Suwannee Spring Reunion March 21-24, 2019 w/ Steep Canyon Rangers, Billy Strings, Donna The Buffalo, Peter Rowan, Larry Keel Experience, Jim Lauderdale, and more!

Announcing The 3rd Annual Suwannee Spring Reunion March 21-24, 2019
Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL

Featuring:
Steep Canyon Rangers, Billy Strings, Donna The Buffalo, Peter Rowan, Larry Keel Experience, Jim Lauderdale, Verlon Thompson, The Grass Is Dead, and more!

Early Bird Tickets on sale now at → www.suwanneespringreunion.com  

LIVE OAK, FL –– For decades the onset of Spring meant gathering at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida for a weekend of fun, family, Bluegrass and string music. A beloved tradition continues as the picturesque grounds play host to a new take on a classic family-friendly gathering with the 3rd Annual Suwannee Spring Reunion taking place Thursday through Sunday, March 21-24, 2019.

For four days in March, you can slip your shoes off and dance under the bright blue vistas and star-studded skies. Wander the endless trails along the Suwannee River, tell stories around the crackling campfire or simply lie back and watch the Spanish moss that drapes the sheltering Live Oaks that sway in the breeze. Dance the days away at the Stages and while away the late night hours around the “Picking Parties” that spring up into the dawn’s early light. There are no wrong choices when you arrive at your home and the place where live music lives for the founding of a new tradition, built on the love of the past, the Suwannee Spring Reunion.

The Suwannee Spring Reunion initial lineup for 2019 features Steep Canyon Rangers, Billy Strings, Donna The Buffalo, Peter Rowan, Larry Keel Experience, Jim Lauderdale, Verlon Thompson, The Grass Is Dead, Jon Stickley Trio, Town Mountain, Rev. Jeff Mosier, The Mammals, Roy Book Binder, Pigeon Kings, Nora Jane Struthers, Ralph Roddenbery, TKO featuring Duke Bardwell, Nikki Talley, The Adventures of Annabelle Lyn, Quartermoon, Sloppy Joe, Habanero Honeys, Jeff Bradley – Comedy + Cool Stuff, Tania & Magic Moon Traveling Circus. More artists to be announced.

Most of these artists bring with them storied histories of epic Suwannee performances! Matching the history on the stage, long time festival creators Beth Judy and Randy Judy along with an amazing staff, are partnering with the Spirit of the Suwannee to make sure that every piece needed is in place to make an epic weekend of music and fun.

Festival Director Beth Judy believes that the perfect gift for music lovers this year is the 2019 Combo Ticket available until January 7th. Beth says “What could be better than a gift of an extraordinary experience not once, but twice in one year when your loved one can attend Suwannee Spring Reunion and Suwannee Roots Revival?  And if not the Combo, an Early Bird Ticket for Suwannee Spring Reunion will make smiling faces all around!”

Once again the beloved tree-lined amphitheater is home to early morning sing-a-longs and night time musical pyrotechnics from the park’s stellar cast of alumni and new favorites. There will be music on four stages including the Amphitheater, Porch, Music Hall, and Music Farmers Stages. Suwannee Spring Reunion attendees will also enjoy music in the campground with jamming at Slopryland and the Bill Monroe Shrine as well as camp pickin’ parties.

Hands-on and performance workshops will be held throughout the weekend with a variety of artists set to perform.  Expect to get professional instruction at the hands on workshops and some out of the ordinary intimate musical experience from the different presentations.

Placing a strong emphasis on embracing the traditions that have made the park a national treasure, there will be a wide array of arts & crafts as well as an array of culinary delights ranging from healthy to decadent in the Vending Village. The park itself is a place where kids of all ages can remember why they fell in love with the magic mixture of sights, sounds, and sensations that constitutes a weekend of paradise that is the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park.

Tickets are on sale now. Suwannee Spring Reunion offers a multi-day Weekend Ticket that includes festival admission for four days of music, as well as primitive camping on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. Early Bird Tickets are $130; Students and military with a valid ID are $120. Children 12 and under are free if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Get your tickets now before they rise to the next pricing tier. Single Day Tickets will be available at the Gate only. Please note, Single Day Tickets do not include primitive camping.

Also available is the 2019 Combo Ticket Featuring one multi-day Weekend Ticket for both Suwannee Spring Reunion and Suwannee Roots Revival priced at $260, available until January 7th.  

SOSMP is located between Jacksonville, Florida & Tallahassee, Florida about 30 minutes south of the Georgia State line, about 45 minutes north of Gainesville and is host to a variety of events.

Suwannee Spring Reunion 2019 Initial Lineup
Steep Canyon Rangers
Billy Strings
Donna The Buffalo
Peter Rowan
Larry Keel Experience
Jim Lauderdale
Verlon Thompson
The Grass Is Dead
Jon Stickley Trio
Town Mountain
Rev. Jeff Mosier
The Mammals
Roy Book Binder
Pigeon Kings  
Nora Jane Struthers
Ralph Roddenbery
TKO featuring Duke Bardwell
Nikki Talley
The Adventures of Annabelle Lyn
Quartermoon
Sloppy Joe
Habanero Honeys
Jeff Bradley – Comedy + Cool Stuff
Tania & Magic Moon Traveling Circus

For more information, tickets, and to reserve camping, please visit www.suwanneespringreunion.com.

 

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Announcing The Holiday Hang with Town Mountain and The Honeycutters – Southeast Shows!

THE ASHEVILLE HOLIDAY HANG HITS THE ROAD
SHOWS IN THE SOUTHEAST
FEATURING:
TOWN MOUNTAIN AND AMANDA ANNE PLATT & THE HONEYCUTTERS

The Holiday Hang is an event focused on highlighting talent from the Asheville music community, while raising awareness and donating partial proceeds to Feeding America food banks in each city

ASHEVILLE, NC — Town Mountain and Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters, two stellar bands from Asheville, North Carolina, are teaming up for the Asheville Holiday Hang as a run of shows in the Southeast, sponsored by New Belgium Brewing Company. Ashvegas’ Caleb Calhoun calls them, “a match made in heaven.”

