MerleFest fan Charlie Miller of Allegan, Mich., was first in line Tuesday for a campsite at Lowe's Park at River's Edge in Wilkesboro.
The registered nurse currently doesn't have a job, but he said he didn't mind paying $135 ("early bird" reduced price) for a four-day MerleFest pass and $75 for camping at River's Edge.
"I just love North Carolina. It's so beautiful and the people are so nice," said Miller.
Wilkes Community College officials and others involved with MerleFest said the recession took its toll on early ticket sales, but now there is optimistic speculation about ticket sales at the gate increasing.
MerleFest Director Ted Hagaman said clear skies and temperatures in the 80s this weekend should boost motivation for buying tickets at the gate. Hagaman said there already is a trend toward single day rather than three-day or four-day ticket purchases.
The festival is held in memory of Merle Watson, son of MerleFest host Doc Watson of Deep Gap.
This year's Merlefest features performances by past Ola Belle Festival headliners the Dixie Bee-Liners and Ollabelle, as well as Travis Tritt, Linda Ronstadt, the Del McCoury Band, The Greencards, Sam Bush, Emmylou Harris, the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Doc Watson. Single-day tickets for Merlefest are still available for $35-50.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Sponsors, Volunteers, etc.
If you're interested in becoming a sponsor or volunteer for the 2009 Ola Belle Reed Festival, please click one of these links.
For the latest information about this year's festival, check back here or follow us on Twitter or Facebook.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Holy Ghost Tent Revival Plays Shakori Hills
Holy Ghost Tent Revival plays the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival today and tomorrow, along with Donna the Buffalo, Todd Snider and Jim Lauderdale. Shakori Hills is just 20 minutes southwest of Chapel Hill, NC, near Silk Hope, and just a short drive north of Pittsboro, NC.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Whitetop Mountain Band's Latest, "Loafer's Dream"
From CD Baby:
The Whitetop Mountain Band is a family-based band from Whitetop an area containing the highest mountains of Virginia. Whitetop is a region rich in the old time music tradition; this band has deep roots in mountain music. The members have done much to preserve the Whitetop region’s style of old time fiddling and banjo picking and are legendary musicians and teachers of the style.
The Whitetop Mountain Band is one of the most popular dance bands of the Appalachian Mountains. They have a great following at square dances all over Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky at venues like the Carter Family Fold. In addition to local venues, the band has also performed at the Smithsonian Folk life Festival, National Folk life Festival, World Music Institute in NYC, Dock Boggs Festival, World Fair, Virginia Arts Festival, Floydfest, Ola Belle Reed Festival and Merlefest. They recently were featured on the 2007 NCTA Crooked Road Music tour of California, Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho. Members also toured the United Kingdom and Ireland playing the Cornish Bluegrass Festival and Open House Festival along with venues through England, Wales, and Ireland. In January 2008, members of the band also performed at the Illawarra Folk Festival and Tamworth Country Music Festival in New South Wales, Australia.
Holy Ghost Tent Revival's name is aptly chosen. On stage, they always break a sweat. Harmonies may verge on screaming (but stay in tune). Even the skeptical and bashful in the audience find themselves moved by the spirit, twisting and twirling on the dance floor.
Based around multipart vocal harmonies layered with banjo, guitar, bass, keys, drums and trombone, the six-piece group's core sound is acoustic, drawing from swing and big-band roots.
But HGTR defies any genre pigeon-holing. "Needing You," from its 2008 self-titled debut album, starts with horn-laden verses reminiscent of the Skatalites, followed by Avett Brothers-like heart-wrenching harmonies, before dropping into a "doo-doo-wop" closing that's straight from a 1950s-era soda counter.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Blueground Undergrass on YouTube
We're proud to have Atlanta's Blueground Undergrass headlining this year's Ola Belle Reed Festival. Here are some of their performances on YouTube.
By "mixing vintage country sounds, tight picking and high lonesome harmonies, Dehlia Low has quickly developed a traditionally minded original brand of mountain music." (Asheville Citizen-Times)
Check out their live sound in these YouTube clips:
Elkville String Band Celebrates Release of "Over The Mountain"
The Elkville String Band celebrates the release of their CD "Over The Mountain" at a house concert at the Cook Shack in Union Grove, NC; January 18, 2009. Wayne Henderson joins his friends for "Steel Guitar Rag".
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
"Lansing native helps put hometown on the 'Old Time' map"
I spent last Thursday to Sunday at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. I most enjoyed the performances by Grupo Fantasma, Jose Gonzalez, The Raconteurs, Chris Rock, Pearl Jam, Sigur Ros and Death Cab for Cutie, but there were some great bluegrass sets, too.
If you're a frequent festival goer like me, you know that it pays to do some homework before you head out. So to make things easy for you, I've created playlists of artists playing this year's Ola Belle Reed Homecoming Festival on both eMusic and iTunes.
If you're not a member of eMusic yet, now is a good time to join, since you'll get 50 FREE downloads by clicking here. Tracks are regularly about $.25 on eMusic, so its a much better deal than iTunes, even though the selection is smaller.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
"High on a Mountain Top" (video)
Here's a clip from the 2007 Ola Belle Reed Festival featuring Tim O'Brien and members of the Ola Belle Reed Family.
Saturday, April 1, 2006
About the Ola Belle Reed Bluegrass Festival
Ola Belle Reed (1916-2002) was an acclaimed songwriter and musician, recognized by the Smithsonian, the National Endowment of the Arts and many additional organizations. Such celebrated artists as Marty Stuart, Del McCoury and the incomparable Tim O’Brien have recorded her signature song, High on A Mountain.
Featuring top-notch award winning visiting and local musicians from Old-Time Mountain, Bluegrass, and folk traditions, the Ola Belle Reed Festival is a community-based event and fundraiser for the Greater Lansing Area Development Committee (GLAD), a 501(c) 3 organization committed to the revitalization of Lansing, the birthplace of Ola Belle Reed. The group consists of community volunteers, dedicated to this annual event in the spirit of Appalachian tradition.
The Festival site is located in the American Legion Field, in the town of Lansing, near the banks of Big Horse Creek and in the shadow of Phoenix Mountain. Over 12 musical acts will provide continuous day and evening concerts in addition to instrumental, songwriting, and voice workshops inside the historic Lansing School, connected to the field by an underground tunnel. An outdoor jam tent on the school grounds provides a place for amateurs and professionals to come together and exchange techniques. In addition to the artistic programming, we provide a Craft Market, Food Court and much more.
The Whitetop Mountain Band is a family-based band from Whitetop an area containing the highest mountains of Virginia. Whitetop is a region rich in the old time music tradition; this band has deep roots in mountain music. The members have done much to preserve the Whitetop region’s style of old time fiddling and banjo picking and are legendary musicians and teachers of the style. 
