WEB EXCLUSIVE Triangle-based band Into the Fog to take the stage at the annual IBMA World of Bluegrass festival after taking home the W at the MerleFest Band Competition.
After more than a year of having nearly nowhere to play, members of the Triangle-based genre-bending newgrass trio Into the Fog are finding themselves escaping into the light of potential stardom.
Gigs ranging from Cary’s Lazy Daze Arts and Craft Festival to Banjos and Beers at The Raleigh Times to MerleFest are filling up the band’s dance card as quickly as they can book them, says Brian Stephenson, who plays guitar and sings for the fledgling group he helped found three years ago (rounding out the trio are Winston Mitchell and Derek Lane, who are often helped out onstage by friends Will Maxwell, Jack Snyder, Connor Kozlosky and Matt Austin).
And, now, you can catch the spotlight-stealing band this Thursday at The Pour House Music Hall as part of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s annual World of Bluegrass conference and festival’s IBMA Ramble.
TheNews & Observer mentioned Into the Fog as one of 10 acts attendees shouldn’t miss during the celebration, which runs through Oct. 2 at Red Hat Amphitheatre, the Raleigh Convention Center and myriad other Downtown venues as part of the IBMA Ramble and Wide Open Bluegrass celebration on Fayetteville Street on Friday and Saturday.
But no matter where they’re playing, Into the Fog brings a unique blend of bluegrass and blues mixed with some outlaw country and funk to any stage they find themselves on.
“We were really just coming together as a band when we went out to the Telluride (Colorado) Bluegrass Festival in 2017 to compete in its annual band competition,” Stephenson explained after playing a set on the Hillside Stage at the recent 2021 MerleFest music festival in Wilkesboro. “We didn’t win the competition, unfortunately, and, then, well, you know, COVID.”
After the band’s pandemic-induced hiatus, the boys, who hail mainly from Wake Forest and around the Triangle, have reemerged as the most recent winners of the coveted MerleFest Band Competition.
Fifteen hot minutes on the tiny Plaza Stage on Saturday afternoon were all the band was given to compete against nine other talented acts. Into the Fog used every bit of its time to persuade judges they deserved that spot on the Hillside Stage on Sunday morning to kick off the last day of the four-day festival.
“I still can’t believe we won after hearing some of the competition,” said Stephenson, who wasn’t afraid to share his emotional response to winning with his bandmates and friends who gathered around him after the announcement. “I cried again when I called my mom.”
It appears Into the Fog is just getting started, or, restarted as it were. While not part of the IBMA festivities, the band is playing at The Pour House again Friday with The Wooks and Stillhouse Junkies. You’re going to want to keep an eye on Into the Fog’s rise to stardom—as they’re only going up from here.
WEB EXCLUSIVE Despite changes, the 33rd annual MerleFest promises to be one fun-filled event.
The show must go on, as they say, and so too will MerleFest 2021, taking place Sept. 16–19 this year on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro. Albeit a little different this year (as most things are these days…) the 33rd annual MerleFest will bring the high energy and exciting performances seen in years past—and promises to be worth the 2.5-hour drive from Raleigh.
MerleFest, now synonymous with its mix of traditional roots-oriented music from the Appalachian region, will feature a plethora of world-class bands and artists on its 13 stages, including Sturgill Simpson, Tedeschi Trucks, Melissa Etheridge, Mavis Staples, Margo Price, LeAnn Rimes and so many more.
Named for musician Eddy Merle Watson, son of the late, great guitarist, singer and songwriter Doc Watson, MerleFest has maintained its deep roots as a launchpad for young artists like longtime “house band” Scythian, who performed in the parking lot outside the festival for attendees waiting on buses before being invited in by Doc Watson, who also “discovered” Old Crow Medicine Show, while they were busking on a sidewalk in Boone.
And it’s those young artists that help make MerleFest moments so special. For bands like Into the Fog, who will make their MerleFest debut on Saturday on The Plaza stage as part of the annual Battle of the Bands, their 15 minutes of fame could lead to a full set on the Hillside Stage if they win.