“Over the past few years, New Belgium and Town Mountain have forged a relationship that goes well beyond making great music and good beer. The partnership has been one that ties to both organizations philanthropic roots at a time of year where people need it the most, the holidays,” says New Belgium Brewing Employee Owner, Trey Wheeler. New Belgium Brewing Company will be running specials at each of the shows and adding to the financial donation to MANNA FoodBank.

Town Mountain says, “For us the holiday season seems like a great time to celebrate playing music with friends as well as giving back to the community that has supported us through the years.” The Asheville Holiday Hang originated as a holiday benefit in Asheville and is heading into its 6th year with the hometown Asheville show taking place at The Orange Peel for the first time. Both bands and The Orange Peel are teaming up and donating 20% of ticket sales from that show to MANNA FoodBank!

MANNA FoodBank is a private, not-for-profit service organization, that links the food industry with over 200 partner agencies in 16 counties of WNC. MANNA is an acronym and stands for Mountain Area Nutritional Needs Alliance. They are a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization. For 35 years, Feeding America has responded to the hunger crisis in America by providing food to people in need through a nationwide network of food banks with the motto, “Together we can solve hunger.”

“MANNA is excited to partner with Town Mountain again for the fifth consecutive year. Their Holiday Hang show has become a ‘Must See’ holiday tradition for dozens of fans in our MANNA community.” Alisa Hixson, Director Corporate Engagement & Signature Events at MANNA FoodBank, says,”Their support has provided for over 6,000 meals in WNC and their desire to keep giving  back to their community epitomizes the mindset of the Asheville community. They’re a powerhouse of musicians harnessing their talent to help their neighbors, the perfect holiday story!”

Last year, Town Mountain paired with The Honeycutters and decided to bring the Holiday Hang on the road to other cities they both frequent and have grown friendships and fans in. The tradition continues this year and are excited to expand the scope of the Holiday Hang with a longer run of shows through the Southeast including Rocky Mount, Virginia, Greer and Charleston, South Carolina, Atlanta, Georgia, and Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina.

Not only is the event traveling to additional cities, but with the help of Feeding America (of which MANNA is a part of) the bands are donating partial proceeds from each show to a food bank from that area.

Town Mountain and Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters Family Holiday Photo 2017

Town Mountain and The Honeycutters have long been close friends and each band has a different sound to offer The Holiday Hang. Both have their own spin on what Americana is today. You’ll be sure to hear bluegrass, country, and rock influences coming from each band. As in years past there will be a jam at the end of each night where they join together in the collaborative spirit of the Asheville music scene.

 

“On the surface, a joint tour between the bluegrass combo Town Mountain and the alt-country band The Honeycutters might seem like an odd fit. Town Mountain’s dizzying all-acoustic instrumental skills and tight vocal harmonies recall the great early bluegrass groups like The Stanley Brothers or Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys, while The Honeycutters’ rougher brand of twangy heartbreak is perfect for the honky-tonk,” says Greenville Journal’s Vincent Harris.

“We just go back a long way in the Asheville music scene; we’re friends in that way. And I think that we’re both bands with roots in more traditional forms of music. We can be put into genres, but at the same time, ‘Americana’ describes what both of us do,” Platt says in an interview with the Greenville Journal. “Obviously, Town Mountain plays bluegrass and The Honeycutters have origins in classic country, but we’re both very song-oriented. Town Mountain has three great songwriters that share the songwriting duties, and in The Honeycutters I’m all about the song.”

Asheville Holiday Hang Tour Dates
12/7 Thu – Harvester Performance Center – Rocky Mount, VA
12/8 Fri – The Spinning Jenny – Greer, SC
12/9 Sat – The Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC
12/14 Thu – Smith’s Olde Bar – Atlanta, GA
12/15 Fri – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC
12/16 Sat – Neighborhood Theater – Charlotte, NC
12/17 Sun – The Lincoln Theater – Raleigh, NC

More information about Town Mountain and Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters →
www.TownMountain.net and www.TheHoneycutters.com.

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Town Mountain & Tift Merritt To Play Yep Roc’s Benefit For The ACLU of NC on Sat 3/11 at Cat’s Cradle

Town Mountain & Tift Merritt Play Yep Roc’s Benefit For The ACLU of NC
Saturday, March 11, 2017 at The Cat’s Cradle
7pm doors, $15, 100% of ticket sales to ACLU of NC

Tickets: http://bit.ly/2m45tXa
Facebook event: www.facebook.com/events/1734271726884518/

300 East Main Street, Carrboro, North Carolina 27510
www.catscradle.com

Town Mountain is thrilled to join in on Yep Roc Records’ Sing Out!, a night of songs and solidarity in support of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of North Carolina at The Cat’s Cradle on Saturday, March 11th. Tift Merritt, Caleb Caudle, and Alexandra Sauser-Monnig from Mountain Man will also be performing! Doors are at 7pm with the show starting at 7:30. Tickets are $15 and 100% of ticket sales will be going to the ACLU of North Carolina.

The ACLU of North Carolina is a nonpartisan, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to protecting civil rights and civil liberties for all North Carolinians. The ACLU-NC has approximately 20,000 members and supporters in North Carolina. For more information, please visit www.acluofnc.org.

Town Mountain’s banjo player, Jesse Langlais says, “In today’s political climate, we need now more than ever, a great source for accountability. The ACLU is that entity. Town Mountain is proud to take part in an event to help fight the good fight.”

Vocalist and guitar player Robert Greer says, “We believe in the civil rights of all human beings and we also love playing music in Eastern North Carolina. That’s why we’re stoked to play this show benefiting the ACLU of North Carolina at Cat’s Cradle!”

Town Mountain is known for their hard-driving sound, in-house songwriting, and the honky-tonk swagger of their live performances. The hearty base of Town Mountain’s music is the bluegrass triumvirate of Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. It’s what else goes into the mix that brings it all to life both on stage and on record and reflects the group’s wide-ranging influences – from the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia and the ethereal lyrics of Robert Hunter, to the honest, vintage country of Willie, Waylon, and Merle. Along with Langlais and Greer, this the Asheville-based band features and mandolinist Phil Barker, fiddler Jack Devereux, and Zach Smith on bass.

