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the-record-newspaper · 6 years ago

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MERLEFEST WEEK BEGINS

Mike Rominger and Christine Hammel played an eclectic mixture of music and songs, ending with Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman" which the entire crowd seemed to be singing along with.

On hand to enjoy a beautiful Easter Sunday of music were, Ed Sturdivant, his wife Tricia, and their son Carter.

The tent was eerily quiet as Benjamin Barker played "The Old Rugged Cross" on his harp.

Dr. Bryan's daughter, Pam Terrell, emceed most of the event.

The annual event is hosted by the Wilkes Acoustic Folk Society, and is always held the Sunday prior to MerleFest on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro.

MerleFest begins Thursday and will run through Sunday.

Bryan passed away in 2011. He was a well-loved physician, who delivered thousands of babies, as well as an avid fan of Americana music. He was also a supporter of the musicians who performed this genre, particularly those from the area.

Bryan hosted these jams for years, and since his death they have been continued as a tribute to his memory.

Performers at the tribute included: Mill Road, Ernest Johnson and Ralph Clanton, Catawba Bluegrass Boys, David Russell and Benjamin Barker, Horseplay, R.G. Absher and Friends, Christine Hammel, Mike Rominger, The Ya-Ya's, The Trailblazers, Backporch Bluegrass and The Kruger Brothers.

The concert, which will end after the last group performs, is free to the public.

The Wilkes Acoustic Folk Society (WAFS) will also host free jams, which began during their monthly meeting on Monday.

Pre-MerleFest Jams were set to be held from Monday through Wednesday evening, starting at 6 p.m., at the Wilkesboro campus. Various tents will also be set up for the jams. The jams prior to the festival are free and no wristbands are required.

During MerleFest anyone with an admittance wristband can bring instruments and participate in the various jams that are hosted by WAFS, which will be held throughout festival hours.

This year’s MerleFest lineup includes: American Aquarium, Andy May, Ana Egge & The Sentimentals, Ashley Heath and Her Heathens, AZTEC SUN, Banknotes, Bob Hill, Cane Mill Road, Carol Rifkin, Carolina Blue, Casey Kristofferson Band, Catfish Keith, Charles Welch, Chris Rodrigues with Abby the Spoonlady, David LaMotte, Dirk Powell Band, Donna the Buffalo, Driftwood, Elephant Sessions, Elizabeth Cook, Ellis Dyson & The Shambles, Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys, Happy Traum, Irish Mythen, Jack Lawrence, Jeff Little Trio, Jim Avett, Jim Lauderdale, Joe Smothers, Jontavious Willis and Andrew Alli, Josh Goforth, Junior Brown, Junior Sisk, Larry Stephenson Band, Laura Boosinger, Lindi Ortega, Mark Bumgarner, Mark & Maggie O’Connor, Maybe April, Michaela Anne, Mile Twelve, The Milk Carton Kids, Mitch Greenhill and String Madness, Molly Tuttle, Nixon, Blevins, & Gage, Pete & Joan Wernick and FLEXIGRASS, Presley Barker, Professor Whizzpop!, Radney Foster, Roy Book Binder, Salt & Light, Scythian, Sean McConnell, Shane Hennessy, Si Kahn & The Looping Brothers, Steep Canyon Rangers, Steve Poltz, T. Michael Coleman, The Black Lillies, The Brother Brothers, The Gibson Brothers, The Harris Brothers, The InterACTive Theatre of Jeff, The Kruger Brothers, The Local Boys, The Trailblazers, The Waybacks, Todd Albright, Tom Feldmann, Tony Williamson, Uncle Joe and The Shady Rest, Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike, Wayne Henderson, Webb Wilder, and Yarn. The lineup and performance schedules are accessible viaMerleFest.org/lineup.

