Doc Watson “Sitting Beside Himself”
by Brian Adam Smith with music by Glory On The Floor
Clips from the first time Doc Watson ever sat beside his own statue in Boone, NC.
Posted in Doc Watson, tagged bluegrass, boone, Brian Adam Smith, brinze statue, Doc Watson, doc watson statue, Glory on the Floor, NC, Sitting beside himself, Video on April 30, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Doc Watson “Sitting Beside Himself”
by Brian Adam Smith with music by Glory On The Floor
Clips from the first time Doc Watson ever sat beside his own statue in Boone, NC.
Posted in Asheville, Music on the Mountaintop, tagged 100th birthday of Woody Guthrie, acoustic, All-Star Jam, Americana, Anders Beck, Andrew Altman, Andy Goessling, bluegrass, boone, Dr. Dog; JJ Grey & Mofro; Sam Bush; The Dirty Dozen Brass Band; Greensky Bluegrass; The Hackensaw Boys; Larry Keel & Natural Bridge; Futurebirds; River Whyless; Holy Ghost Tent Revival, festival, Folk, Foscoe, funk, Grandfather Campgrounds, Green Festival, John Skehan, Music on the Mountaintop, NC, newgrass, north carolina, Railroad Earth, Railroad Earth's Music on The Mountaintop, Stoney Creek Boys; Salem Speaks, The Black Lillies; Monroeville; Naked Gods; Rose's Pawn Shop, Tim Carbone, Weird Instruments, Woody Guthrie, workshops on August 9, 2012| 2 Comments »
THE 2012 LINEUP:
RAILROAD EARTH (X 3!) • DR. DOG • SAM BUSH
JJ GREY & MOFRO • GREENSKY BLUEGRASS
THE DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND • FUTUREBIRDS
THE HACKENSAW BOYS • HOLY GHOST
TENT REVIVAL • LARRY KEEL & NATURAL BRIDGE
THE BLACK LILLIES • RIVER WHYLESS
ROSE’S PAWN SHOP • NAKED GODS
MONROEVILLE • AND MANY MORE!
$99 adv / Weekend Gate tickets: $120
Friday & Saturday Single Day Advance Tickets: $50 / Sunday: $40
For more information & to BUY TICKETS, visit musiconthemountaintop.com
Grandfather Campground // 1125 Riverside Drive, Foscoe, NC [map]
Read more about MOTM at beatdropping.com & gratefulweb.com
Railroad Earth’s Music on The Mountaintop is the premiere music festival in Boone, North Carolina, and is one of the nation’s first Green Festivals. 2012 marks the 5th annual three-day music festival outside of Boone, North Carolina on August 24-26th. It is Boone’s first and only multi-generational family festival offering three full days of music featuring national and world-renowned performers in Americana, Newgrass, Bluegrass, Acoustic, Folk, Funk & Eclectic, with camping, locally grown and organic natural whole food vendors.
Railroad Earth’s Music On the Mountaintop will return for a 2nd year to the Grandfather Campgrounds in Foscoe, North Carolina. The picturesque venue is located approximately ten miles from Boone, North Carolina, providing potable water throughout, several public restrooms and bathhouses, a public store, and plenty of shaded campsites. Additionally, Music on the Mountaintop will expand to include late night shows (Friday and Saturday), VIP, Summit VIP and All-Inclusive ticket options, music workshops, daily yoga classes, cabin rental options, and a new offsite parking location just miles away.
Performers include Railroad Earth X3; Dr. Dog; JJ Grey & Mofro; Sam Bush; The Dirty Dozen Brass Band; Greensky Bluegrass; The Hackensaw Boys; Larry Keel & Natural Bridge; Futurebirds; River Whyless; Holy Ghost Tent Revival, The Black Lillies; Monroeville; Naked Gods; Rose’s Pawn Shop, Stoney Creek Boys; Salem Speaks and many more.