For more information, please visit TownMountain.net, facebook.com/TownMountain, twitter.com/TownMountain, and instagram.com/townmountainbluegrass.

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Asheville Holiday Hang with Town Mountain & The Honeycutters in the SouthEast This December

Asheville Holiday Hang with Town Mountain & The Honeycutters in the SouthEast This December

ASHEVILLE, NC — Town Mountain is teaming up with The Honeycutters, another stellar band from Asheville, for the Asheville Holiday Hang as a run of shows in the Southeast. The Asheville Holiday Hang originated as a holiday benefit in Asheville, NC and is heading into its 5th year. This year’s benefit event takes place at The Grey Eagle in Asheville on Friday, December 16th and proceeds go to MANNA FoodBank. They decided that they wanted to bring The Asheville Hang on the road and added a few other dates with the same lineup for the holidays. Other dates include December 14th at The Rabbit Hole in Charlotte, NC, December 15th at The Pour House in Charleston, SC, and December 17th at Gottrocks in Greenville, SC.

The Asheville Hang is not an isolated series; Town Mountain will be hosting Asheville Hangs in various cities throughout the year with a variety of other Asheville acts. Town Mountain’s Jesse Langlais says, “This year it has turned into a multi-city event, which originated in Asheville, over the course of a week. Thus, the concept of the Asheville Hang was born. A traveling show, representing some of the finest musical acts Western North Carolina has to offer. Expect to see the Asheville Hang branching out into a variety of other towns.”

The Asheville Holiday Hang 2016 Dates
12/14 Wed – The Rabbit Hole – Charlotte, NC
12/15 Thu –  The Pour House – Charleston, SC
12/16 Fri – MANNA FoodBank Benefit @ The Grey Eagle – Asheville, NC
12/17 Sat – Gottrocks – Greenville, SC

Town Mountain Displays Their Soulful Bluegrass/Country Swagger on Southern Crescent, Produced by Dirk Powell On LoHi Records

Raw, soulful, and with plenty of swagger, Town Mountain released their 5th studio album, Southern Crescent, on April 1, 2016 on LoHi Records. Produced and engineered by GRAMMY winner Dirk Powell, Southern Crescent was recorded in Powell’s studio The Cypress House in south-central Louisiana town of Breaux Bridge. It was mixed by Mixed by Scott Vestal at Digital Underground in Greenbrier, TN. Since it’s release the band debuted on the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium stages bringing their sound to new audiences. The critically acclaimed album debuted at #4 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart and spent ten weeks on the Americana Radio Chart’s Top 40.

“The first time I heard TM I loved, respected, and enjoyed them. And I do now more than ever.” Exclaims Jim Lauderdale. “They have stuck with their deep bluegrass roots but as they have with all of their releases they have grown and expanded. They sound like Carolina, and they carry that sound farther and farther with Southern Crescent, their latest gem.”

No Depression’s Amos Perrine names Town Mountain as, “the most exciting bluegrass band to come along in a long time,” which is echoed by Music City Roots’ Craig Havighurst sentiments, “I’d put Town Mountain on my list of Five Bluegrass Bands You Must Know in 2016, because while the genre has forked and morphed in wonderful ways, these guys from Asheville have more Flatt & Scruggs and more Jimmy Martin in their sound than any young band I can think of. And when they do nod to other influences, they tend to be from parallels to the early bluegrass era, like Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins for example.”

Nominated for the 2016 Emerging Artist Award with the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and the 2013 winners of IBMA Momentum Awards for Performance Band and Vocalist of the Year (Robert Greer), Town Mountain has earned raves for their hard-driving sound, their in-house songwriting and the honky-tonk edge that permeates their exhilarating live performances. With an insatiable musical hunger, the members of Town Mountain are Robert Greer on vocals and guitar, Jesse Langlais on banjo and vocals, Phil Barker on mandolin and vocals, Jack Devereux on fiddle, and Adam Chaffins on bass.

More information at www.TownMountain.net

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The Honeycutters Show Their Country Roots with On The Ropes, Released By Organic Records

The Honeycutters have a voice you can’t ignore; a voice of persistence, of struggle and of hope, a voice that leads the new music movement erupting out of Asheville, NC. They released their 4th studio album On The Ropes May 20, 2016 on Organic Records to much critical acclaim. Nashville’s Music City Roots’ Craig Havighurst says principal songwriter and frontwoman, Amanda Anne Platt “has a voice that’s complex, sweet and aching. Even more potently, she writes songs that folks are citing as up there with the best of the field, such as Mary Gauthier and Lucinda Williams.” On The Ropes was produced by Amanda Anne Platt and Tim Surrett and engineered and mastered by Van Atkins at Crossroads Studios in Arden, NC.

On The Ropes debuted on release day at #39 on iTunes Top 40 Country Chart and #12 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases on Folk. The album spent nineteen weeks on the Americana Radio Chart hitting #10 and remaining in the top twenty for 11 weeks. It also landed in the #1 position on the Roots Music Report Country Chart! The band recently shipped the album overseas and it stands at #11 on September’s EuroAmericana Chart.

Joining Amanda Platt to round out The Honeycutters are Rick Cooper, alternating between upright and electric bass, drummer Josh Milligan, pedal steel player Matt Smith, and Tal Taylor on mandolin.

“Like all great songwriters, Platt’s characters are alive, with enough nuance to convince the listener that they have entire lives outside the glimpse they get from the songs.” Examiner’s Chris Griffy continues, “This is most evident on the album’s closer ‘Barmaid’s Blues’. One of the rare ballads in On the Ropes‘ fourteen songs and one of the most lyrically dense. When Platt’s world weary bartender laments that ‘All the gunslingers, got the rings on their fingers” and later that ‘I got a feeling like I been waiting on the last train home. It’s been a little slow, but it’s coming I know’, there’s a delicate balance of melancholy and hope that takes a deft hand to pull off without sounding cliched. Platt’s hand is that deft.”

