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MerleFest 2018: Kruger Brothers

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As MerleFest 2018 approaches, a highlight from one of the 100+ performing acts will be featured daily…

In an ever-expanding body of work, Jens Kruger (banjo, vocals), Uwe Kruger (guitar,
lead vocals), and Joel Landsberg (bass, vocals) personify the spirit of exploration and
innovation that forms the core of the American musical tradition.

Although initially staying fairly close to a traditional repertoire, the Kruger Brothers
later turned to songwriting and composition in order to draw more closely from their
personal experiences. The result is a catalog of songs and music distinguished by its rich
detail and an insight into the delicacy and complexity of everyday life.

The honesty of their writing has become a hallmark of the trio’s work. Another is the
banjo playing and composition of Jens Kruger. Happy Traum has described Kruger as
“one of the world’s most musically sophisticated and technically accomplished fivestring
banjo players.” Steve Martin has described Jens Kruger as “one of the great
technicians” of bluegrass as well as “a very expressive player.” Kruger plays in a melodic
style that, while it may stem from the three-finger bluegrass style popularized by Snuffy
Jenkins and Earl Scruggs, is also differentiated by long melodic passages and a more
complex compositional foundation, often building on jazz or classical themes and
techniques.

In recognition of his style and skill, Jens Kruger is an inductee to the Blue Ridge Music
Hall of Fame (2011) and is the fourth recipient of the coveted Steve Martin Prize for
Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass (2013).

The recording that cemented the Kruger Brothers’ sound and song writing, Up 18 North,
was released in 2002 on the Double Time label. Included were a number of tracks that
signaled the direction that the band was to take in future projects. The title track “Up
18 North” is an instrumental piece, with banjo clearly in the foreground, that remains a
prime example of the type of close ensemble playing that characterizes the trio’s work.
The vocal track “Carolina in the Fall” is an early example of the very personal, resonant,
and mature song writing that they continue to this day.

Most recently their music has ventured further into the themes and forms of classical
music, most obviously in their 2011 release, Appalachian Concerto and the 2015 release
Lucid Dreamer. Through their numerous CD releases, radio and television performances,
workshops, and collaborative efforts, the Kruger Brothers continue to provide a unique
voice in the world of folk, Americana and classical music.

Overview provided by Kruger Brothers media

You can hear the Kruger Brothers perform at one of the following times during MerleFest (April 26-29).

Thursday, 3:00pm-3:45pm (Watson Stage)
Friday, 12:15pm-1:00pm (Americana Stage)
Friday, 2:45pm-3:30pm (Hillside Stage)
Saturday, 10:00am-11:00am (Walker Center)
Saturday, 6:00pm-6:45pm (Creekside)

View the full MerleFest schedule and stage lineup here.

MerleFest 2018: Peter Rowan

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As MerleFest 2018 approaches, a highlight from one of the 100+ performing acts will be featured daily…

Another GRAMMY winner, Peter Rowan is scheduled for four sets over three days at MerleFest this year.

GRAMMY-award winner and six-time GRAMMY nominee, Peter Rowan is a bluegrass singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades. From his early years playing under the tutelage of bluegrass patriarch Bill Monroe, Peterʼs stint in Old & In the Way with Jerry Garcia and his subsequent breakout as both a solo performer and bandleader, Rowan has built a devoted, international fan base through his continuous stream of original recordings, collaborative projects, and constant touring.

On the Friday preceding MerleFest, April 20, Rowan’s latest album “Carter Stanley’s Eyes” will debut.

The album pays respects to bluegrass’s most famous brothers with two songs penned by each; others, such as the traditional “Hills of Roane County” and the Carter Family’s “Will You Miss Me,” were Stanley Brothers staples. Even the album’s opener, Rowan’s own “Drumbeats on the Watchtower,” nods to Ralph, who retitled it (from “Wild Geese Cry Again”) when he recorded it. Obviously, Rowan didn’t mind. In fact, he was ecstatic when Stanley told him he’d cut it. “To me, that was real fulfillment, to be covered by one of the masters,” he says.

You can hear Peter Rowan at one of the following times over MerleFest (April 26-29) weekend.

Friday, 4:00pm-4:45pm (Hillside Stage)
Saturday, 12:45pm-1:30pm (Walker Center)
Saturday, 1:45pm-2:45pm (Watson Stage)
Sunday, 3:30pm-4:15pm (Traditional)

View the full MerleFest schedule and stage lineup here.