MOTM also features a series of workshops curated by festival hosts Railroad Earth. Taking place throughout the weekend, the members of Railroad Earth have created a series of interactive workshops designed to complement the festival and bringing fans closer to their creative process. Workshops are to include: Zen and the Art of Improvisation featuring Railroad Earth’s Tim Carbone, Greensky Bluegrass’ Anders Beck and Railroad Earth’s Andrew Altman; Introduction to Weird Instruments featuring Railroad Earth’s Andy Goessling; Mandolin 101 with Railroad Earth’s John Skehan, Sam Bush and Andy Goessling; and Morning Meditation with Tim Carbone of Railroad Earth.
The weekend of workshops will culminate with an All-Star Jam celebrating the 100th birthday of Woody Guthrie. Joining Railroad Earth in celebrating the music of this legendary folk musician will be the Sam Bush Band, Larry and Jenny Keel and members of Monroeville.
General admission tickets are offered starting at $99.
The price includes three days of music, camping, and an alcohol fee.
VIP packages will be made available this year with two levels, Ridge VIP and Summit VIP.
Produced by Yellow Dog Entertainment and Hosted by Railroad Earth
Sponsored by Telluride.com as a “mini Telluride Bluegrass Festival”
Posted in Larry Keel Music, tagged African American blues and gospel, App State, Appalachian State, audio documentary, Bill Monroe, bluegrass, Bluegrass documentary, Bluegrass Music, bluegrass musicians, boone, documentary, influences, larry keel, Myke Scaffidi, NC, sam bush, Tim White on December 30, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Myke Scaffidi put this wonderful audio documentary together about Bluegrass Music for Appalachian State College in Boone, NC. He interviews Sam Bush, Larry Keel and Tim White. Below is a brief description of the 10 minute podcast. You can listen to it here: http://www.mykescaffidi.com/myke/media/hillbilly_jazz_bluegrass_mixdown.wav
Myke Scaffidi writes: “Today’s bluegrass musicians are pushing the boundaries of the genre by incorporating increasingly new influences. In addition to the many innovative artists working today, the traditional sound of bluegrass embodied by Bill Monroe still flourishes. Just as foreign influences and rural southern music blended with elements of African American blues and gospel to form early bluegrass, new styles and techniques are evolving thanks to the continuing tradition of band-hopping musicians.
The music represents an often-overlooked American art form and I feel privileged to have worked on this project to broaden the public’s understanding. I was fortunate to have the participation of great interviewees including Sam Bush, Larry Keel and Tim White; and it would have been impossible to tell the story without their perspective and acknowledgement of the early pioneers as well.”
Click here to listen and/ or download:http://www.mykescaffidi.com/myke/media/hillbilly_jazz_bluegrass_mixdown.wav
Posted in Asheville, Lazybirds, tagged Alfred Michels, American roots band, American stringband music, Andy Christopher, Asheville, blues, blues guitarist, boone, Broken Wing, Doc Watson, German born fiddler, harmonica, James T Browne, Jay Brown, jazz, Lazybirds, Mitch Johnston, MoDaddy's, Music, NC, north carolina, Ragtime, roots music, stringband on August 31, 2011| 1 Comment »
Lazybirds is a classic American roots band from the mountains of North Carolina. Specializing in good time music that is just about impossible not to move to, there is also a depth to the band that faithful fans have treasured over the years. According to the legendary Doc Watson, “Lazybirds play a good variety of blues, jazz, and that good old ragtime sound, and you will hear the flavor of that in anything they play.” The ‘Birds cover a lot of musical ground, from early American stringband music to Dylan classics, as well as classic sounding originals, but deep roots are what hold all of these sounds together.
The Lazybirds most recent CD release (2010), “Broken Wing,” pays homage to founding member Andy Christopher, who played tenor banjo and tenor guitar, and sang with the band until being stricken suddenly with a mysterious heart condition. The title track, a Lazybirds original, describes how the band misses their soul brother; “It seems wrong you’re not here on my right,” “There’s a hole where there should be your banjo.” Andy was with the band for part of the recording before he took sick, and you can hear his distinctive banjo picking particularly on “Life,” a Lazybirds rendition of the Sly and the Family Stone classic that will surprise most listeners other than long time fans, who expect the occasional knuckle-ball from this band. In essence the CD is life-affirming, moving through the blues, swing and deep country with humor and heart. “Broken Wing” has received sparkling reviews across the American southeast and in Europe.