“Forget Nashville, with their buzz-making brand of rock-roots-country, the Honeycutters are out to make Asheville, NC the brand new music city,” writes Elmore Magazine.

More information and tour dates at www.TheHoneycutters.com

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Suwannee Roots Revival Unveils Schedule, Poster Art By Bean Spence & Other Activities for Oct 13-16

Artwork By Bean Spence

Suwannee Roots Revival takes place October 13-16, 2016
at the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL

Leftover Salmon, The Wood Brothers, Sam Bush, Donna the Buffalo, Peter Rowan,
Blueground Undergrass, Jim Lauderdale, Verlon Thompson, The HillBenders’ Tommy and more!

Plus Contra and Square Dances in the Dance Tent,
Tania & Magic Moon Traveling Circus at the Kids Tent and Stage

Get Tickets at → www.suwanneerootsrevival.com/tickets/
Schedule → www.suwanneerootsrevival.com/schedule/

LIVE OAK, FL — Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park is excited to announce the music schedule for the inaugural Suwannee Roots Revival taking place October 13-16, 2016 at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park (SOSMP) in Live Oak, FL. This old school, family friendly event includes camping, disc golf, and campground pickin’ stages and features multiple stages, The Amphitheater, The Porch, The Dance Tent, Workshops at The Music Hall & The Music Farmers Hands On Workshop Stage, many decorated with beautiful backdrops by Richard and Rainne of tye-dyebackdrops.com. Bring your instruments to enjoy the pickin’ parties going off throughout the campgrounds.

Suwannee Roots Revival is thrilled to unveil a poster design by Visual and Performance Artist Bean Spence whose whimsical and fantastical art will also decorate The Amphitheater Stage. Bean Spence, along with Matt Abercrombie and Leo Hearn, will be painting live and displaying their art in the vendor village. Folks can pick up signed copies of Bean’s poster as well as the poster previously unveiled by Marci Davis at Festival Merch.

Join the Suwannee team in dressing in your best 70’s pinball wizard attire on Thursday for The HillBenders “Tommy: A Bluegrass Opry,” following sets from The Shook Twins and Town Mountain. Thursday night will close out with a late-night set from The Grass is Dead.

Friday features long sets from The Wood Brothers and Leftover Salmon, back to back closing out the night on The Amphitheatre Stage. Also see Blueground Undergrass, Col. Bruce Hampton & The Madrid Express, The Honeycutters, Ralph Roddenbery and Donna Hopkins and more Friday on the main stage. The Porch Stage will also be kicking off on Friday with sets from Florida favorites Grandpa’s Cough Medicine, Acoustic Messengers, and The Applebutter Express. Comedian/Illusionist Jeff Bradley will be making special appearance as the last performance of the evening on the Porch Stage.

Leftover Salmon will return to the stage on Saturday for back to back hour-and-a-half sets with Sam Bush on The Amphitheatre Stage. The Stage also features long sets with Donna the Buffalo and Peter Rowan, following Jon Stickley Trio, Verlon Thompson, The Mike + Ruthy Band among others. On Saturday afternoon there will be plenty of things for the kids to do hosted by the Suwannee Spirit Kids Music Camp. Later on Nikki Talley, Dread Clampitt,  and Quartermoon perform, Comedian/Illusionist Jeff Bradley will make a second appearance.

Sunday brings things back in a bit with all the music at The Amphitheatre Stage with Donna the Buffalo closing out the festival in a set which will feature many other musicians that have also performed throughout the weekend. This follows an extra special set from Col. Bruce Hampton, Reverend Jeffrey Mosier, and Friends! Sunday also features Jim Lauderdale, Peter Rowan, Verlon Thompson, and Big Cosmo. The stage begins at 10am with Tania and The Kids Jam.

The Dance Tent Stage features music Thursday through Saturday and will be located in the meadow providing a shaded space designed for movement. There will be a dance floor with Contra and Square Dances led by The Dunehoppers with instruction at the beginning of each set. Many of your favorite bands will be performing there including Jim Lauderdale & Donna the Buffalo, Col. Bruce Hampton & Madrid Express, Blueground Undergrass, Town Mountain, Jon Stickley Trio, SYZYGY, Dread Clampitt, The Mike + Ruthy Band and more!

The Kids Tent will be the place to be for the young and young at heart as Tania & Magic Moon Traveling Circus host a variety of musical and fun activities.

Throughout the weekend the Music Farmers Hands On Workshop Stage will host hands-on workshops with instruction provided by festival artists. A special Permaculture Action Day of gardening and workshops will be held on Thursday, October 13, 2016. Festival attendees, who sign up in advance, will come together for hands-on projects in permaculture, rainwater harvesting, and assembling recycling stations.

Live Oak Music and Arts Foundation (LOMAF) will hold a raffle to raise funds for Kids Music Education in Northeast Florida. Funds got to in-school education programs in Suwannee and Hamilton county and to Suwannee Spirit Kids Music Camp. Catch kids from the music camp performing on Saturday on The Porch stage!

Our healing arts programs feature Yoga with Rhonda Bell, Continuum Movement® Introductory workshop with Donnalea Van Vleet Goelz, and possibly an “unannounced” Tai Chi workshop on Sunday with one of our favorite artists.

Check out the full schedule with these acts and many more talented and amazing artists near and dear to the Spirit of the Suwannee family at www.suwanneerootsrevival.com.

Set in the midst of 800 acres of Spanish moss draped oak and cypress trees along the Suwannee River, the venue is a playground for endless activities such as swimming, canoeing, kayaking, disc golf and biking. The Park also offers guest comforts including a general store, full-service restaurant, free showers, indoor bathrooms, and water stations. Upgraded camping is currently on sale and reservations may be made by calling the Park office at (386) 364-1683.