Sarah Shook and the Disarmers: Years in the Making

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Sarah Shook and the Disarmers new album, “Years” is set for release this Friday…

Sarah Shook wasn’t born in North Carolina but after moving to the state at 19 years old has spent the majority of her adult life here. The lead singer has been on a musical journey since beginning her first band in 2010, Sarah Shook and the Devil.

After disbanding, Sarah Shook and the Dirty Hands were formed and relatively short lived in 2013, before the now well known Sarah Shook and the Disarmers came into being late that same year.

The group put out their first record, “Sidelong”, in October of 2015 and after signing with Bloodshot Records, the re-release early last year put Shook and her band into the spotlight for new country and Americana artists to watch.

Over the past year, Shook has been touring all over with recent stops at South by Southwest in Austin and in the southeast with Nikki Lane. She returns to North Carolina this Friday for an album release show at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro.

Sarah Shook and the Disarmers "Years" album cover

Sarah Shook and the Disarmers “Years” album cover

“Years,” the bands’ second album, has been described as a “record about finding a way. A way through exhaustion, frustration, betrayal, hangover after hangover, upper after downer after upper, fight after never-ending fight. It’s about picking yourself and dusting yourself off after years of being trampled and beaten down, jutting your chin out, head high, after they’ve done their worst, and saying ‘Still here.’” by Shook herself.

The Disarmers also benefited from another North Carolina band dissolution as former American Aquarium drummer Kevin McClain recently came on board. McClain is no stranger to touring, traveling with his former group for many years and fits perfectly into Shook’s band with his own unique style on the drum kit.

Following the album release party on Friday night, Shook and the Disarmers will visit Neighborhood Theater in Charlotte as they begin a 14 state tour through the end of May, before boarding a plane to Sweden.

Once there, the band will play multiple shows across the country and into Norway before a grand finale at the Stockholm Americana Festival on Saturday, June 16.

Years in the making, “Years” should only serve to further the rise of Sarah Shook and the Disarmers into the future.

Merlefest 2018: Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer

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As MerleFest 2018 approaches, a highlight from one of the 100+ performing acts will be featured daily…

Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer have been making music together for over 35 years, playing a variety of instruments including guitar, ukulele, mandolin, five string banjo and cello banjo to name a few. In fact, Marxer plays over 50-plus instruments and their harmonies together create a unique sound leading to 14 GRAMMY nominations and two wins during their career.

They have traveled the world with their music, performing, collaborating and teaching along the way. Both have closely followed the history of bluegrass and have strong ties to North Carolina with a residence in Lansing, home of Ola Belle Reed, an iconic North Carolina musician.

RedDirtNC recently caught up with Fink to discuss some of that history and MerleFest, which takes place in Wilkesboro this month on April 26-29.

RDNC: Having a residence in Lansing, are you originally from North Carolina or what led you here to our state?

CF: No, originally I’m from Baltimore, Maryland and my partner, Marcy Marxer is originally from Detroit, Michigan. We serendipitously met in 1980 at a folk festival in Toronto, Ontario of all places. We now split our time between a home in Lansing, North Carolina – the home of Ola Belle Reed, and Silver Spring, Maryland. We tour full time and don’t get to see either of these homes as much as we want to but we’ve got feet planted in both North Carolina and Maryland.

Our tie to Lansing is kind of an interesting story. Ola Belle was a consummate traditional musician and songwriter who grew up here in Lansing and her song, “High on a Mountain” has been one of the most important songs of bluegrass for 50 years. Del McCoury recorded it in 1962, Marty Stuart in the 1980s and she’s written hundreds of more songs and I think that Ola Belle was one of those iconic musicians from North Carolina whose music traveled all over the world. She won a National Heritage Fellowship Award from the National Councilman of Traditional Arts and we in the 1980s visited Ola Belle and her family many, many times.

Our connection to Lansing had to do with helping start the Ola Belle Reed Festival, in honor of Ola Belle and that festival went for about 10 years. It is not going anymore but we instead work with the Ashe County Arts Council to host an Ola Belle Reed Songwriting Retreat, which this year is April 13-15, in order to help keep Ola Belle’s music and name vibrant in the area. That’s part of Marcy and I’s being active in this music community and this combination of one-foot in traditional and one-foot in contemporary songwriting, so we have some pretty deep roots in North Carolina.

RDNC: How many years have you been performing at MerleFest?

