Blue Highway will be celebrating their 30th anniversary as a bluegrass band, and recording a live album, over the course of two nights at the end of March.
Like most university theaters, the site of the Powell Recital Hall where the shows will be held are not large, but well equipped for recording. Therefore, ticket availability is low, so those interested in attending and being part of a live recording should act quickly.
A number of very special guests will also be featured during the shows, which are scheduled for March 27-28. Blue Highway will perform songs from across their three decade career for this retrospective project. They are sure to be night’s to remember!
After the 2022 festival season, the Day family felt compelled to end things on a high note, and decided to close their longtime festival. After learning the news, Aaron approached the Days about taking the helm and maintaining the same level of integrity and entertainment.
McDaris tells us the first time he was there, at age 13, he was hooked. “I loved everything: the bands, camping, jamming, and meeting new friends,” he says.
Since we first reported that the Starvy Creek Bluegrass Festival would undergo a change in management in July 2023, things have gone exceptionally well. This last weekend at the 50th Annual Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA) Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, McDaris accepted the award for Bluegrass Promoter of the Year.
“We’re excited about our 40th anniversary festival season at Starvy Creek,” says McDaris. “We’re pleased and excited to announce that we’ve been able to purchase the festival park, and we plan to keep the festival going for as long as we can.”
The upcoming July and September festivals promise to increase involvement from festival attendees as well. McDaris plans to incorporate several new activities designed to encourage youth in bluegrass at a place where he, too, was inspired to play music as a youngster.
I attended this festival for the first time in 2024, and was thoroughly impressed. Starvy Creek is one of the best festivals in the nation, and it looks like it will only continue to improve. Congratulations to the McDaris family!
For more information about Starvy Creek and the upcoming festivals, please visit the festival online.
Saturday morning at SPBGMA brought the first round of the band competition. Over a dozen bands from all over the country took part. Contestants from Alaska to Florida and all points in between vied against one another in the 50th SPBGMA International Band Competition. The second round took place later in the afternoon with the final rounds to name the champions to be crowned on Sunday.
Saturday evening brought great entertainment in the form of The Larry Stephenson Band, The Junior Sisk Band, Nothin’ Fancy, The Grascals, and Rhonda Vincent and the Rage.
The awards show brought a few surprises. Junior Sisk made a very emotional speech as he accepted the trophy for album of the year. Junior was totally unaware that he had even been nominated for the award. He was backstage tuning his guitar when his name was called. The big winner for the night was The Kody Norris Show, taking home five awards including Entertainer of the Year.
Roger Black shared this gallery of photos from opening day at the 2025 SPBGMA Fest in Nashville, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the organization founded by Chuck Stearman in 1975. While this Nashville weekend is technically the 41st National Convention & Band Championship and Bluegrass Music Awards, it is 50 for the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America.
Here is another gallery of photos from last weekend’s Pickin’ For A Purpose concert to raise money for those whose homes were damaged during Hurricane Helene in east Tennessee. They were taken by show promoter Ronnie Crum’s nephew, Devin Wilcox.
Donations to AIDNET of Greene County are still being accepted online.
Sam Bush and the Brooklyn Arts Center are offering artists the opportunity to open for him and his Sam Bush Band on February 16 in Wilmington, NC.
Bands, small ensembles, and solo acts are eligible to enter for this opening slot, with the only stipulation being that the selected opener must complement Sam’s sound and its bluegrass roots, and require complicated sound reinforcement needs, and not include drums. The chosen act will get a 30 minute set ahead of Sam and the band.
Anyone interested simply has to fill out an online form with you or your band’s name, your email address, and a link to an audio track or video demonstrating why you are a good fit.
Entries must be received by January 31, with the winner to be announced on February 5.
Artists from anywhere are invited to submit, but there is no compensation offered for this performance.
Full details and the entry form can be found online.
Anna Kline, Peter Rowan, and Alison Brown as Pete accepts his Lifetime Achievement Award
Lifelong bluegrass icon Peter Rowan accepted a Lifetime Achievement Achievement Award last night at the kickoff concert for Ireland’s Your Roots Are Showing conference, Folk In Fusion.