SOSMP is located between Jacksonville, Florida & Tallahassee, Florida about 30 minutes south of the Georgia State line, about 45 minutes north of Gainesville and is host to a variety of events. Please visit the Park’s web site at www.musicliveshere.com for further information.

Further information at www.SuwanneeRootsRevival.com. Also visit us on at www.facebook.com/suwanneeroots, Twitter & Instagram: @SuwanneeRoots (#SuwanneeRoots).

Suwannee Roots Revival 2016 Lineup
Leftover Salmon
Sam Bush
The Wood Brothers
Donna The Buffalo
Peter Rowan Band
Blueground Undergrass
Jim Lauderdale
Verlon Thompson
The HillBenders “Tommy: A Bluegrass Opry”
Col Bruce & Madrid Express
Town Mountain
The Mike + Ruthy Band
Jon Stickley Trio
The Honeycutters
Shook Twins
Sauce Boss
Dread Clampitt
Nikki Talley
Grass Is Dead
Grandpa’s Cough Medicine
Ralph Roddenbery & Donna Hopkins
Walter Parks & Lee Hunter
SYZYGY
Quartermoon
Sloppy Joe
The Applebutter Express
The New 76ers
Acoustic Messengers
Belle & the Band
Big Cosmo
Habanero Honeys
The Fried Turkeys
Arvid Smith
Gumbo Limbo Cajun Band
The Dunehoppers
Jeff Bradley
Tania & Magic Moon Traveling Circus
Suwannee Spirit Kids Music Camp

 

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Asheville Bands, The Honeycutters & Town Mountain at AmericanaFest 2016

Two Asheville, North Carolina bands, The Honeycutters and Town Mountain, represent different ends of the Americana spectrum and both will perform at the 2016 AmericanaFest in Nashville.

The Honeycutters Show Their Country Roots
with On The Ropes, Released By Organic Records

The Honeycutters have a voice you can’t ignore; a voice of persistence, of struggle and of hope, a voice that leads the new music movement erupting out of Asheville, NC. They released their 4th studio album On The Ropes May 20, 2016 on Organic Records to much critical acclaim. Nashville’s Music City Roots’ Craig Havighurst says principal songwriter and frontwoman, Amanda Anne Platt “has a voice that’s complex, sweet and aching. Even more potently, she writes songs that folks are citing as up there with the best of the field, such as Mary Gauthier and Lucinda Williams.” On The Ropes was produced by Amanda Anne Platt and Tim Surrett and engineered and mastered by Van Atkins at Crossroads Studios in Arden, NC.

On The Ropes debuted on release day at #39 on iTunes Top 40 Country Chart and #12 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases on Folk. The album spent nineteen weeks on the Americana Radio Chart hitting #10 and remaining in the top twenty for 11 weeks. It also landed in the #1 position on the Roots Music Report Country Chart! The band recently shipped the album overseas and it stands at #11 on September’s EuroAmericana Chart.

Joining Amanda Platt to round out The Honeycutters are Rick Cooper, alternating between upright and electric bass, drummer Josh Milligan, pedal steel player Matt Smith, and Tal Taylor on mandolin.

.

“Like all great songwriters, Platt’s characters are alive, with enough nuance to convince the listener that they have entire lives outside the glimpse they get from the songs.” Examiner’s Chris Griffy continues, “This is most evident on the album’s closer ‘Barmaid’s Blues’. One of the rare ballads in On the Ropes’ fourteen songs and one of the most lyrically dense. When Platt’s world weary bartender laments that ‘All the gunslingers, got the rings on their fingers” and later that ‘I got a feeling like I been waiting on the last train home. It’s been a little slow, but it’s coming I know’, there’s a delicate balance of melancholy and hope that takes a deft hand to pull off without sounding cliched. Platt’s hand is that deft.”

The Honeycutters AmericanaFest 2016 Schedule

Thursday 9/22 – 12pm – Taping with The Country Network “Our Land: The Music Highway” TV Show at The Listening Room  – Open to the public with Meet & Greet Post show  – More info TCNCountry.com

Thursday 9/22 – 10pm – The Basement – Official AMA Showcase

Friday 9/23 –  8:40am – KHYI Radio Live Broadcast with Chuck Taylor at Sound Stage Studios – Live Radio Session – listen online at khyi.com

Friday 10/23 – 10am airing of a radio session with The Honeycutters on Sun Radio – Solar-Powered Americana from Austin – listen online at sunradio.com

More information at www.TheHoneycutters.com

…………………

Town Mountain Displays Their Soulful Bluegrass/Country Swagger on Southern Crescent, Produced by Dirk Powell On LoHi Records

Raw, soulful, and with plenty of swagger, Town Mountain released their 5th studio album, Southern Crescent, on April 1, 2016 on LoHi Records. Produced and engineered by GRAMMY winner Dirk Powell, Southern Crescent was recorded in Powell’s studio The Cypress House in south-central Louisiana town of Breaux Bridge. It was mixed by Mixed by Scott Vestal at Digital Underground in Greenbrier, TN. Since it’s release the band debuted on the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium stages bringing their sound to new audiences. The critically acclaimed album debuted at #4 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart and spent ten weeks on the Americana Radio Chart’s Top 40.

“The first time I heard TM I loved, respected, and enjoyed them. And I do now more than ever,” exclaims Jim Lauderdale. “They have stuck with their deep bluegrass roots but as they have with all of their releases they have grown and expanded. They sound like Carolina, and they carry that sound farther and farther with Southern Crescent, their latest gem.”

Up for the 2016 Emerging Artist Award with the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and the 2013 winners of IBMA Momentum Awards for Performance Band and Vocalist of the Year (Robert Greer), Town Mountain has earned raves for their hard-driving sound, their in-house songwriting and the honky-tonk edge that permeates their exhilarating live performances. With an insatiable musical hunger, the members of Town Mountain are Robert Greer on vocals and guitar, Jesse Langlais on banjo and vocals, Phil Barker on mandolin and vocals, Jack Devereux on fiddle, and Adam Chaffins on bass. Please note Bobby Britt (fiddle) and Nick DiSebastian (bass) perform on the album.

