Another new festival is on the docket for 2018, playing to the growing audience for what we re gently dubbed as grassicana – music which shares roots with bluegrass, but which is also informed by other genres. You’ll hear banjos, mandolins, and fiddles, but not always in Bill Monroe’s strict sense of instrumentation.
The Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots festival will launch this August in Manchester, VT, bringing in a number of contemporary bluegrass groups like Lonely Heartstring Band and Mile Twelve, along with folk and old time duos, and acoustic bands like Mipso and the Molly Tuttle Band. It won’t be a Bean Blossom experience suitable for die hard grassers, but should provide a fine listening experience for folks who like a wide variety of folk and old time themed music.
This sort of event seems to be the fastest-growing sort in and around bluegrass, and the inclusion of many of the artists featured here at the IBMA convention shows a willingness to embrace it as part of our orbit. You may be drawn to Green Mountain to see Mandolin Orange or Donna The Buffalo, but be introduced as well to music from Jordan Tice & Horse Country or Danny Barnes, Grant Gordy & Joe K. Walsh.
And like many of this sort of events, the vibe is projected to be kid-friendly. 15 and under are admitted free of charge, and all sorts of children’s a activities are planned throughout the weekend.
Further details about the lineup, plus info about camping and accommodations can be found online.