Lately the band has been incorporating more original music into the mix. Some of these will certainly find their way onto the next Lazybirds recording, but you’ll have to check the credits to know which songs are Lazybirds originals and which are old classics, as the band has been steeping in the American roots melting pot for so long that it flavors anything they do. The band began nearly twenty years ago, when Jay Brown and James T Browne, who had played acoustic blues and folk together in high-school, moved up to Boone NC where they immediately met Mitch Johnston. Eventually Mitch became the hard driving bass man who perfectly complimented James’ jazz drumming and Jay’s finger style blues-swing guitar and jazzy harmonica. Shortly afterward they met Andy, who’s rhythmic style opened up more doors for the band. A few years later they were joined by German born fiddler and blues guitarist Alfred Michels who, evidence clearly suggests, is from 100 years ago.
Together they have played top festivals across the southeast, including Merlefest, Bristol Rhythm and Roots, LEAF, Birmingham City Stages, Music on the Mountaintop, and Bele Chere. They have shared the stage with their friends The Old Crow Medicine Show and Doc Watson. They’ve been a longstanding favorite in some of the best bars from Birmingham to Boone. Lazybirds is an American classic worth getting to know.
Show Details at a Glance:
LazyBirds
MoDaddys
Friday, September 23, 2011
9:30, $5
(828) 258-1550
77 Biltmore Ave.
Asheville, NC 28801
http://www.modaddysbar.com
Posted in Larry Keel Music, Music on the Mountaintop, Toubab Krewe, tagged App Voices, Appalachian Voices, Benefit, boone, donation, entertainment, environmental advocacy, events, festival, fundraiser, Jimmy Hunt, larry keel, Music, Music on the Mountaintop, NC, north carolina, Railroad Earth, Toubab Krewe on December 9, 2010| Leave a Comment »
This is great news! Music on the Mountaintop in Boone, NC raised $5000 for Appalachian Voices this year. Frank Ruggiero with the Mountain Times reports:
Organizers of Boone’s annual Music on the Mountaintop agree this year’s festival was a rousing success.
With attendance between 5,000 and 6,000, it was what founder Jimmy Hunt called “good, successful and exciting.”
Area environmental advocacy group Appalachian Voices would agree, to the tune of $5,500.
With community outreach a key facet of the festival, Hunt has ensured that portions of proceeds benefit a different nonprofit organization each year. This year, Appalachian Voices stood to benefit with a 10 percent increase in donation from last year.“Even with the economy down, there are still positive events trying to get us back,” Hunt said. “It makes sense. If people can have a good time and dance and, at the end of the day, realize their ticket made a difference, that’s pretty awesome.” . . . .
. . . “But what really blew my mind was the amount of positive response we got from the artists – Larry Keel, Toubab Krewe, Railroad Earth, even Keller (Williams),” he said. “They all tried to come find me, not just to say ‘thank you,’ but a very personal, sincere ‘thank you.’ Toubab has been all over the world and said this was such a breath of fresh air, coming back and playing in front of people who genuinely like music.
“That’s a testament to our town and fans, what Music on the Mountaintop is, and that it’s, hopefully, always going to be here.”