No Depression’s Amos Perrine names Town Mountain as, “the most exciting bluegrass band to come along in a long time,” which is echoed by Music City Roots’ Craig Havighurst sentiments, “I’d put Town Mountain on my list of Five Bluegrass Bands You Must Know in 2016, because while the genre has forked and morphed in wonderful ways, these guys from Asheville have more Flatt & Scruggs and more Jimmy Martin in their sound than any young band I can think of. And when they do nod to other influences, they tend to be from parallels to the early bluegrass era, like Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins for example.”

Town Mountain AmericanaFest 2016 Schedule

Tuesday 9/20 11pm The Basement – Official AMA Showcase

Wednesday 9/21 – 9:30am airing of a radio session with Town Mountain on Sun Radio – Solar-Powered Americana from Austin – listen online at sunradio.com

More information at www.TownMountain.net

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Suwannee Roots Revival Adds Leftover Salmon, The Wood Brothers, Sam Bush, The HillBenders’ Tommy

LIVE OAK, FL — Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park is excited to announce the Suwannee Roots Revival taking place October 13­-16, 2016 at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park (SOSMP) in Live Oak, FL. The stellar lineup includes Leftover Salmon, Sam Bush, The Wood Brothers, Donna The Buffalo, Peter Rowan Band, Blueground Undergrass, Jim Lauderdale, Verlon Thompson, The HillBenders “Tommy: A Bluegrass Opry”, Town Mountain, Col. Bruce Hampton, The Mike + Ruthy Band, Jon Stickley Trio and more.

A limited number of Early Bird Tickets are on sale now for $135 for a 4-­day Weekend Pass (all taxes, fees and primitive camping included) through midnight on July 6th when they rise to the next ticketing tier. Kids under 12 are invited to join for free. See all rates and tiers and get tickets at www.suwanneerootsrevival.com/tickets.

The festival promises to be a family friendly event, and includes camping, disc golf, campground pickin’ sessions hosted by Sloppy Joe and Quartermoon, workshops and more! In addition, long­time friends of the park Randy Judy and Beth Judy will emcee the new festival.

Set in the midst of 800 acres of Spanish moss-draped oak and cypress trees along the Suwannee River, the venue is a playground for endless activities such as swimming, canoeing, kayaking, disc golf and biking.The Spirit of Suwannee Music Park offers a unique experience like no other, a true playground for all that attend. The Park also offers guest comforts including a general store, full service restaurant, free showers, indoor bathrooms and water stations. Upgraded Camping, including RV hook ups and cabin rentals, is currently on sale and reservations may be made by calling the Park office at (386) 364­-1683. Attendees can also reserve golf cart rentals by calling the park.

SOSMP is located between Jacksonville, Florida & Tallahassee, Florida about 30 minutes south of the Georgia State line, about 45 minutes north of Gainesville and is host to a variety of events. Please visit the park’s web site at www.musicliveshere.com for further information.

Suwannee Roots Revival 2016 Lineup
Leftover Salmon
Sam Bush
The Wood Brothers
Donna The Buffalo
Peter Rowan Band
Blueground Undergrass
Jim Lauderdale
Verlon Thompson
The HillBenders “Tommy: A Bluegrass Opry”
Town Mountain
Col. Bruce Hampton
The Mike + Ruthy Band
Jon Stickley Trio
Sauce Boss
Dread Clampitt
Nikki Talley
Grass Is Dead
Ralph Roddenbery & Donna Hopkins
Grandpa’s Cough Medicine
Walter Parks & Lee Hunter
SYZYGY
The Applebutter Express
Quartermoon
Sloppy Joe
The New 76ers
Belle & the Band
Acoustic Messengers
Big Cosmo
Habanero Honeys

Further information at www.SuwanneeRootsRevival.com. Also visit us on at www.facebook.com/suwanneeroots, Twitter & Instagram: @SuwanneeRoots (#SuwanneeRoots)

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Asheville-based bands, The Honeycutters & Town Mountain, Debut on Americana Radio Chart!

Two Asheville-based bands,
The Honeycutters & Town Mountain, Debut on Americana Radio Chart!

More information on the Americana Music Association’s Radio Chart can be found at: www.AmericanaRadio.com

The Honeycutters Debut at #36 with On The Ropes, on The Americana Radio Chart
Due out May 20th on Organic Records

On The Ropes Pre-order link:  http://smarturl.it/9yax7n

Take a Sneak Sneak Peak at On The Ropes –> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TyjYH1TbeQ

“Forget Nashville, with their buzz-making brand of rock-roots-country, the Honeycutters are out to make Asheville, NC the brand new music city.” —Elmore Magazine

“On Ropes, Platt asks the hard questions and avoids easy answers, both lyrically and musically. The pieces are familiar ones from just about any other country bar band, the pedal steel, the mandolin and guitar with touches of ‘grass, gospel and folk. Platt’s writing keeps these in play while raising the Honeycutters above the overly familiar tricks and cliches of the crowded genre. Love lost is hardly new territory, but she writes about it from a novel place.” —KRFC’s Route and Branches

“This here is sawdust floor and longneck honky-tonk. North Carolina’s The Honeycutters swings gentle to and fro, with a knockout punch of steel guitar, and a rhythm section that adheres gloriously to the 2/4. This is the country music you’ve been missing. The genre’s purity gets redefined by songbird Amanda Anne Platt. It’s all around beautiful and timeless.” —Rochester City Paper

“This here record store is Amanda Anne Platt country, and her new album On The Ropes with those masters of gritty roots-rock The Honeycutters is our new national anthem. Packed with incisive lyrics, unforgettable hooks and just the right balance between rock oomph, country heartache and singer/songwriter incisiveness, this is a must-have album is Appalachian honky-tonk with heart and guts.” —Horizon Records

More info:  www.TheHoneycutters.com

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Town Mountain Debuts at #40 with Southern Crescent on The Americana Radio Chart, Out April 1 on LoHi Records

Order now on iTunes → http://apple.co/1QW52ZJ

Watch The Making of Southern Crescent → www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZD7avVtI4U  

