After almost 40 years, MerleFest hasn’t lost sight of the music.
MerleFest has festivals figured out—and Raleigh should take note. The famed folk fest drew ~80K fans to the foothills of the Appalachian mountains April 23–26 (the hosting town, Wilkesboro, has a population of just 3,650) for the four-day music fete at Wilkes Community College.
The fest—founded in 1988 by local bluegrass legend Doc Watson—was launched as a tribute to Watson’s late son Merle, who shared his skill for the genre. Watson always maintained that MerleFest was meant to deliver “traditional-plus” music, a term he and Merle coined to describe “the traditional music of the Appalachian region plus whatever other styles we were in the mood to play.”
In tune with that philosophy, the lineup always includes blues, country, roots rock, and folk—standout artists such as Old Crow Medicine Show, Steep Canyon Rangers, Joy Oladokun and Molly Tuttle joined the lineup this year—and make for a who’s who of big names and trailblazers propelling the genres forward.
Merlefest hit happy mediums across the board: It’s fam-friendly but all ages and all demographics can be spotted, and it’s perfectly low-maintenance—you don’t need to plan outfits weeks in advance or haul yourself across the county looking for a clear purse that fits the guidelines. And because the event is entirely alcohol-free, both the fans and the fest are uniquely focused on the music over the bustle and booze that often come alongside music fests.
As someone who has witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly at music fests across the country, myriad traits left me pleasantly surprised as a first-timer. Here, all the ways MerleFest won me over.
Rain, Rain, Here to Stay I quickly found out that it famously rains every year during MerleFest—at least three locals gleefully told me—and despite the severe drought this year, Mother Nature still provided (the adage allegedly passed around claims the MerleFest rain is the only time a year the “hippies take a bath”). The show went on with ease—all those years of rain stacked up to a lot of unbothered festival goers and multiple booths handing out ponchos.
Jam-Packed Yes, the lineup was immaculate and I thoroughly enjoyed every set I caught, but my favorite performances happened underneath the pickin’ tents, where locals and patrons toting instruments gathered for mini jam seshs.
Each group would simply pick a song and go, bouncing off each other’s notes and chatting as they went—and the musicians that showed were all over the map. Read: A 92-year-old man with a trucker hat, a violin and an incredibly soothing singing voice, followed by an eight(ish)-year-old picking a banjo while holding intense eye contact and coaxing passerbyers over to lend him an ear.
Festival Food Hall Not only were all the food ops local, but they were very inexpensive, by fest and non-fest standards—and in this economy, that’s huge. I’ve never eaten so much at a festival (a Philly cheesesteak, kettle corn and ice cream were all on my menu) and not felt like my bank account was crying. To boot, all the food was very appetizing. Because the fest is entirely alcohol-free, one local theorized with me that they can’t get away with selling mid food to tipsy fete-goers like other festivals can.
Parking = No Problem Transit was shockingly a breeze. Parking is free, and a free (and fast!) shuttle service is provided to and from the fest. Read: The line for the shuttle never took more than 10 minutes, making for a smooth getaway.
Ahead of Raleigh’s last IBMA World of Bluegrass fest (Sept. 24–28), Billy Warden—who helped launched the festival with former business partner Greg Behr—reflects on its transformative decade-long run.
Who would’ve thunk that one of the brightest chapters in Raleigh history would involve so many banjo jokes? Since the International Bluegrass Music Association’s annual festival first landed here in 2013, the good-natured jabs have flown as fast as the notes in an Earl Scruggs solo.
“We were worried we’d be late,” one band deadpanned onstage. “Our banjo player locked himself inside his car again.”
But the festival’s success here is no joke. It was that once-in-a-blue-moon party where everyone leaves their country club insignias and other status symbols at home and shows up with the sole purpose of gettin’ down. With the jamboree wrapping up its run in Raleigh before moving on to Chattanooga, it’s worth celebrating the music made and lessons learned.
As bluegrass lyrics make achingly clear, the world used to be considerably different. In 2013, Richard Florida’s bestseller The Rise of the Creative Class was still an economic development lodestar, with its accent on trailblazing tech workers and hipster hang outs. Every mid-size city in America pined for its own version of Austin’s South by Southwest (SXSW), a “signature event” at the crowded crossroads of music, media, tech, design and uber just-flew-in-from-the-coast coolness.
Meanwhile, Raleigh was primed to host a major happening of some kind. The city had recently constructed a gleaming convention center and an accompanying amphitheater—along with reviving Downtown’s main artery, Fayetteville Street.
When a team that included staff from the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Raleigh Convention Center, PineCone (Piedmont Council of Traditional Music), and key sponsors notched a deal with IBMA, a group with a national profile, many cheered. Some, though, wondered if the appeal of bluegrass would be too narrow, or if other attractions—such as MerleFest—had already cornered the market.
But bluegrass proved the perfect centerpiece for a community love-in. The genre is familiar and easy going, though not easy to play—serving up both neighborliness and virtuosity.
