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We are proud to announce the following bands for this year's lineup:
Collecting five singular abilities and viewpoints into one musical force, Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile have established their place among the most dynamic and talented presences across the full range of contemporary music-making. As performing and recording artists, composers and interpreters, technicians and stylists, they continue to push the boundaries of possibility while maintaining an unerring devotion to the basic audience experience. Sophomore releases, such a bumpy road they tread, with expectations being expectations and the fickle nature of hype and short attention spans, how can they live up to the excitement generated by a stellar debut? Within the first song on Justin Townes Earle’s second album Midnight At the Movies, you just know you’re hearing something special, that you are party to the unknown and exhilarating paths being explored by an artist on the creative ascendancy. Midnight At The Movies displays an adeptness and musical sophistication of remarkable, organic breadth and is as lyrically sharp as a lover’s tongue as she is walking out the door. http://www.justintownesearle.com In 2007 Lonesome River Band celebrates 25 years in Bluegrass as one of the most popular and influential acts on the bluegrass festival and conceIt takes a lot ambition for a band to stay together for over 25 years, but the award-winning Lonesome River Band continues to amaze their loyal fans every step of the way. Longtime band member and driving banjo picker, Sammy Shelor has put together a wealth of talent - all the while keeping that distinctive LRB sound. With two strong lead vocalists, Andy Ball (mandolin) and Brandon Rickman (rhythm guitar), along with Mike Anglin on bass and Mike Hartgrove on fiddle, the group continues their reputation of one of most respected names in bluegrass music. http://www.lonesomeriverband.com Alone or with fellow musicians; guitar, fiddle, or banjo in hand, Bruce Molsky has been exploring traditional music from an astonishingly broad range of cultures over the past two decades – synthesizing them and refracting them through his own evolving sensibilities to the point where the sources of his inspiration transform themselves into a sound that is uniquely his. While most identified with traditional American old-time music, Molsky’s influences range from the Appalachian soul of Tommy Jarrell to Delta blues; from the haunting modal strains of Irish music to the rhythmically nimble music of Eastern Europe. One of the most noted young talents to emerge in Cajun or Creole music in the past few years, Cedric Watson is a fiddler, vocalist, accordionist and songwriter of seemingly unlimited potential. Born in 1983, Cedric grew up in San Felipe, Texas surrounded by the sounds of blues, old soul, country and zydeco. Unlike his hip-hop focused peers, Cedric was drawn to the old-style French songs of Southwest Louisiana and the greater Houston area. He soon made his way to Lafayette, LA where he was enthusiastically accepted into the musical community and immediately recognized as an important participant in the continuity of Creole music. The Woodshedders are an original spark on the American soundscape. This talented bunch has mined its musical coal and renders to us a slew of new songs and sounds inspired by the old-times. With a fiery fiddle, gypsy guitar, rambling bass, pouncing drums, and songbird harmonies (and a host of awesome guests) the band veers from hard-swinging Django-esque romps to hot country jump blues; old-timey waltzes to misty mountain ballads. The delivery is spontaneous and genuine, and irreverently harrows the boundaries of contemporary roots music. Their debut album Catch That Yardbird graces the SoundStage! Top Ten List, and was honored Roots Album of the Year by JustPlainFolks in 2009, the world’s largest independent music awards. Members Dwayne Brooke and Fiddlin' Dave VanDeventer (along with Frazer Watkins) are also the producers of Watermelon Park Fest. http://www.thewoodshedders.com Astonishingly powerful acoustic music rich in heritage, heart and hot licks! Keel and his ensemble are intent upon taking their instruments and their voices to their fullest potential for emotion and amazement. While paying respect to the legacy left by the forefathers of bluegrass, Keel bridges the gap between traditional and contemporary American Mountain Music. David Via’s songs come from being raised and living up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Patrick County, Virginia. Via (as most folks call him – that’s pronounced Vi and rhymes with sky) is a well-known figure in bluegrass/newgrass circles, and with twenty-some odd years of singing and songwriting, he’s made a lot of pickin’ buddies along the way. John Flower is an original member, upright/washtub bassist, and harmony singer of Magraw Gap and Corn Tornado fame. http://www.larrykeel.com | http://www.davidvia.com Over the past several years, Shannon Whitworth's impact in the world of Americana music has created lofty expectations by fans nationwide. As a founding member of the acclaimed acoustic quartet The Biscuit Burners, Shannon received national praise for her definitive songwriting and captivating voice. With her debut solo release, Shannon reminds us that innocence has No Expectations. Pure, strong, and heartfelt, she catches the ears and touches the hearts of even the most unsuspecting bystander. http://www.shannonwhitworth.net/ The Hot