“Asheville’s Town Mountain is one of the most entertaining bluegrass / string band groups working today and their Southern Crescent features the band at the top of their game.” –Americana Music Show

“The convergence of freewheeling harmonies, and their picking, plucking and strumming lends itself to both passion and purpose. With bluegrass reclaiming its populist precepts of late, Southern Crescent boasts all the needed elements to provide their listeners one heck of a hootenanny.” –Elmore Magazine

“There’s a new level of diversity in sounds and styles, which is to say that the honky-tonk flavor that’s long been the quintet’s stock-in-trade is being supplemented with more lyrically and musically sophisticated material that nevertheless keeps the energy high.”
–The Nashville Scene

“On Southern Crescent, there’s little fuss and pretension, as each track has a lived-in and live feel, with the band members coalescing around the song in an almost preordained way. There is as much outlaw country and Western swing to these songs as bluegrass, despite the instrumentation. As traditional and even-keeled as Town Mountain is, no other band sounds quite the same.” –Mountain Xpress

More info: TownMountain.net

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Celebrating Their Billboard Bluegrass Chart Debut at #4, Town Mountain is Offering Fans a FREE Download of “Wildbird”

Town Mountain’s Southern Crescent Debuts at #4
on Billboard Bluegrass Chart!

Raw, soulful, and with plenty of swagger, Town Mountain, based in Asheville, NC, released their 5th studio album Southern Crescent on April 1, 2016 on LoHi Records. Produced and engineered by GRAMMY winner Dirk Powell, the album was recorded in Powell’s studio The Cypress House in Breaux Bridge, LA.

To Celebrate, They Are Offering Fans a FREE Download of “Wildbird”

“The record features an expected dose of fast string picking, including the opening fiddle workout ‘St. Augustine,’ but as it unfolds it becomes a well-rounded effort full of front-porch song craft that touches on various shades of roots music…” writes Blue Ridge Outdoors. “The standout, though, is ‘Wildbird,’ [penned by Barker] a classic highway song about curing a restless mind with road miles; perfect for a bluegrass band that sounds pretty comfortable getting outside of its comfort zone.”

“Southern Crescent is a near-perfect balance of tradition and young, raw energy… “ writes Bluegrass Today. “They’ll hear a hundred years of southern musical culture bubbling up and finding a common point where North Carolina, Georgia, and Louisiana meet as old friends. Town Mountain’s style and sonic footprint comes from a foundation of rhythm and groove that comes not from just loving the music (that’s too easy) but from living the music.”

Town Mountain is Robert Greer on vocals and guitar, Jesse Langlais on banjo and vocals, Bobby Britt on fiddle, Phil Barker on mandolin and vocals, and Nick DiSebastian on bass (Adam Chaffins plays bass in the touring outfit.)

Get the album at iTunes → http://apple.co/1QW52ZJ
Limited edition signed CD bundles directly from the web store → www.townmountain.net/shop

For more information, please visit TownMountain.net, facebook.com/TownMountain, twitter.com/TownMountain, and instagram.com/townmountainbluegrass.

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Town Mountain’s ‘Southern Crescent’ OUT TODAY on LoHi Records – Soulful with Swagger

Town Mountain’s ‘Southern Crescent’ OUT TODAY on LoHi Records

Available April 1, 2016 on iTunes → http://apple.co/1QW52ZJ
Limited edition signed CD bundles directly from the web store → www.townmountain.net/shop

ASHEVILLE, NC — Raw, soulful, and with plenty of swagger, Town Mountain, based in Asheville, NC, releases their 5th studio album Southern Crescent on April 1, 2016 through LoHi Records. Produced and engineered by GRAMMY winner Dirk Powell, the album was recorded in Powell’s studio The Cypress House in Breaux Bridge, LA. It was mixed by Mixed by Scott Vestal at Digital Underground in Greenbrier, TN.

Town Mountain. Photo by Sandlin Gaither.

With an insatiable musical hunger, the members of Town Mountain (Robert Greer on vocals and guitar, Jesse Langlais on banjo and vocals, Bobby Britt on fiddle, Phil Barker on mandolin and vocals, and Nick DiSebastian on bass) made their way to the little south-central Louisiana town of Breaux Bridge, where they recorded their most cohesive, most satisfying album to date. Adam Chaffins* plays bass in the touring outfit.

Southern Crescent was recorded in a decidedly old-school way, live, with minimal fixes and overdubs, with all the musicians in the same room and no noise-reducing baffling between them. Each of Town Mountain’s members contributed songs to Southern Crescent, with Barker, Langlais and Greer the chief writers in the band.

From the boogie-woogie piano of Jerry Lee Lewis that inspired the delightful (and danceable) “Coming Back to You,” to Greer’s cleverly penned and fast-paced “Tick on a Dog,” which offers a taste of another major bluegrass influence, Jimmy Martin, Southern Crescent is tailor-made to keep live audiences on their feet, but it’ll also keep those who think they can easily peg Town Mountain on their toes.

That variety is indeed part of what drives Southern Crescent, which opens with Britt’s delightfully dizzying fiddle work on “St. Augustine,” and showcases Greer’s hard-country vocals on “House With No Windows” and on the freewheeling composition “Ain’t Gonna Worry Me,” (penned by Barker). The group members’ palpable chemistry (and individual artistry) are displayed throughout such instantly memorable tracks as “Wildbird,” (Barker) and “I Miss the Night,” which Langlais penned (with Mark Bumgarner) after experiencing 22 hours of daylight during Alaska’s summer solstice.

The new album is being released on LoHi Records. Based in Greensboro, N.C., the label is a partnership formed by entrepreneur and marketing veteran Jim Brooks with singer/songwriter and record producer Todd Snider, record producer Tim Carbone (who also plays fiddle in newgrass band Railroad Earth) and Chad Staehly from Gold Mountain Entertainment in Nashville.