CF: Our first MerleFest was around 25 years ago and this is probably our fifth performance through the years and what an amazing festival it has become.

RDNC: What is your favorite thing about MerleFest overall?

CF: My favorite thing about the festival, honestly, is the music. I love performing there but I also love hearing other people perform. It’s a festival with excellent sound and tech which makes the listening experience really pleasurable. Festivals are where Marcy and I meet a lot of our new music friends. We get to hear people we haven’t heard before, we get to hear friends of ours who play a lot, that we don’t see very often and we have a hoot in the vendor tent because we know all the vendors, instrument makers and we love hanging out in there and jamming – it’s really a lot of fun.

It’s a combination of things, for us it’s a great performance venue. It’s a great audience listening venue. It’s a great jam session and a family reunion. I also don’t want to overlook the fact that it’s an incredible tribute to Doc and Merle Watson and the amazing musical contributions they both made. The fact that their music has, among other things, helped build this worldwide community for people who like acoustic guitar picking.

RDNC: Your particular sound has often been described as “well rounded Americana” but into what particular genre would you place the music you make?

CF: (laughs) I think well rounded Americana is good because our sound is built on playing a lot of traditional old time music that comes from the fiddle tune tradition, old-time song tradition and harmony singing but at the same time we are enamored with the music of songwriters like Ola Belle Reed, Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard. Add to it that we write a lot of our own songs and we’ve escaped picking one genre for Cathy and Marcy which is where well rounded Americana comes into play.

Between us, we play a lot of musical instruments. Marcy plays over 50 instruments, she’s a phenomenal guitar player and was the main person who really re-invented the four-string cello banjo and brought it back to Americana music. People like Abagail Washburn and Ricky Skaggs, who plays one from time to time. Marcy was the one who made it prominent and inspired the Gold Tone company to bring it back.

My specialty is the five-string banjo and guitar. I play a little fiddle and we both play a lot of ukulele. The well rounded part is important but we also have, throughout our career, had a commitment to really great music for kids and families so they get a chance to hear live music with real musicians.

RDNC: Who are some of the artists that you’re looking forward to hearing during MerleFest this year?

CF: Among our friends that we have hung out with and played music with, I look forward to hearing David Holt, Happy Traum and Rhiannon Giddens – I was her first banjo teacher in North Carolina at the Swannanoa Gathering. There’s a new bluegrass band called Cane Mill Road who we’ve been mentoring and their going to be performing there.

There are some bands that we haven’t heard live but I can’t wait to hear. We listen to their albums and recordings but it’s a whole different thing to hear people play live, it’s exciting. We’re looking forward to hearing Mandolin Orange, Alison Brown, We Banjo 3 … it’s a big lineup.

One of our goals is to hear people we haven’t heard before. We try to catch our friends as much as we can but the way you learn something at these festivals is to go see someone you haven’t heard. To me, that is a really important piece of the whole thing.

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Fink and Marxer have a new album coming out soon with Appalachian musician Sam Gleaves called, “Shout and Shine” and will introduce the trio for the first-time at MerleFest. Currently, they are scheduled to perform on Friday and Saturday this year.

Friday, 9:30am-10:15am (Creekside)
Friday, 1:30pm-2:00pm (Cabin Stage)*
Saturday, 11:00am-11:30am (Little Pickers)
Saturday, 6:00pm-6:30pm (Traditional)*

*Trio with Sam Gleaves

View the full MerleFest schedule and stage lineup here.

MerleFest: April 26-29, 2018 Overview

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April has arrived and MerleFest is happening this month here in the mountains of North Carolina…

From humble beginnings, much like the festival founders, MerleFest has grown into one of the world’s largest musical events. The now four day show occurs on the campus of Wilkes Community College (WCC) in northwest North Carolina with over 100 artists performing on 14 stages, entertaining over 75,000 spectators annually.

The first show occurred in 1988 when WCC horticulture instructor Frederick Townes IV, nicknamed “B”, orchestrated a one-night performance from Doc Watson to serve as a fundraiser for the development of a sensory garden for the blind. Watson agreed, asking that the garden be named in honor of his late son, Merle.

Merle Watson was best known for his musical performances alongside his farther as the two released 12 albums over 21 years before his untimely death in a tractor accident on the family farm. The grounds at WCC became known as the Eddy Merle Watson Garden for the Senses and the event evolved into its current state over the past 30 years.