MerleFest is pleased to partner with Come Hear NC, a promotional campaign of the North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources and the North Carolina Arts Council, to celebrate 2019 as “The Year of Music,” a designation Governor Roy Cooper announced in November of last year. MerleFest, honoring its locale, has programmed over 40 artists who currently call North Carolina home, each artist representing a different aspect of the state’s great musical history. Come Hear NC was designed to celebrate North Carolinians’ groundbreaking contributions to many of America’s most important musical genres — blues, bluegrass, jazz, country, gospel, Americana, rock and everything in-between. It’s fitting then, with 2019 as “The Year of Music,” that the Steep Canyon Rangers, also proud North Carolinians, would debut their North Carolina Songbook set at MerleFest.

About MerleFest

MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of the son of the late American music legend Doc Watson, renowned guitarist Eddy Merle Watson. MerleFest is a celebration of "traditional plus" music, a unique mix of traditional, roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, including old-time, classic country, bluegrass, folk and gospel and blues, and expanded to include Americana, classic rock and many other styles. The festival hosts a diverse mix of artists on its 13 stages during the course of the four-day event. MerleFest has become the primary fundraiser for the WCC Foundation, funding scholarships, capital projects and other educational needs.

About Window World

Window World®, headquartered in North Wilkesboro, N.C., is America’s largest replacement window and exterior remodeling company, with more than 200 locally owned offices nationwide. Founded in 1995, the company sells and installs windows, siding, doors and other exterior products, with over 15 million windows sold to date. Window World is an ENERGY STAR® partner and its windows, vinyl siding and Therma-Tru doors have all earned the Good Housekeeping Seal. Through its charitable foundation, Window World Cares®, the Window World family provides funding for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, which honored the foundation with its Organizational Support Award in 2017. Since its inception in 2008, the foundation has raised over $8 million for St. Jude. Window World also supports the Veterans Airlift Command, a nonprofit organization that facilitates free air transportation to wounded veterans and their families. Window World has flown over 100 missions and surpassed $1 million in flights and in-kind donations since it began its partnership with the VAC in 2008. For more information, visitwww.WindowWorld.com or call 1-800 NEXTWINDOW. For home improvement and energy efficiency tips, décor ideas and more, follow Window World on Facebookand Twitter.

About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state's natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. NCDNCR's mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state's history, conserving the state's natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.

NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, two science museums, three aquariums and Jennette's Pier, 39 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the nation's first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, along with the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov.

About the North Carolina Arts Council

The North Carolina Arts Council builds on our state’s long-standing love of the arts, leading the way to a more vibrant future. The Arts Council is an economic catalyst, fueling a thriving nonprofit creative sector that generates $2.12 billion in annual direct economic activity. The Arts Council also sustains diverse arts expression and traditions while investing in innovative approaches to art-making. The North Carolina Arts Council has proven to be a champion for youth by cultivating tomorrow’s creative citizens through arts education. http://www.NCArts.org

For more information, visit www.MerleFest.org.

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angie497 · 7 years ago

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A life goal complete - I have now seen Abby the #Spoonlady. #WestportRootsFestival #WRF #KCLocal #Westport #WestportSaloon (at The Westport Saloon)

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the-record-briefs · 6 years ago

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April 10, 2019: In other news

Wilkes-based group to compete in MeleFest

band competition

The Wilkes County-based band, Alex Key and the Locksmiths, will participate in the MerleFest Band Competition.

The event will be held on the Plaza Stage on Saturday the April 27 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Judged by members of The Local Boys and emceed by Mark Bumgarner, the competition’s winners will be announced at 4 p.m. on the Plaza Stage. The winning band will head over to the Cabin Stage, where they will perform to an enthusiastic MerleFest audience from 6:35 to 7 p.m.

This year’s band competition finalists also include Shay Martin Lovette (Boone), Pretty Little Goat (Brevard), None of the Above (Piedmont Triad), Brooks Forsyth (Boone), Massive Grass (Wilmington), Redleg Husky (Asheville), and The Mike Mitchell Band (Floyd, Va.).