Having the opportunity to perform at MerleFest is a dream come true for Into the Fog band member and Wake Forest native Brandon Stephenson, who performed at Cary’s Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts Festival and during the latest edition of Banjos and Beers with Hank Smith at Raleigh Times.
“MerleFest is one of the most prestigious bluegrass festivals in the country, and I love Doc Watson so much, so it’s definitely an honor to perform there and get a chance to prove ourselves,” Stephenson said before the band’s set at Raleigh Times.
And make sure you sit in on some of the finalists in the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. Upcoming songwriters get the opportunity to play their original songs in front of a panel of professional songwriters and other insiders from the Nashville music scene. Jim Lauderdale hosts the contest, for which past winners include the likes of recently Oscar-nominated Gillian Welch, the Triangle’s Tiff Merritt, Chapel Hill-based Mipso’s Joseph Terrell, and Melody Walker of Front Country fame.
You also don’t want to miss the Late Night Jam, a MerleFest tradition on Saturday night at WCC’s 1,100-seat Walker Center. This year’s Jam is hosted by Shinyribs and Music City Roots and features Lauderdale, Donna the Buffalo, Brittney Spencer and more in a Gulf Coast-themed jam.
And, finally, bring your wallet because you’re going to want to do some shopping at The Shoppes at MerleFest, which is full of local and not-so-local artisans and their wares, and multiple vendors representing local schools, churches and other organizations that serve up a wide variety of delicious fare—from Thai cuisine and giant turkey legs to pinto beans and cornbread to hot dogs and hamburgers to European-inspired pastries from Wilkes Community College’s baking and pastry arts students.
So whether you’re a first-timer or have been coming to MerleFest since 1988, you’re in for a glorious weekend of live music, local vendors, delicious food and what’s sure to be one unforgettable time. Let the show go on! Proof of vaccination or negative COVID test required for entry; for more more information and tickets go to merlefest.org
Two Campbell Law School alums are taking vodka distilling to the next level.
Take two successful lawyers with a desire to do something different. Start with a centuries-old family recipe, resurrected at a family reunion. Gather the ingredients, primarily rice. Cook it down, cool it, then put it in a still. Wait for the result—Bedlam Vodka, a smooth, gluten-free, “drinkable” spirit made at Durham’s Graybeard Distillery.
The lawyers, Brandon Evans and Scott Russ, are 2006 graduates of Campbell Law School, which moved from Buie’s Creek to downtown Raleigh in 2009. Three years ago, both were seeking a new professional challenge.
“Scott came to me with this recipe and, honestly, what attracted me to [it] right away was the backstory, the history to it,” Evans said in a recent interview for the Campbell University podcast Rhymes with Orange. “Today’s consumers look for authenticity. No longer can you slap a goose on something and charge $30 for a bottle with no history. People are looking for something that has roots.”
Russ, who was winding down his law practice in 2016, had been experimenting to adapt an old family recipe of poitín—a traditional Irish distilled beverage made from rice during the country’s potato famine—into something he thought American consumers would enjoy.
The old style of poitín distilling used a malted barley base for the mash, the same method used for single malt or pure pot still whiskey distilled in Ireland today. Bedlam Vodka started out as an unaged whiskey and, during the famine, Russ says his family was struggling to feed themselves. “They hit upon this idea to use rice, which had a fantastic yield and a great taste.”
Russ let Evans try the recipe, which he was perfecting in his garage in a 5-gallon pot still; Evans liked it, and a business was born. But the pair found significant differences between making spirits in a 5-gallon still to making it in a 1,500-gallon still. After buying the requisite machinery, they spent weeks at the distillery around the clock, sleeping on cots, trying to figure out how to make vodka on a large scale.
“Us knowing nothing about the industry was the fun part,” Evans said of learning to navigate vodka distilling and distributing at scale. “We had the law background and some business background and that always, always helps understanding how to navigate legal and corporate hurdles.”
“The best part, for me, was combining the best parts of law school and the best part of legal practice—latching onto something, trying to understand all the parts, distilling, how the industry works, how the consumer thinks, the regulations, the rules,” Russ added. “Our legal training has been our best asset.”