Billy Warden introducing one of the hundreds of acts that’ve performed over the years. Photo courtesy of Billy Warden
Sprinkling free music stages, crafts and dance tents over a generous swath of Downtown blocks, the festival immediately caught on with the lifeblood of Raleigh—not jet-setters, but young families. Here was an event that embraced a “take the kids” ethos as emphatically as that all-time-favorite funnel cake factory, the NC State Fair.
Everybody was welcome. At the festival, I bumped into buddies from high school and their teenage kids as well as the crowd of parents who chided me when I was a young’un. This also played out on the music stages, which often featured a picker as weathered as Grandfather Mountain jamming with a wet-behind-the-ears prodigy.
My own folks—steeped in ’60s pop, classic soul and the great balladeers (namely Barry Manilow)—had no stock in bluegrass to start, but came to cherish the festival scene.
In a marvelous moment of serendipity, the music that is as old as the hills proved oddly kismet with the latest and greatest in consumer tech. Because bluegrass relies on acoustic instruments, it’s relatively easy to set up and enjoy anywhere, including in hallways, hotel rooms, and sundry other corners and crannies. This led to innumerable impromptu jam sessions that awestruck fans captured on their mobile phone cameras and transmogrified into that Holy Grail of marketing, viral videos. Eat your heart out, SXSW!
Well over 100,000 revelers poured into the festival’s debut, with the numbers building in following years. The momentum was electrifying. The zeal fueled the spunk and smarts on display in 2015 when organizers moved the entire kit-and-caboodle inside the convention center after Hurricane Joaquin changed course and barrelled down on the city. The civic-minded heroics involved ought to be taught in Raleigh elementary schools; the logistics would make instructive reading for the U.S. nuclear submarine fleet.
This arm-in-arm, the-show-must-go-on spirit again took centerstage as another potential disaster loomed—COVID-19. No festival fared particularly well during the pandemic, but the most able pivoted to an online experience. Even stripped of its in-person bonhomie, the streaming-only version of the festival in 2020 was a tonic in scary times—a home remedy that went down smoothly and reassuringly.
A decade after the festival’s debut, Raleigh is in a different spot. Rather than seeking a shot at proving itself, Downtown is bouncing back from a few challenging years, mostly involving the post-pandemic depopulation of offices. But that rebound will no doubt come. We’ve shown we have what it takes—namely a heart as big as an all-welcoming front porch.
The 36th annual MerleFest promises something for every musical taste.
The North Carolina foothills are about to come alive again with the sound of music (someone call Julie Andrews!). The 36th edition of MerleFest—the annual celebration of “traditional-plus” music (think a mix of bluegrass, newgrass, blues, country, rock, folk and more)—is rolling through Wilkes Community College campus in Wilkesboro April 25–28.
Founded by late legend Doc Watson, the Americana fest—named after Watson’s son and fellow picker, Merle—promises something for every musical taste, with 100+ musicians taking to 13 stages throughout the weekend. A musical choose your own adventure, if you will. Nearly 80,000 festivalgoers from across the country and beyond are expected to attend this year’s festival, according to MerleFest Director Frederick “B” William Townes IV, affectionately known as the father of MerleFest.
Want to go to MerleFest for free? The festival is still looking for volunteers, which typically number more than 4,000! Email [email protected] to learn more.
Also a boon for the community, the economic impact totals ~$12–15 million, with the revenue serving 45 local nonprofits. “It grew from a one-day one-man concert to a two-day multistage festival,” he adds—“and, as they say, the rest is history.”
And while on that quest for the next musical phenom, don’t miss the annual MerleFest Band Competition, which allows you to hear previously unknown talents (and the next big thing) from across the country as they compete on the Plaza Stage on Saturday for the coveted spot of performing on the festival’s Hillside Stage on Sunday. That is, of course, if you’re not too tired out to catch the winners after staying up for the rollicking Saturday Night Jam or from the Dance Tent. (Push through—you won’t regret it!)Beyond all the great sets, the second-largest tourist draw to North Carolina is about so much more than the music. There’s shopping, a wide range of local fare, nature walk ops and documentary screenings. But, most importantly, it’s about the people—from the longtime volunteers to the fans who have never missed a festival to the first-time attendees. Jerry Douglas, master dobro player of Alison Krauss & Union Station and the Earls of Leicester, calls it a homecoming and a reunion for the musicians as well as their fans. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. One-day tickets from $80, multiday tickets from $205, merlefest.org
Spring 🤝 live music. Kicking off concert season is MerleFest, a celebration of “traditional plus” music (aka a unique mix of sounds from the Appalachian region—think bluegrass, Americana, country, blues, rock and others) taking place April 27–30 at Wilkesboro Community College. The term was coined by the late, great Doc Watson, who founded the festival 35 years ago to honor and remember his son and fellow picker Merle.
This year marks what would have been Watson’s 100th birthday and festival organizers have pulled out all the stops to celebrate, including one of the most impressive lineup of headliners the festival has ever hosted (!).