MerleFest has also announced the winners of the 2019 Chris Austin Songwriting Competition.

From its first incarnation in 1993, MerleFest’s annual Chris Austin Songwriting Competition has seen the likes of Gillian Welch, Tift Merritt, and Martha Scanlan rise to the top of an always competitive field of up-and-coming songwriters. Legendary songwriters have presided over the competition from the start as judges, too. Darrell Scott, Hayes Carll, and the late, great Guy Clark have all taken a turn at judging the CASC. This year, the event will be judged byJoey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale, better known as The Milk Carton Kids, Cruz Contreras of The Black Lillies, and Texas-troubadour Radney Foster. Mr. Americana Jim Lauderdale will host the competition and Mark Bumgarner will return as emcee for the finalist contest taking place at MerleFest’s Austin Stage on Friday, April 26th at 2:00 p.m.

This year’s Chris Austin Songwriting Competition Finalists each fall into one of four categories:

Bluegrass:

Wyatt Espalin (Hiawassee, Ga.): “Light Coming Through”

Anya Hinkle (Asheville): “Ballad Of Zona Abston”

James Woolsey (Petersburg, Ind.) and David Foster (Petersburg, IN): “Sugar Ridge Road”

Country:

Hannah Kaminer (Asheville): “Don’t Open Your Heart”

Andrew Millsaps (Ararat): “Ain’t No Genie (In A Bottle Of Jack)”

Shannon Wurst (Fayetteville, Ark.): “Better Than Bourbon”

General:

Wright Gatewood (Chicago, Ill.): “First”

Alexa Rose (Asheville): “Medicine For Living”

Bryan Elijah Smith (Dayton, Va.): “In Through The Dark”

Gospel/Inspirational:

Ashleigh Caudill (Nashville, Tenn.) and Jon Weisberger (Cottontown, Tenn.): “Walkin’ Into Gloryland”

Kevin T. Hale (Brentwood, Tenn.): “We All Die To Live Again”

Russ Parrish (Burnsville, Minn.) and Topher King (Savage, Minn.): “Washed By The Water”

All three finalists in each category will have the chance to perform their songs for the judges on MerleFest’s Austin Stage before category winners are ultimately decided on Friday.

Net proceeds from the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest support the Wilkes Community College Chris Austin Memorial Scholarship. Since its inception, the scholarship has been awarded to 91 deserving students.

Tickets for this year’s festival, backstage tours, as well as the Late Night Jam sponsored by The Bluegrass Situation, may be purchased at www.MerleFest.org or by calling 1-800-343-7857. MerleFest offers a three-tiered pricing structure and encourages fans to take advantage of the extended early bird discount. Early Bird Tier 2 tickets will be available through April 24th. Remaining tickets will be sold at the gate during the festival. Headliners include The Avett Brothers, Brandi Carlile, Amos Lee, Wynonna & the Big Noise, Del McCoury Band, Dailey & Vincent, Tyler Childers, Keb’ Mo’, Sam Bush, The Earls of Leicester, and Peter Rowan and The Free Mexican Air Force. The Late Night Jam sponsored by The Bluegrass Situation will be hosted by Chatham County Line. In addition to the above-mentioned artists, the following will be performing at MerleFest ‘19:

American Aquarium, Andy May, Ana Egge & The Sentimentals, Ashley Heath and Her Heathens, AZTEC SUN, Banknotes, Bob Hill, Cane Mill Road, Carol Rifkin, Carolina Blue, Casey Kristofferson Band, Catfish Keith, Charles Welch, Chris Rodrigues with Abby the Spoonlady, David LaMotte, Dirk Powell Band, Donna the Buffalo, Driftwood, Elephant Sessions, Elizabeth Cook, Ellis Dyson & The Shambles, Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys, Happy Traum, Irish Mythen, Jack Lawrence, Jeff Little Trio, Jim Avett, Jim Lauderdale, Joe Smothers, Jontavious Willis and Andrew Alli, Josh Goforth, Junior Brown, Junior Sisk, Larry Stephenson Band, Laura Boosinger, Lindi Ortega, Mark Bumgarner, Mark & Maggie O’Connor, Maybe April, Michaela Anne, Mile Twelve, The Milk Carton Kids, Mitch Greenhill and String Madness, Molly Tuttle, Nixon, Blevins, & Gage, Pete & Joan Wernick and FLEXIGRASS, Presley Barker, Professor Whizzpop!, Radney Foster, Roy Book Binder, Salt & Light, Scythian, Sean McConnell, Shane Hennessy, Si Kahn & The Looping Brothers, Steep Canyon Rangers, Steve Poltz, T. Michael Coleman, The Black Lillies, The Brother Brothers, The Gibson Brothers, The Harris Brothers, The InterACTive Theatre of Jeff, The Kruger Brothers, The Local Boys, The Trailblazers, The Waybacks, Todd Albright, Tom Feldmann, Tony Williamson, Uncle Joe and The Shady Rest, Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike, Wayne Henderson, Webb Wilder, and Yarn. The lineup and performance schedules are accessible viaMerleFest.org/lineup.

About MerleFest:

About Window World:

Window World, headquartered in North Wilkesboro, N.C., is America’s largest replacement window and exterior remodeling company, with more than 200 locally owned offices nationwide. Founded in 1995, the company sells and installs windows, siding, doors and other exterior products, with over 15 million windows sold to date. Window World is an ENERGY STAR partner and its windows, vinyl siding and Therma-Tru doors have all earned the Good Housekeeping Seal. Through its charitable foundation, Window World Cares, the Window World family provides funding for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which honored the foundation with its Organizational Support Award in 2017. Since its inception in 2008, the foundation has raised over $8 million for St. Jude. Window World also supports the Veterans Airlift Command, a nonprofit organization that facilitates free air transportation to wounded veterans and their families. Window World has flown over 100 missions and surpassed $1 million in flights and in-kind donations since it began its partnership with the VAC in 2008. For more information, visit www.WindowWorld.com or call 1-800 NEXTWINDOW. For home improvement and energy efficiency tips, décor ideas and more, follow Window World on Facebookand Twitter.

About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources:

About the North Carolina Arts Council

For more information, visit www.MerleFest.org.

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the-record-newspaper · 6 years ago

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Musical tribute to T.R. Bryan is Sunday at WCC, MerleFest just a week away

Dr. T.R. Bryan

The annual musical Tribute to Dr. T.R. Bryan Jr., will be held on Sunday, April 21, Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro.

The tribute, which kicks off MerleFest week, begins at 2 p.m. It is hosted by the Wilkes Acoustic Folk Society. MerleFest begins on Thursday, April 25, and runs through Sunday, April 28, on the WCC Campus.

Bryan hosted these jams for years, and since his death they have been continued as a tribute to his memory.

This year’s event, as in previous years, will be held beneath the Dance Tent, which is located in front of Thompson Hall.

This year’s lineup is bigger than ever.

Performers will include: Cane Mill Road, Ernest Johnson and Ralph Clanton, Catawba Bluegrass Boys, David Russell and Benjamin Barker, Elkville String Band, Horseplay, R.G. Absher and Friends, Christine Hammel, Mike Rominger, The Ya-Ya's, The Trailblazers, Backporch Bluegrass and The Kruger Brothers.

The concert, which will end after the last group performs, is free to the public.

The Wilkes Acoustic Folk Society (WAFS) will also host free jams beginning during their monthly meeting, which will also be held at the Dance Tent, on Monday evening, April 22. The meeting starts at 7 p.m.