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www2.mountaintimes.com/MOTM
Posted in Music on the Mountaintop, tagged Acoustic Syndicate, boone, festival, keller williams, larry keel, Music, Music on the Mountaintop, music videos, NC on September 15, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Acoustic Syndicate, Asheville, Larry Keel Music, Music on the Mountaintop, tagged Acoustic Syndicate, alternative energy, August, Big Daddy Love, boone, BPL, concert, Do it to Julia, Doc Aquatic, Environmental Forum, environmental stewardship, Farm Vegas, festival, Green, Green Festival, Greenie Award, Gurad the Van, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Hunger Coalition, Josh Phillips Folk Festival, keller williams, larry keel, Mama's Love, Moon Taxi, MOTM, Music, Music on the Mountaintop, Naked Gods, NC, New River, north carolina, Now You See Them, Railroad Earth, River cleanup, sam bush, Sign of the Rhino, Snake Oil Medicine Show, solar staging, Southern Exposure, sustainability, The Moderate, The Movement, The Mumbles, The Native Sway, Tom Tom Roach, Toubab Krewe, Uncle Mountain, Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty BAnd on August 19, 2010| Leave a Comment »
August 27-28, 2010
Music on the Mountaintop is scheduled for August 27th and 28th, tucked away in the heart of the high country at Boone fairgrounds (formerly the Old High Country Fairgrounds). MOTM is the first ever green festival in Boone, NC and it took the High Country by surprise and is now entering it’s third year. What started as a class project at Appalachian State University grew into one of the largest musical events the town had seen in nearly a decade.
Music on the Mountaintop has expanded this year to include two full days of unmatched music featuring several national acts, creating an eclectic blend of Americana, bluegrass, and acoustic funk and folk. Festival goers can enjoy a kids zone, a 30 ft. climbing wall and multiple jump arounds, limited 2 night camping, over 30 bands throughout 20 hours of music, 30 art and craft vendors, 10 interactive and hands on non-profit exhibits. Music on the Mountaintop is entertainment for people of all ages and backgrounds.
MOTM’s Lineup includes Sam Bush, Railroad Earth, Keller Williams, Toubab Krewe, Acoustic Syndicate, Larry Keel and Natural Bridge, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, Josh Phillips Folk Festival, Snake Oil Medicine Show, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, The Movement, Do it to Julia, Uncle Mountain, Now You See Them, The Mumbles, Big Daddy Love, Moon Taxi, The Native Sway, Naked Gods, Farm Vegas, BPL, The Moderate, Doc Aquatic, Mama’s Love, Sign of the Rhino, Tom Tom Roach, Gurad the Van, Southern Exposure and more.
MOTM’s Mission is to bridge the gap between traditional business and environmental stewardship. Through the medium of music MOTM hopes to educate while entertaining, offering practical and useful information to help people live a more sustainable and green lifestyle. MOTM hopes by offering the best musical talent, as well as positive environmental message, “we can change the world one person at a time”. At the end of the day, MOTM hopes to offer a significant financial contribution back to the cause and research of renewable and alternative energy.
Live Environmental Forum – Recreating an idea from the Bonnaroo Music Festival, MOTM is hosting a live forum made up of some of the the top artists performing. This will allow fans to interact with the musicians on relevant and current environmental issues. Similarly to the MOTM particular sponsor selections, MOTM also books musicians that have similar ecological mindsets.
Food Drive – MOTM has teamed up with several Greek social organizations from Appalachian State University to host a canned food drive benefiting the local Hunger Coalition, as well as encouraging our attendees to give financial donations. The fraternities and sororities at Appalachian State have always had effective and generous community activism and we are happy to bring the two together.
Other Greeen Initiatives include a River cleanup of the New River, solar staging, attentive recycling and composting campaigns, large scale shuttle and carpooling efforts.
The Green Village
In addition to their coop with, the Green Village at Music on the Mountaintop is a conglomerate of some of the most efficient and amazing non-profit organizations in the field of environmental and social awareness. These organizations include: NC Green Power, Appalachian Voices , ASU Energy Center , High Country Conservancy , Dogwood Alliance , Habitat for Humanity , Hunger Coalition, amongst others
Non-profit beneficiary: This year MOTM has teamed with one of the most active non-profits out there today, Appalachian Voices (www.appalachianvoices.org) Appalachian Voices brings people together to solve the environmental problems having the greatest impact on the central and southern Appalachian Mountains, specifically air pollution and mountaintop removal.