The Bedlam brand name is taken from a rugged coastal town in northwestern Ireland but derives its attitude and purpose from the definition of “bedlam” to mean chaos and conflict. Fast forward to today and Bedlam Vodka has received gold medal awards in San Francisco and Singapore and earned double gold in China. It was also named one of the top three vodkas in the U.S. at the London Spirits Competition last month.
Brandon Evans, Governor Roy Cooper and Scott Russ; Photo by Terrence Jones
With the recent passage of Senate Bill 290, which, as of September, allows distilleries to make and sell cocktails on their premises, the Bedlam brand has even more room to grow.
“It allows us to sell what the consumer wants [directly] and to show how the product can be used,” Russ said. “We can operate the distillery as a destination, where you can hang out for the day.”
“You go big or you go home,” Evans added. “We wanted to be prepared to compete with the masses. We developed this distillery to be the largest in North Carolina. We wanted to progress quickly.”
Graybeard Distillery is open for tours; learn more at bedlamvodka.com
For the uninitiated, MerleFest wasn’t named for Merle Haggard, although the country legend has performed at the top-rated Americana roots festival over the years. MerleFest, now synonymous with its mix of traditional, roots-oriented music from the Appalachian region, was named for another musician, Eddy Merle Watson, son of the late, great guitarist, singer and songwriter Doc Watson.
A 2.5-hour drive from Raleigh, MerleFest’s 2019 headliners—The Avett Brothers, Brandi Carlile, Wynonna & the Big Noise, Dailey & Vincent, Tyler Childers, Keb’ Mo’, Sam Bush, The Earls of Leicester, Peter Rowan, Amos Lee, The Milk Carton Kids, Steep Canyon Rangers, Scythian and The Del McCoury Band—will no doubt draw music fans to the campus of Wilkes Community College in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
One of the best things about attending MerleFest, whether you’re there for the first time or the 15th, is all of the “new” acts just waiting to be discovered as you wander among the festival’s 13 stages. In between the headliners’ sets on the main Watson Stage are myriad opportunities to check out lesser-known acts among the 80-plus artists set to perform.
Here are six reasons why you should make the short trip to the annual musical homecoming event, which marks the unofficial kickoff to the region’s outdoor music festival season.
1.The Late Night Jam. Raleigh’s own Chatham County Line will host this year’s event, presented by The Bluegrass Situation. This MerleFest tradition takes place Saturday night from 10:30 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. at WCC’s 1,100-seat Walker Center. Be warned, tickets are sold separately for this event and sell out quickly.
2. The Food. Vendors representing local schools, churches and other organizations serve up a wide variety of delicious dishes—from Thai cuisine to pinto beans to European-inspired pastries from Wilkes Community College’s baking and pastry arts students.
3. The Hillside Album Hour. This wildly popular set will see its 12th incarnation Saturday. The Waybacks, a supremely talented band of musicians with roots in the San Francisco Bay area, came up with the idea for the set and over the years, it has included mashups of artists playing such classics as The Allman Brothers’ “Eat A Peach,” Bob Dylan’s and the Band’s “Before the Flood,” and The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
4. The Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. Upcoming songwriters get the opportunity to play their original songs before a panel of professional songwriters and other insiders from the Nashville music scene. Jim Lauderdale hosts the contest and past winners include the recently Oscar-nominated Gillian Welch, the Triangle’s Tiff Merritt, Chapel Hill-based Mipso’s Joseph Terrell and Melody Walker of Front Country fame.
5. Battle of the Bands. The annual MerleFest Band Competition features talented bands from across the country, each performing for 15 minutes.
6. Backstage Tours. These 15-person tours are a relatively new addition, led by guides who have firsthand knowledge of MerleFest. The tours include a visit to the Doc Watson Dressing Room, which many fans consider hallowed ground.
MerleFest takes place in Wilkesboro, NC from April 25-28. Get tickets and more info at merlefest.org. Early Bird Tier 2 tickets available through April 24. Remaining tickets will be sold at the gate during the festival.