Seats were formed eight years ago (2002) in Richmond, VA as a good-time band between new friends, many of whom were exploring a genre unknown to them on equally novel instruments. It started with weekly gig, rapidly followed by trips out of town, festival appearances, longer tours, new music, new influences, competition-winning performances (both individually and as an ensemble) three critically acclaimed trips to the UK, and five albums. Singer/songwriter John R. Miller portrays an image of triumph over adversity. His writing plays on the failures and anxieties that exist in the hearts of human beings. Themes of defeat, loss, and missed opportunity abound in the apathetic wonderland his songs create, but by championing the underdog and reminding us that we are all human, his songs allow us to go on feeling more self-worth, unified in our shortcomings. Miller’s characteristic doom-and-gloom writing style is countered by the band’s creative contra positive, Matt Kline. While often times bleak, Kline’s characters are optimistic and hopeful, and while he deals with such universally hard-hitting topics as alcoholism and abandonment, he often does so with forgiveness and an insightful tinge of humor. This emotional roller-coaster is bridled by the driving musicianship of Matthew Metz and Ben Townsend, whose musical influences range from string band music of the early 20th century to indie, and from D.I.Y. punk to arena rock. Utilizing the mandolin, banjo, and fiddle, the two emphasize both traditional and contemporary concepts to bring the songs to life. A six-piece professional family band performing since 1995, The Martin Family Band presents a rich assortment of Old Time and Irish music. The five original members, Carl, Jeanean, Lydia, Emily and Claude Martin, are all immediate family. (Parents and three siblings.) Joshua Henderson, bass and percussion player, is a close friend from Wyndell, North Carolina who now lives in Maryland. This family offers a musical experience that is masterful, vibrant, and captivating from start to finish. http://www.themartinfamilyband.com Gary Ruley and Mule Train are an acoustic ensemble headed by veteran flat picking guitarist/vocalist Gary Ruley. Mule Train includes a vast network of talented musicians who support and share Gary’s drive to present the powerful acoustic sounds of Bluegrass, New Grass, and Jazz. Old Sledge is a trio of young musicians who fiddle tunes and sing songs from the Virginia and West Virginia mountain communities where they make their home. Inspired by the rich tradition around them, they play old hymns and ballads full of joy and sorrow, along with rousing banjo and fiddle tunes from at all-night square dances that have been passed down, one generation to the next, to land at their feet. Chance McCoy, Anna Roberts-Gevalt, Sabra Guzmán, on fiddle, banjo and guitar, have earned awards for their playing at festivals throughout Appalachia, including first place honors in the 2009 band contest at the Appalachian String Band Festival (WV) and the West Virginia State fiddle, banjo and dulcimer championships. Members of the band have performed on the BBC, The Kennedy Center, and PBS, and are in demand as teachers of the tradition, serving as faculty at the Cowan Creek Mountain Music School (KY), Augusta Heritage Center’s Old Time Music Week (WV), Allegheny Echoes (WV), and Pinewoods American Dance Week (MA).
The High and Mighty Brass Band! (HMBB!) is a party in progress. Their performances are both fiercely entertaining and refreshingly inspiring. Not only do they have musical talent, but they also have a level of camaraderie that is highly unusual in newer groups. Sincere enthusiasm and dynamic energy connects with every audience member who is willing to participate. Their sound is a mix of classic New Orleans Funk, R&B and more modern influences of Afro-Beat and Hip Hop. http://www.highandmightybrassband.com Furnace Mountain consists of Dave Van Deventer on Fiddle and Vocals, Morgan Morrison on Bouzouki and Vocals, Aimee Curl on Bass and Vocals, Danny Knicely on Mandolin, and includes transient members Zach Lester or Bodhran, and John Flower on Washtub. The band has graced stages near and far, from the Yangtzee River in China to the banks of the Shenandoah River, where they host the famous Watermelon Park Fest each year. The music of Furnace Mountain is at times lively and raucous, with spirited fiddle melodies weaving in and around the powerful rhythms of the bass and bouzouki. It is at other times poignant and poetic, with sublime vocal harmonies beautifully interpreting some of the oldest songs ever written. Furnace Mountain will be on tour in Scotland during this year's fest, but will join us VIA Skype and play a tune for us from across the the great wide sea. http://www.furnacemountain.com The distinctively spare sound is grounded in a love for what can only be called the pure and real, at once embracing both a strong roots tradition and a fresh take on acoustic folk. At live shows or in the studio, a seemingly new subgenre is created, their songs displaying raw emotion – vulnerable and unassuming – with handcrafted spins that creak and stomp like a wooden dance floor. Delve into some of bluegrass' greatest mysteries with The Clubhouse Gang, featuring Frazer Watkins (co-producer of Watermelon Park Fest), Dennis Whitacre, Mark Lohr, Rob Pecora, Mark Garber, and Rick Tilghman. Lively acoustic music all the way from oldtime & early jazz to bluegrass, gypsy music, blues & originals, too!
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