Go Behind The Scenes with Town Mountain In “The Making of Southern Crescent” → https://youtu.be/VZD7avVtI4U

Listen to the world premier of “Comin’ Back to You” at The Bluegrass Situation → www.thebluegrasssituation.com/read/listen-town-mountain-comin-back-you

What Folks Are Saying about Town Mountain and Southern Crescent:

“Produced by Dirk Powell, Southern Crescent is hard-charging, grits-and-gravy authentic, the kind of emotions on the strings of Bill Monroe and Flatts and Scruggs pioneered more than 60 years ago. But Town Mountain is no copy band. With Songs written by each band member, and instrumental and vocal originality, Town Mountain honors the Ancients while bringing a collective and generational identity to their art.” —Raleigh News & Observer, Jack Bernhardt

“Southern Crescent reflects the band’s loose, dance-able music, more reflective of their festival and club sets that a staid performing arts center straight-bluegrass set. I’m not sure if the Southern Crescent still runs from Atlanta to Boston like my relatives talked about taking to go ‘visit culture’ in the Northeast, but I’m fairly sure it still runs down to New Orleans, where a more exhilarating culture has endured — an apt analogy for this album.” –Listen to this podcast interview with Town Mountain about Southern Crescent on Country Fried Rock with Sloane Spencer → http://countryfriedrock.org/town-mountain-1606/#.Vv09AnBKhaU

“On Southern Crescent, there’s little fuss and pretension, as each track has a lived-in and live feel, with the band members coalescing around the song in an almost preordained way. There is as much outlaw country and Western swing to these songs as bluegrass, despite the instrumentation. As traditional and even-keeled as Town Mountain is, no other band sounds quite the same.” —Mountain Xpress, Kyle Petersen

“I have seen this band many times, and while there are a couple of bigger names out there, this Asheville group is the most exciting bluegrass band to come along in a long time” –-No Depression, Amos Perrine

“Southern Crescent is a near-perfect balance of tradition and young, raw energy… They’ll hear a hundred years of southern musical culture bubbling up and finding a common point where North Carolina, Georgia, and Louisiana meet as old friends. Town Mountain’s style and sonic footprint comes from a foundation of rhythm and groove that comes not from just loving the music (that’s too easy) but from living the music.” —Stream to the Premier of the song “Wildbird” at Bluegrass Today, Brian Swenk

“The record features an expected dose of fast string picking, including the opening fiddle workout ‘St. Augustine,’ but as it unfolds it becomes a well-rounded effort full of front-porch song craft that touches on various shades of roots music. ‘Leroy’s Reel’ has a distinctly Cajun flavor, while ‘Comin’ Back to You’ is a rockabilly dance tune propelled by some boogie-woogie piano.”  —Blue Ridge Outdoors, Jedd Ferris

“By the time they arrive at ‘Whiskey With Tears,’ one is ready to recommend them to country radio not because they sound like they belong there, but because you wish radio sounded like Town Mountain.”–Fervor Coulee, Donald Teplyske

“From the fiddle filled, energetic instrumental opener, ‘St. Augustine’ to the carefree ‘Ain’t Gonna Worry Me’ bluegrass sensibilities merge with roots, rock and country in melodies that will not only make you sit up and listen – they’ll have you getting up and moving as well.” —The Daily Country, Tara Joan

“There are a lot of bluegrass and country bands out there but only a few really have the ability to pull off what Ricky Skaggs and Tony Rice pulled off… Town Mountain, a band out of Asheville NC, does though and they prove it song after song. A bit more country here and a bit more bluegrass there makes the music as roots as you can get.” –-Frank Gutch Jr., Bob Segarini Blog

Town Mountain’s Southern Crescent Tour 2016:
4/1 Fri – The Grey Eagle – Asheville, NC
4/2 Sat – Newgrass Brewing Company – Shelby, NC
4/5 Tue – Hampton Taphouse – Hampton, VA
4/6 Wed – Gypsy Sally’s – Washington, DC
4/7 Thu – Lizard Lounge – Cambridge, MA
4/8 Fri – Hill Country BBQ – New York, NY
4/9 Sat – The Hobo Stage – Fredon, NJ
4/10 Sun – Tin Angel – Philadelphia, PA
4/12 Tue – Haymarket Whiskey Bar – Louisville, KY
4/13 Wed – Cosmic Charlie’s – Lexington, KY
4/14 Thu – The Station Inn – Nashville, TN
4/15 Fri – Barley’s – Knoxville, TN
4/16 Sat – Waverly “Old 280” Boogie – Waverly, AL
4/17 Sun – Zydeco – Birmingham, AL
4/28 Thu – Independent Ale House – Greenville, SC
4/30 Sat – UNC – Chapel Hill, NC
5/13 Fri – KSUT Concert Series @ Henry Strater Theatre – Durango, CO
5/14 Sat – Denver Beer Co.’s Sundrenched Music Festival – Denver, CO
5/14 Sat – Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox – Denver, CO (After party with Hot Buttered Run)
5/21 Sat – The Pour House – Charleston, SC (with Peter Rowan)
5/22 Sun – Lincoln Theatre – Raleigh, NC (supporting Hard Working Americans)
5/24 Tue – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC (supporting Hard Working Americans)
5/25 Wed – Minglewood Hall – Memphis, TN (supporting Hard Working Americans)
5/27 Fri – White Squirrel Festival – Brevard, NC
5/28 Sat – Rooster Walk – Martinsville, VA
6/1 Wed – Music City Roots – Nashville, TN
6/3 Fri – Bailey Park – Winston-Salem, NC
6/5 Sun – Nelsonville Music Festival
6/11 Sat – Festival of the Bluegrass – Lexington, KY
6/16 Thu – Back Porch Music Series – Durham, NC
6/23 Thu – Rudyfest 16 – Grayson, KY
6/24 Fri – ROMP Fest – Owensboro, KY
7/23 Sat – Homegrown Music Festival – Ozark, AR
8/5 Sat – Pickathon – Happy Valley, OR

For more information, please visit TownMountain.net, facebook.com/TownMountain, twitter.com/TownMountain, and instagram.com/townmountainbluegrass.

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