Pre-MerleFest Jams will be held on Tuesday, April 23 and Wednesday, April 24, starting at 6 p.m., at the same location on the Wilkesboro campus. Other tents will also be set up for the jams. The jams prior to the festival are free and no wristbands are required.

During MerleFest anyone with an admittance wristband can bring instruments and participate in the various jams that are hosted by WAFS, which will be held throughout festival hours.

MerleFest only a week away

Now that MerleFest, presented by Window World, is only one week away, annual festival-goers have surely begun planning their weekends. For those who have not, however, here are five sure-to-be epic experiences that shouldn’t be missed.

The festival begins Thursday, April 25 and runs through Sunday, April 28.

The Avett Brothers Homecoming:

Concord, North Carolina’s own Avett Brothers will be having a homecoming of sorts, closing out MerleFest on the Watson Stage Sunday afternoon. Only 79 miles from where the Avett’s were born and raised, MerleFest has seen the band of brothers return time and time again. Be sure to see them in their purest element at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Del, the Birthday Boy:

Sunday afternoon also brings about another kind of celebration. Bluegrass patriarch and legend Del McCoury will be celebrating his 80th birthday on MerleFest’s Hillside Stage at 1:30 p.m.

Steep Canyon Rangers NC Songbook Set:

The Steep Canyon Rangers set at MerleFest is titled the North Carolina Songbook and is a tribute to this state’s vast musical heritage. The band says, “The influence of North Carolinians can be heard in almost every genre of popular music from Earl Scruggs to John Coltrane. Many of them worked in textile mills by day and played music with friends and family on the weekends. They will perform at 2:40 p.m. Sunday on the Watson Stage.

Annual Wayback’s Album Hour:

Every year, fans flock to the Hillside Stage to see the San Francisco-based Waybacks perform a kept-secret-until-showtime classic rock album—in its entirety—with the help of some high-profile friends. Fans should keep an eye on the band’s social media pages to see if they can use the clues to crack the Album Hour code before it happens at 3:15 p.m. Saturday on the Hillside Stage.

In addition to the above-mentioned artists, the following will be performing at MerleFest ‘19: American Aquarium, Andy May, Ana Egge & The Sentimentals, Ashley Heath and Her Heathens, AZTEC SUN, Banknotes, Bob Hill, Cane Mill Road, Carol Rifkin, Carolina Blue, Casey Kristofferson Band, Catfish Keith, Charles Welch, Chris Rodrigues with Abby the Spoonlady, David LaMotte, Dirk Powell Band, Donna the Buffalo, Driftwood, Elephant Sessions, Elizabeth Cook, Ellis Dyson & The Shambles, Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys, Happy Traum, Irish Mythen, Jack Lawrence, Jeff Little Trio, Jim Avett, Jim Lauderdale, Joe Smothers, Jontavious Willis and Andrew Alli, Josh Goforth, Junior Brown, Junior Sisk, Larry Stephenson Band, Laura Boosinger, Lindi Ortega, Mark Bumgarner, Mark & Maggie O’Connor, Maybe April, Michaela Anne, Mile Twelve, The Milk Carton Kids, Mitch Greenhill and String Madness, Molly Tuttle, Nixon, Blevins, & Gage, Pete & Joan Wernick and FLEXIGRASS, Presley Barker, Professor Whizzpop!, Radney Foster, Roy Book Binder, Salt & Light, Scythian, Sean McConnell, Shane Hennessy, Si Kahn & The Looping Brothers, Steep Canyon Rangers, Steve Poltz, T. Michael Coleman, The Black Lillies, The Brother Brothers, The Gibson Brothers, The Harris Brothers, The InterACTive Theatre of Jeff, The Kruger Brothers, The Local Boys, The Trailblazers, The Waybacks, Todd Albright, Tom Feldmann, Tony Williamson, Uncle Joe and The Shady Rest, Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike, Wayne Henderson, Webb Wilder, and Yarn. The lineup and performance schedules are accessible viaMerleFest.org/lineup.

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