Acts include NC’s own The Avett Brothers; Southern rockers The Black Crowes’ Chris and Rich Robinson; Little Feat and Marcus King; the reunited acoustic Nickel Creek; country phenoms Maren Morris, Lori McKenna, Miko Marks and Tanya Tucker; guitar virtuoso Tommy Emmanuel; and perennial MerleFest fan-favorites Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and house band Scythian—just to name a few.
While it’s almost always the headliners that draw in the crowds, it’s the myriad other artists—the ones found in the small print on the bottom of the festival poster—that make MerleFest so special. That’s because those lower-tier acts playing on the Creekside or Cabin stages today often find themselves as the headliners on the main Watson Stage in a few short years. And that’s when you can brag that you “discovered” the latest “overnight” success. It’s win-win!
On that quest for the next musical phenom, don’t miss the annual MerleFest Band Competition. The contest allows festival attendees to hear previously unknown talents from across the country as they compete on the Plaza Stage on Saturday for the coveted spot of performing on the festival’s Cabin Stage in front of thousands of festivalgoers.
Of course, MerleFest is about so much more than the music that’s played on more than a dozen stages, around campfires and in spontaneous picking circles that pop up all over the rolling campus. It’s about shopping at unique vendors and eating a variety of yummy local fare, which also supports the community in a variety of ways. Most importantly, it’s about the people—from the longtime volunteers to the fans who have never missed a festival in 35 years to the folks who will show up for the first time—but not their last. Think of it like both a homecoming and a reunion for the musicians and their fans.
“I love everything about MerleFest,” says Raleigh’s Danny Rosin, president and co-owner of Brand Fuel, who never misses attending the festival with a gang of family and friends. “But one of my favorite things about MerleFest is that I see folks there that I only see at MerleFest year after year. It’s really special.”
For this particular milestone event, organizers will also feature MerleFest’s unique history and present unique collaborations to honor the founding folk icon. In addition to the Doc-Centennial, not-to-be-missed traditions include Donna The Buffalo’s opening night dance party on Thursday, The Waybacks’ legendary Album Hour set on Saturday at the Hillside Stage, and a trio of Sunday morning gospel sets at the Creekside Stage. Another highlight will be Doc Watson’s 100th Birthday Jam hosted by The Kruger Brothers on Saturday. Also new this year: My Name Is Merle, director Robert Kinlaw’s latest documentary, is set to premiere Saturday at 4:30pm at the Walker Center.
The weekend forecast currently anticipates rain—but would it really be MerleFest if it didn’t?! No matter what, it won’t stop the music. Rock on!
MerleFest 2022 brings headliners Emmy Lou Harris, Josh Turner, Old Crow Medicine Show, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band—and a whole lot more.
Spring has sprung in North Carolina and that means music fans from around the world will make their annual pilgrimage to the campus of Wilkesboro Community College for one of the country’s most beloved weekends of live music, MerleFest. Here, music writer Lisa Snedeker gives her hot take on this year’s beloved roots-based music festival.
If you haven’t already blocked off the weekend of April 28–May 1 on your calendar—trust me on this—you’re going to want to because this year’s lineup is one of the festival’s most impressive. And if you consider the fact we all met for this storied festival less than six months ago, it’s even more formidable.
While I know many festival goers will purchase tickets because they want to see the headliners—think Emmy Lou Harris, Josh Turner, Old Crow Medicine Show, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Greensky Bluegrass, Trampled By Turtles, Steep Canyon Rangers, Jerry Douglas and many other talented acts—it’s the myriad “other” acts you’re not going to want to miss. I often find that it’s the acts in the small print at the bottom of the festival poster that become the headliners of the future and each new festival gives you a chance to discover them before anyone else!
Caleb Caudle, a newcomer to MerleFest, is just such a performer for me. I first heard him perform at the now unfortunately defunct Phuzzfest in Winston-Salem. I knew immediately I wanted to hear more from this amazing young talent. He later introduced me to another favorite band, Raleigh-based Jack the Radio, who opened for Caudle at another Winston-Salem show in another sadly defunct music space, The Garage. I have been writing about Caudle long before Rolling Stone finally caught on to his amazing talents—and for good reason.
It’s been said that MerleFest is a homecoming, a reunion of sorts for fans and musicians alike. Familiar faces include the one and only Sam Bush, who has never missed a MerleFest since it first started on the back of a flatbed truck in the middle of a then-field; MerleFest’s house band Scythian and their friends from across the pond, We Banjo Three; The Wood Brothers; The Steel Wheels; Darrell Scott; and, well, you get the picture.
There are too many other great acts to mention them all here, but you can find a full lineup at this link.
Additionally, this year’s Late Night Jam features Hogslop String Band, whose unique sound and amazing energy I had the pleasure of experiencing at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Wide Open Bluegrass event in Raleigh in October. The group will be joined on Saturday by myriad guests for a night of “The Times They Are A-Changin – Songs From the ’60s and ’70s Folk-Rock Revolution.”
And that brings me to Will Easter, a native son and recent graduate of WCC, who looks and sounds like he should be in a ’70s folk-rock band. He will be among those competing in this year’s Battle of the Bands, one of my favorite things to check out at MerleFest, along with the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. Get your tickets!