Brining together traditional bluegrass plus those who flirt with a similar sound in some respect, many world renowned performers have graced one of the many stages at MerleFest during their careers. Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, John Prine, Ricky Skaggs, Alison Krauss, The Avett Brothers and Old Crow Medicine Show are just a handful of the names whose music has been heard here before.

As each year brings in even more talent with a stellar lineup, the 2018 festival is no different. Kris Kristofferson, Robert Earl Keen, Shinyribs, Jamey Johnson, Brandy Clark, Rodney Crowell, Rhiannon Giddens, Sam Bush and Steve Martin with the Steep Canyon Rangers are some of the acts who will put their musical talents on display during MerleFest 2018.

Music begins on Thursday afternoon at 2:30pm and continues through the weekend until the festival concludes on Sunday at 5:30pm, following Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers.

The full lineup and stage performances can be found here or by visiting MerleFest.org. Tickets are also available, including two reserved seating options for a four-day pass and general admission as a multi or single day ticket. Rivers Edge camping is also an option for those planning to attend the entire event.

Get your tickets now before it’s too late and stay tuned to our ongoing coverage throughout the month leading up to the kickoff and throughout MerleFest 2018!

Live Review: Sunny Sweeney in Charlotte

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Charlotte definitely “got Sweenered” on Saturday night at Puckett’s Farm Equipment…

Sunny Sweeney? Never heard of him. A funny line for those who have been following Sweeney for sometime as the play on her name often elicits thoughts of an outlaw, independent artist writing about drinking, drugs and partying. Sweeney does all of the above and can entertain with the best of artists, proving it on Saturday night at Puckett’s Farm Equipment in Charlotte in front of a sold out crowd.

North Carolina native Jonathan Parker got the night started with an hour long set of original songs and an homage to Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson with “Mama Tried” and “Shotgun Willie,” respectively. A perfect start to the night ahead, opening for Sweeney who arrived in Charlotte just hours before her scheduled set.

Sweeney took to the stage and immediately garnered the crowd’s attention, which she wouldn’t relinquish all night. Telling tales behind a few songs including an embarrassing story of meeting country superstar, Vince Gill, before she was invited to spend some time writing at his cabin just outside of Nashville. Describing her first two encounters in nervous context then coming full circle with Gill taking Sweeney and her band out to breakfast just a few days ago.

From “Trophy,” the title track off of Sweeney’s latest album to older hits like “From A Table Away” and “Drink Myself Single,” the Texas singer was entertaining and thoroughly impressed with the crowd singing right along with her word for word. She introduced some new music with “You Can Tie Me Up (but You Can’t Tie Me Down),” which was not a favorite of her mother’s according to Sweeney but better than the cleverly named “Whiskey Richard”.

From the stage Sweeney recognized a number of fans in attendance with shirts or hats supporting her friends Cody Jinks and Ward Davis, who she has been recently on tour with in the southeast and has a few more upcoming dates with the addition of Tennessee Jet, though not here in North Carolina.

Although the capacity crowd was guaranteed a return from Sweeney, who genuinely seemed taken aback by those in attendance, at one point saying, “how do ya’ll know this?”.

Sunny Sweeney? Never heard of him.

Yes we have and if you recognize the names Jinks and Davis but not Sweeney then do yourself a favor and immediately acquire all of her albums. One of the most talented and entertaining singer/songwriters in the business with abundant success and a commitment to independent Texas country.

Expect another North Carolina date in her future and you too can sing along when she returns.

Red Dirt NC: Weekend Watch, March 30-31

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You can’t go wrong this weekend, no matter which show you decide to attend…

After two relatively slow weekends for live music, March is going out like a lion with a wealth of opportunity. While a majority of the shows are located in the state’s capital, options remain available in western and central North Carolina.

Two rare shows are happening with visits from Texas native Sunny Sweeney and Georgia artist Brent Cobb. Both songwriters have enjoyed success on various levels while maintaining a commitment to quality music.

Opening for Sweeney will be North Carolina’s own Jonathan Parker, one of many native artists performing this weekend so get out and enjoy a live show from potentially local talent!

FRIDAY – MARCH 30, 2018

Pistol Hill – Shooters Lounge, Hickory

Independent and traditional country music. Emerging local artists within the genre featuring both original songs and covers from some of your favorite individuals and bands.

Brent Cobb – The Pour House, Raleigh

Brent Cobb didn’t set out to write an album that feels and sounds like the place he grew up. But now that the grooves have been cut in his debut LP, Shine on Rainy Day, there’s no denying the people, the places and the vibe of his southcentral Georgia home infuse almost every song.