The show was held at the INEC Arena in Killarney, where Rowan performed along with Ron Block, Rhiannon Giddens, Sandy Kelly, Brendan McCreanor, Gerry O’Connor, Liam Ó Maonlaí, and Kenny Sharp and Brown Liquor Music.
Rowan’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the first such given by the organization, was presented by Anna Kline, Business Development Director for the IBMA, and Alison Brown, award-winning banjo player and producer, and founder of Compass Records.
Brendan McCreanor, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Your Roots Are Showing, says that Peter was a perfect choic. for the debut of this award.
“Peter Rowan’s music is timeless, blending tradition with innovation in a way that resonates deeply. Playing onstage with him was an unforgettable experience, and this award is a fitting tribute to his profound impact on the global folk community and the stories he’s brought to life.”
After accepting his award Peter played a brief set on stage and then sat in with many of the artists on the bill.
Billed as Picker’s Paradise, running June 3-6, the event will offer music instruction from the members of the ‘Dusters, jamming opportunities, and group classes, all in a gorgeous setting amidst the Catskills Forest Preserve. And of course there will be performances from the band, together, and as individuals.
This is what Music Masters has been doing since 2000, bringing in national touring acts to offer this sort of immersive experience for fans and music students, with instructional programs offered to players at any level of skill and experience.
Classes with the band members will be offered for guitar, mandolin, fiddle, bass, banjo, bass, and reso-guitar, along with harmony, music theory, songwriting, and tune writing, plus sessions for pro and semi-pro players about performing before an audience and making a band work. You can see the full, four-day schedule online.
There will be plenty of opportunities to meet and talk with the band, who will also be staying on site.
All this doesn’t come cheap, with registration at Picker’s Paradise ranging from a commuter rate of $1,560 for those staying elsewhere for the duration, to a premium rate of $2,595 for deluxe, studio-style accommodations with private decks, Adirondack chairs, and dramatic vistas. There are also packages for RV and tent camping attendees, and all meals are included in the total fee.
Scholarships are available, and Music Masters solicits donations of any size to that end.
Full details can be found online for this intimate Infamous Stringdusters experience.
The big Pickin’ For A Purpose concert, scheduled for tomorrow night (January 11) to provide funding for hurricane disaster relief in Greene County, TN, has been rescheduled, postponed for one week because of the snow and ice storm bearing down on the region.
We have spoken with the concert promoter, who says that they have been able to retain the location at the Chuckey-Doak High School auditorium in Afton, TN for the 18th, and all but one of the booked bands are also able to perform next week.
Scheduled to appear are Blue Highway, Lonesome River Band, Tennessee Borderline, Red Camel Collective, and No Joke Jimmy’s. Springfield Exit, originally booked for tomorrow night, can’t make it next Saturday, but The Grascals are scheduled in their place.
Rather than an admission fee, attendees are requested to simply make a donation upon entry of whatever they can afford. Proceeds will go to AIDNET of Greene County, who are providing assistance with cleanup and rebuilding in east Tennessee from a base in Greeneville following the devastation that followed Hurricane Helene in September.
This is a rare opportunity to see so many fine bluegrass entertainers in one space during the winter months, while also helping out neighbors who suffered loss during the flooding.
Food and beverages will be available on site, along with auctions throughout the day, with those proceeds again going to hurricane relief efforts. Mark Ramsey of the Moonshiners television program will serve as MC.
AIDNET of Greene County can also accept direct donations online, and has an online form where homeowners can apply for help with their personal recovery needs.
Additional details about Pickin’ For A Purpose, now on January 18, can be obtained by calling or texting 423-823-1808.
As they do every year, The Seldom Scene put on their New Year’s Eve concert at The Birchmere in Alexandria, VA, with special guests. For many DC-area fans, this was their first time seeing Clay Hess in his new guitar/vocal position with the group.
Jeromie Stephens was on hand and captured a number of images of the band backstage, and out front.