2009 Details: In 2009, MOTM gave $5,000 to AIRE, recycled nearly 2,000 lbs of aluminum, and had over 4,000 in attendance., doubled from the year before. MOTM was voted number one green fest in country 2009 by Blue Ridge Outdoors.
For more information on the festival and the company, please view this video produced by Chris Bledsoe of Appalachian State’s media services: http://today.appstate.edu/music-on-the-mountain/
Won a Greenie Award for Country’s Greenest Festival by Blue Ridge Outdooors:
Amazingly, the festival, which takes place on August 29, was started last year as a school project by recent Appalachian State University graduate James Hunt. His assignment was to create a business plan for an entrepreneurship class. Hunt saw a void in large-scale music production in Boone, so he mapped out a plan to bring the area a festival of its own. Unwilling to let the idea sit dormant in a class paper, he formed his own company and moved forward. Last year the inaugural event drew 2,500 people. ~ Jedd Ferris, Blue Ridge Outdoors
“The efficient, earth-conscious event requires relatively little land space, and the organizers strive and succeeded in making the festival one of the most environmentally considerate in the country. Volunteers combed the grounds all day encouraging garbage gathering and recycling, while a village of eco-conscious organizations and companies greeted the nearly 4,200 attendees upon entry.
Music on the Mountaintop has an impressive musical history for such a young event, and there’s already a legacy of artistry being established via repeat performances from headliners and local favorites alike. Luminaries like Sam Bush, Acoustic Syndicate and Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band have performed at both iterations, helping give the event an air of tradition waiting to take hold.”
…
The town of Boone would do well to hold on to and foster the event, which this year became the largest music event ever staged in the picturesque town. There’s a dedicated and enthusiastic team of people and a cavalcade of top-notch artists ready to make the festival a treasured yearly tradition.”
…
“Stellar performances were to be expected from these world-class artists, but none could have anticipated the numerous collaborations that occurred.” … “~ Bryan Rodgers, Glide Magazine
“One thing, though, that I really liked about some of the food vendors were those who were a little more conscientious about what was being served. For example, the food made by students using locally grown produce, and another who offered antibiotic/cage free chicken. Small things. But a step in the right direction. It was refreshing to have these types of options at a ‘green’ event such as this.
I was also pretty impressed with the emphasis they put on recycling with signs and stewards who walked around passing out personal trash bags for groups accumulating cans and other garbage to help cut down on litter found later on. I was extremely pleased with the extra measures put in place. The Music on the Mountaintop Festival is clearly becoming a great example in keeping the focus on sustainability.” ~ Jessica Maceda, Wayfaring Wanderer
Posted in Dehlia Low, tagged Aaron Balance, acoustic, Americana, Anya Hinkle, bluegrass, boone, Bryan Clendenin, Dehlia Low, Greg Stiglets, merlefest, Music, NC, north carolina, ReelHouse, songwriting, stacy claude, WNCW on June 10, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Dehlia Low performs at the ReelHouse Cinema this Friday in Boone. Check out this great writeup in the Mountain Times by by Lauren K. Ohnesorge:
Dehlia Low at ReelHouse Friday
mountaintimes.com
Dehlia Low is back, fresh off a MerleFest appearance, and they’re jamming at Boone’s ReelHouse Cinema & Draft Friday for a show that promises rich acoustic strings with more than just a spark of Americana.
“We’re definitely rooted in bluegrass,” guitarist Stacy Claude said. “We’re acoustic and have bluegrass instrumentation … but our songwriting definitely leads more toward the Americana … We’re trying to keep a foot in bluegrass and also moving forward into a genre that seems more accessible.”
The Asheville-based strings group classifies its sound as “unabashedly banjoless bluegrass,” Claude said, and makes no apologies.
With vocals and fiddle by Anya Hinkle, Aaron Balance on dobro, Bryan Clendenin on mandolin, Greg Stiglets on upright bass and Claude on guitar, Dehlia comes out swinging.
