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Music. Moments. Memories.

Music. Moments. Memories.

by | Apr 26, 2023 | April 2023, Do

MerleFest returns April 27–30!

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!

What to Expect at MerleFest 2022

What to Expect at MerleFest 2022

by | Apr 27, 2022 | April 2022, Do, Web Exclusive

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!