Po’ Ramblin’ Boys to host Vine Grove Bluegrass Festival

After 18 years operating at the Ewart Amphitheater in Vine Grove, KY, the Vine Grove Bluegrass Festival has aligned themselves with a specific bluegrass artist for the first time.

Starting in September 2018, the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys will serve as the official host band for the festival. Two members of the band, Josh Runkle and Jereme Brown, are native to this part of central Kentucky, and their performance at last month’s 2017 event caught the attention of festival director and board member, Jason Basham.

“The board and I have had many good qualified bands in mind for a host band, but none seemed to be a perfect fit. The Po’Ramblin’ Boys have everything we were looking for; they’re local, have participated in our weekly jam sessions, and have the energy and charisma our crowd loves. The Vine Grove Bluegrass Festival is still growing just like the band and we’re excited we to get to grow together. This is a awesome partnership.”

This has been a good year for the Boys, receiving a nomination for the IBMA’s Momentum Award Band of the Year, and performing as an invited showcase act at the 2017 World Of Bluegrass convention.

Mandolinist CJ Lewandowski says the guys are 100% on board.

“We are very exciting to be teaming up with Vine Bluegrass Festival. Not only is it a top notch evergreen venue, it’s like coming home for the band. We all have strong ties to that area with three-quarters of the band having lived around there at some point in their lives. The seed of the idea for The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys was planted in our minds right there in those jam sessions we all were a part of at Vine Grove. We are in and out of a lot of festivals, trying to get to the next gig on time, and it’s going to be really nice to visit with old friends and play music at a festival all weekend. We will represent the festival the best we can. The opportunity is a great one for us and we feel honored to be a part of this ever growing festival.”

Look for the Boys all three days at the 2018 Vine Grove festival, scheduled for September 20-22.

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.