The MerleFest appearance means their careers and sound are starting to take flight.
“We were all just thrilled to be invited,” Claude said. “It’s a great festival and an amazing opportunity for exposure.”
…..”We feel really fortunate we’ve had some momentum,” Claude said. “WNCW has really contributed to that,” she said.
After all, the radio station listed them behind the Avett Brothers as the No. 2 band in the region.
Add invitations to some great music festivals (notably Pickathon in Portland, Ore.), and you’ve got a band that’s not about to drift off the Americana scene any time soon.“It’s been a great ride,” she said, and it’s just starting.
“We’re about two songs away from having our next studio album written,” she said.
As for Friday at the ReelHouse Cinema & Draft?Expect a show with a mesh of everything, from “really fast fiddle foot-stomping numbers” to sway music.
“It’s a mix between a listening room environment and some dancing and some crowd excitement,” Claude said.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www2.mountaintimes.com/entertainment_focus/Dehlia_Low_at_ReelHouse_Friday_id_001529
Posted in Dehlia Low, tagged Aaron Balance, Anya Hinkle, Asheville, bluegrass, boone, Bryan Clendenin, country, Dehlia Low, Greg Stiglets, merlefest, Music, north carolina, ReelHouse, Stacy Clarude, string band, Tellica, traditional, WNCW on June 3, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Check out this great writeup of Dehlia Low in the High Country Press in Boone, NC:
Asheville’s Dehlia Low at ReelHouse Cinema June 11
Story by Anna Oakes www.highcountrypress.com
A month ago the three-year-old Dehlia Low, a five-piece acoustic Americana outfit based in Asheville, played MerleFest for the first time. The exposure at the Southeast’s marquee roots music festival earned the band a sizeable bump in CD sales, and by the time the band members got home, their Facebook fan base had doubled.
“Oh my gosh, it was amazing,” said guitarist and vocalist Stacy Claude. “It was a dream come true for all of us. We have this checklist of five major festivals that we really want to play, and that absolutely was the first one.”
The band’s next stop on the summer tour is at ReelHouse Cinema and Draft in Boone on Friday, June 11, at 10:00 p.m. The show is 18 and up, and the cover is $7. Boone bluegrass band Upright and Breathin’ will open the show.
Since forming in August 2007, a lot has changed for Dehlia Low.
“We’re a completely different band, I think,” said Claude. The band got its start playing traditional bluegrass covers, but the band’s growth and experience over the past few years has its sound “keeping a foot in bluegrass and moving toward the Americana genre,” Claude said.
With Claude on guitar and vocals, Anya Hinkle on fiddle and vocals, Aaron Balance on dobro, Bryan Clendenin on mandolin and vocals and Greg Stiglets on upright bass, Dehlia Low combines the styles of traditional string bands, country and bluegrass (minus the hard-driving banjo).
Last year was an eventful one for the band, as it self-released its first full-length album, Tellico.
“The process of recording in a studio absolutely helped define our sound,” Claude said. “Recording is a really exposing experience.” The hard work paid off, as the album received national and international radio play and positive reviews from leading roots music publications.
WNCW 88.7 FM listeners voted for Tellico as the No. 2 regional release of 2009 (second only to the Avett Brothers’ I and Love and You) and the No. 18 release of the top 100 overall.
In between gigs across the Southeast, the band performed at 13 festivals in 2009, including the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Festival, Appalachian Uprising, Durango Meltdown and Pick-A-Thon. Shortly after playing MerleFest this year, Dehlia Low performed at the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival in Pennsylvania.
Writing has already begun for the follow-up to Tellico, and the band is also recording a live album. Seeking a strategic approach to its growth, Dehlia Low would like to hire an agent and someone to manage the band before the release of its next album, and the band is gradually building upon its fan markets in the Southeast and Pennsylvania with hopes of eventually becoming a national touring act.
…
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www.highcountrypress.com/weekly/2010/06-03-10/ashevilles-dehlia-low.htm