) and Wide Open Bluegrass producer. “And, in the weeks to come, we may have an additional guest or two to add to this esteemed roster.”

Performers for the free Street Festival portion of Wide Open Bluegrass will be announced in the coming months.

Wide Open Bluegrass is part of International Bluegrass Music Association’s World of Bluegrass 2014 event, which takes place September 30 – October 4 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

IBMA’s World of Bluegrass event, an annual bluegrass music homecoming, consists of four parts: the IBMA Business Conference, September 30 – October 2; the 25^th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards, scheduled for Thursday evening, October 2; Wide Open Bluegrass, October 3-4 (which includes both free stages and ticketed festival performances) and the Bluegrass Ramble, an innovative series of showcases, taking place September 30 – October 2 in downtown Raleigh and at the Raleigh Convention Center.

Those wishing to obtain tickets for the ticketed portion of Wide Open Bluegrass (which takes place at Red Hat Amphitheater and Raleigh Convention Center Ballroom Stages), Bluegrass Ramble Showcase passes, IBMA Business Conference registration, IBMA Award Show tickets and hotel reservations should go to IBMA’s website, ibma.org. Single day general admission for the ticketed portion of Wide Open Bluegrass starts as low as $50, with a three-day Bluegrass Ramble pass available for $75. Additional details and pricing information are available at the website.



Press Release Courtesy of IBMA, Nashville, TN