Nathan Kornegay – Deep South Bar, Raleigh

“Singer/Songwriter based in Raleigh. Influenced by great songwriters like Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Jason Isbell, and Ryan Adams.”

Steve Hartsoe – Deep South Bar, Raleigh

For this veteran rocker, a former AP journalist and college pitcher turned husband and father, that all-in conviction is an audible thread running through the 15 tracks on the Raleigh, N.C., artist’s latest indie release, “The Big Fix-Deluxe Edition,” released Dec. 1, 2017. After almost two decades removed from writing, recording and performing his own songs, Hartsoe is again singing about the daily of life — its troubles, joys and all the in-between. But this time he has a lot more life experience to sing about.

SATURDAY – MARCH 31, 2018

The Black Lillies – The Ramkat, Winston-Salem

The Black Lillies have never backed down from a challenge: proudly independent since their formation, they are always pushing forward and evolving, letting the inspiration and music take focus. That drive has led them to become one of Americana’s biggest success stories: an internationally-renowned band of roots-rockers, armed with songs that blur the boundaries between folk, soul, red dirt country, blues and rock.

Sunny Sweeney – Puckett’s Farm Equipment, Charlotte

Sunny Sweeney is the party and the morning after. She’s the quip that makes you laugh and the truth that makes you cry, the devil that’s egging you on and the angel whispering that you aren’t alone. But those compelling contradictions aren’t what’s most interesting about Sweeney: it’s the depth and brazen authenticity she brings to all her roles that grabs you and won’t let go.

Enjoy the Easter holiday weekend with some live music and keep spreading the love, one song at a time…

Live Review: Corey Hunt Band in Granite Falls

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With an acoustic set, Corey Hunt entertained a midweek crowd at Granite Falls Brewery on Wednesday night…

A recent six song EP release from Corey Hunt Band called “North of Low Water” has the frontman and his right hand band member, Eric Wise, touring here, in Texas and across the southeast all spring. After opening for Eli Young Band in Greensboro, hosting a show in his hometown of Asheboro and kicking off a tour of Texas last weekend with events in Dallas, Houston and San Angelo, the resident North Carolinian returned home for a midweek gig before hitting the road … again.

The official spring tour features nine performances across the Carolinas, 10 Texas dates and other shows in both Georgia and Alabama through the end of April. Criss-crossing the southeast over the past seven years, the Corey Hunt Band continues to build a loyal fan base who appreciates original song writing and pure musical talent.

On Wednesday night the crowd wasn’t on hand for covers of conveniently packaged radio material but instead present to hear only what Corey Hunt was all about. He impressed with lyrics relaying the every day dealings of life, hardships, heartache and happiness with Wise keeping pace alongside.

Corey Hunt Band

GRANITE FALLS, NC – Corey Hunt Band performs at Granite Falls Brewery on Wednesday – March 21, 2018.

‘Uwharrie River,’ a song off the new EP was a crowd favorite in addition to a song Hunt said he wrote that day behind a rhythmic tune and chorus, ‘Dancing Down the Hall.’ Back in North Carolina for just a few days, Hunt and Wise left their touring van in Texas but will fly back for two more dates this weekend in Fort Worth and San Antonio.

Hunt introduced himself to the crowd with a few poignant words between the second and third songs of his set. A simple name and band introduction followed by breaking the news that if you had previously listened then recognizing his songs would be easy, but if not, then hopefully you’d learn as the night transpired.

As stated, there were no covers and no one cared. His ability to entertain without relying on work by other musicians or stereotypical “crowd pleasers” only further demonstrates the lengths to which Hunt has honed his craft by playing whenever and wherever possible.

It continues to pay off as ‘Hannah Belle’ broke into the Top-50 on Texas regional radio at one point and a few songs from “North of Low Water” have potential to do the same. The relentless touring, interviewing and a sincere appreciation for his fans should keep the Corey Hunt Band momentum building and moving forward throughout the year.

For those who appreciate and are fans of original music – a staple in the Red Dirt, Texas and Americana music scenes – the time is now to broaden your horizons by realizing there is some great music coming from North Carolina originals.

Corey Hunt Band is one of those who has been paving the way for quite some time and will continue to do so well into the future.

