August 24-26th at Grandfather Campgrounds in Boone, NC
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!
All Ages
$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]
Railroad Earth’s Music on The Mountaintopis 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 Campgroundsin 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.
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.
Music on the Mountaintop in Boone enters is third year: Lineup includes Sam Bush, Railroad Earth, Keller Williams, Toubab Krewe, Acoustic Syndicate, Larry Keel, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band
August 27-28, 2010
Boone fairgrounds (formerly The High Country Fairgrounds)
748 Roby Greene Road
Boone, NC 27607
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.
Acoutic Syndicate
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.
Larry Keel
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.
Yo Mama's Big fat Booty Band
Other Greeen Initiatives include a River cleanup of the New River, solar staging, attentive recycling and composting campaigns, large scale shuttle and carpooling efforts.
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.
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.”
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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.”
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“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
“The Hudson Valley is just beautiful,” Tara Nevins of the grassroots band Donna the Buffalo noted, “in fact, all of New York State is beautiful.”
Nevins, singer/songwriter, guitarist and fiddle-master for Donna the Buffalo, grew up in the Hudson Valley and currently resides in Piermont. With a couple weeks off before getting back on the road, I caught up with Nevins as she took a break from working on her new solo album at Levon Helm’s Studio in Woodstock.
“There’s a sense of community that is positive and healthy for society,” Nevins said about being a part of the Hudson Valley Green Festival at the Staatsburgh State Historic Site on Sept. 4. “Plus, you get to be outside all day.”
The one-day music, alternative energy, food and beverage event will host Donna the Buffalo performing on the main stage after John Brown’s Body, complimenting the solid line-up of Duke and the King, BeauSoleil Band, Amos Lee and Blues Traveller. Along with the mainstage, there will be a performance area for emerging Hudson Valley artists, and Terrapin Restaurant and Catering will provide food, a drinks pavillion featuring local beers, a farmer’s market and 20 on-site vendors selling Hudson Valley products.
Donna the Buffalo are no strangers to the festival scene. Over 20 years ago, the group’s dedication to live roots music founded the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance Festival in Trumansburg. After the well-accepted success of their first festival, the group then birthed the now biannual Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival in Silk Hope, North Carolina.
Known for often socially conscious, foot-tapping music heavily steeped in traditional mountain music, Donna the Buffalo creates an eco-minded approach that will blend seamlessly with the ideals of the Hudson Valley’s first green festival.
Alongside multi-instrumentalist Nevins, guitarist and songwriter Jeb Puryear, keyboardist Dave McCracken, bassist Kyle Spark and drummer Vic Stafford create an environment infused with every genre of music ranging from Cajun/zydeco to folk and reggae. The band’s 2008 release “Silverlined” rose to number eight on the Americana Music Chart.
Together, Nevins and Puryear have written over 140 songs, while also collaborating with some big names in the business including Bela Fleck, Mamadou Diabate, Claire Lynch, David Hidalgo, The Duhks and Amy Helm. This past year, Nevins toured with former Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann’s band, BK3, and her new solo album in the works is produced by Larry Campbell, most well-known as multi-instrumentalist on Bob Dylan’s “Love and Theft” and as a part Dylan’s live band for several years. Campbell also holds two Grammy awards for producing Levon Helm’s “Dirt Farmer” and its follow-up album, “Electric Dirt.”
Nevins has spent over 20 years perfecting the fiddle in the Old-time musical community and [explored] her love of Zydeco and Louisiana culture with a documentary on the late Carlton Frank, one of the last old-time Creole fiddlers, who passed away in 2005.
Over the years the group has created a community environment, both at live performances and online, to which their fan-base, The Herd, steadily follows. The band’s lyrics comment on love and politics with an upbeat rhythm that vibrates throughout the crowd. According to one fan, “There is some deeply satisfying solace in what Donna the Buffalo has to say and how they say it.”
Tickets are available at http://www.hudsonvalleygreenfestival.com, MusicToday.com, Oblong Books & Music in Rhinebeck and Rhino Records in New Paltz. Children under 12 are admitted to the event free of charge. The festival will be held rain or shine. On-site parking will be available.