Uncle Lucius: One Last Ride

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Uncle Lucius will play their final show this coming Friday at Gruene Hall in Texas…

For over a decade, Uncle Lucius has been spreading his unique soul sounds across the country traveling relentlessly from coast to coast and producing four original albums to Keep the Wolves Away. Unfortunately for us fans, since founder and lead singer Kevin Galloway posted a shocking message to Facebook back in September it set the Wheel’s In Motion for a farewell tour.

While it was a somber decree for those wishing There Is No End, Galloway was quick to thank both the fans and his band for a decade of support but simply stated the he, “is moving on.” Whatever is next in store for him and the members of Uncle Lucius, they are sure to be successful in No Time Flat after displaying a resilient work ethic with no Willing Wasted Time and commitment to their craft for such a long period. We Don’t Own the Right to question his decision as it is surely in the best interest of those with the closest ties to Uncle Lucius.

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Establishing an enthusiastic fan base both inside and out of Texas, Galloway has one of the most recognizable voices and sounds in the industry. With so much music available, setting yourself or your band apart from the masses typically takes a concerted effort but once Galloway begins any lyrical journey, fans and even your average listener can immediately discern that it is Uncle Lucius they are hearing.

Hailing from Austin, Texas anyone fortunate enough to see the band perform live was given A Million Ways or at least 97 Reasons to love what they saw and with news of their final show on the horizon, people have been soaking up the final few moments as they Flood Then Fade Away.

On Friday in front of an already sold out crowd under the water tower at Texas’ oldest dance hall, Gruene Hall, Uncle Lucius will play their final show. A few tickets remain for the added Thursday night performance as part of two night “Farewell Show” performances and if you find yourself anywhere close to New Braunfels toward the end of the week, here’s a simple piece of advice – go, because All We’ve Got Is Now.

You’re only regret will be not familiarizing yourself with the soulful sounds of Uncle Lucius much earlier and while you will experience more than a Pocket Full of Misery, with no immediate hope for seeing them in the future, four albums remain for our listening pleasure as we all hope for an encore at some point down the road, although Someday Is A Far Cry away.

Red Dirt NC: Weekend watch, March 16-18

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A relatively slow holiday weekend should make deciding on a show easier, especially for the western part of the state…

The past few weekends have created multiple opportunities for seeing live music within this genre. In fact, shortly after Cody Johnson played Coyote Joe’s in Charlotte, he became the first unsigned artist to sell out the Houston Rodeo and by all accounts put on an amazing show.

The morale of this story is to take advantage when ANY of the Texas country or Red Dirt artists venture outside of their normal touring circuit. Not only to see those that hail from both Oklahoma and Texas, but to also appreciate the artists here who have been and are breaking into the scene.

This weekend provides an opportunity to see two different acts on opposite ends of the spectrum but who are still representing a commitment to their craft with a profound ability to entertain. Each has their own characteristics and with St. Patrick’s Day looming on Saturday, can assist in your celebration with the addition of live music.

FRIDAY – MARCH 16, 2018

James Scott Bullard – Shooter’s Lounge, Hickory

After a brief stint in rehab several years ago, James Scott Bullard declared himself substance-free, yet it took him longer to accept responsibility for the rest of his life’s decisions.  That process led to fan-favorite lovelorn songs from his previous albums.  Full Tilt Boogie jumps forward to where Bullard is now, owning his bad choices and sometimes reveling in them, while not giving up vices altogether, as his string of exes will attest.  Bullard’s honesty about his flaws endears him to his fans, who find broken pieces of themselves in the lyrics. 

SATURDAY – MARCH 17, 2018

Pickxen – Oskar Blues Brewery, Brevard

Saint Paddy’s Day fun with Pickxen!  While we may not be able to utilize the outdoor patio bar, the Tasty Weasel taproom is open daily with free tours of the brewery. The Oskar Blues CHUBwagon food truck serves up CHUBurgers and tacos to quench your hunger. Five nights a week, local and regional bands make your ear holes happy. Pisgah National Forest is a 10 minute bike ride away, so go git rad and meet back at the brewery for a pint.

Nathan Kornegay – Goldsboro Brew Works, Goldsboro

“Singer/Songwriter based in Raleigh. Influenced by great songwriters like Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Jason Isbell, and Ryan Adams.”

You won’t go wrong with any choice this weekend and for a large number of people in the western half of the state, you’ll be close to something both nights. Get out, celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and enjoy your weekend by supporting live music!

Take advantage and keep spreading the love, one song at a time…