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 Americana, Bluegrass, Old-time, Country 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 who are dedicated to this annual event in the spirit of Appalachian tradition.

The Festival site is located in the town of Lansing, near the banks of Big Horse Creek and in the shadow of Phoenix Mountain. Musical acts will provide continuous day and evening concerts in addition to instrumental, songwriting, and voice workshops. An outdoor jam tent 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 Ola Belle Reed Music Festival is a fundraiser for the Greater Lansing Area Development 501(c)3 and depends on sponsors and donations.

If you would like to support the festival, please click the "Donate" button below.

Thanks in advance for your generosity!

Friday, August 13

5 pm: Ola Belle Reed Family
6 pm: Elkville String Band
7 pm: None of the Above Bluegrass
8 pm: Ceol Leinn
9:30 pm: Jam Session with None of the Above

Saturday, August 14

BANDS
12:00 pm: The Sheets Family Band
1:00 pm: Harris Brothers
2:15 pm: None of the Above Bluegrass
3:30 pm: Steve and Ruth Smith
4:30 pm: Aaron Lee Tasjan
5:30 pm: Curley Maple
6:45 pm: Big Daddy Love
8:00 pm: Mosier Brothers
9:30 pm: Porchestra Rehearsal

WORKSHOPS
12:30 pm: Banjo with David Reed and Judy Marti
1:30 pm: Old Time Harmony with The Sheets Family
2:30 pm: Songwriting with Aaron Lee Tasjan
3:30 pm: Old Time Dance with The Sheets Family
4:30 pm: Hammer Dulcimer with Ruth Smith

Sunday, August 15

11:00 am: Gospel Worship Service

12:30 pm: Debut of the Ola Belle Reed Porchestra conducted by the Reverend Jeff
Mosier. A new kind of jam, an eclectic mix of indigenous musical instruments
and tunes all played in symphonic porch style fashion, with members of the
Mosier Brothers, Big Daddy Love, Mack and Sherry Powers, Child Chiles, David
and Noel Blackmon, Martha and Emily Spencer, Ralph and David Reed, Tom
Atkinson and more. All musicians and singers are welcome to participate.

For more information or questions about the Festival and the Porchestra, call 336
977 1320 or email lansing28643@gmail.com.

 

Line Up

The Mosier Brothers

Jeff Mosier has shared the stage with Leftover Salmon, Widepsread Panic, Vassar Clemments, and many more. In 1994, Mosier toured with Phish while teaching the band all about the world of bluegrass. (For the uninitiated, the nine-part documentary, "Phish: The Bluegrass Sessions," is now available on YouTube.)

Scott Freeman, author of Midnight Riders: The Story of the Allman Brothers Band and Otis!: The Otis Redding Story writes:



The Rev. Jeff Mosier understands the importance of occasionally re-inventing oneself. "Some people are threatened by starting over," he says. "Me, I love it. I really do." In late 2009, Mosier decided to put Blueground Undergrass -- the band he had fronted for more than a decade -- on hiatus. That group recorded four albums and built a sizeable following by combining bluegrass purism with a jam band sensibility. Mosier liked to describe the sound as "psychedelic hick-hop." Ultimately, he began to realize he'd grown weary of playing loud music in bars; it overwhelmed the content of the words he sang every night. "We used to call that band a 'wall of twang,' and it was a lot of fun," he says. "Now it's a different time. I think people really want to hear 'songs' right now. I want to be held accountable for the lyrical content."

That's what led to the formation of THE MOSIER BROTHERS, a band fronted by three of the core players of Blueground Undergrass: Jeff Mosier on banjo and vocals, Johnny Mosier on guitar and background vocals, and David Blackmon on fiddle. The jamming is still there, so is the intuitive musical interplay that was the hallmark of Blueground Undergrass. What's different is the Mosier Brothers sound is quieter. With the exception of an electric bass (plus drums), the core band is all traditional acoustic string instruments.

"The fiddle, banjo and acoustic guitar are the original disco sound," Jeff Mosier says. "Bluegrass was the disco music of the moonshiners."

Both brothers grew up steeped in traditional bluegrass music. Together, they fronted an acoustic bluegrass-flavored band called Good Medicine for nearly 23 years. During the '80s, they also hosted a popular bluegrass radio show on WRFG-FM in Atlanta called "Born in a Barn." In one of the most popular segments, budding musicians would call the studio and perform on-air via the telephone with the brothers jamming along with them.

One night after doing a show in 1989, Mosier was walking around Little Five Points with a friend and saw "Col. Bruce Hampton and the Arkansas Florists" advertised on a club marquee. Mosier's friend told him Hampton was a legend, so he decided he'd better stop in. Hampton is a founding father of Atlanta's modern music scene, and the driving force behind the city's first prominent rock group, the Hampton Grease Band. In recent years, he'd gained a reputation for nurturing musicians and giving them the freedom to perform rock music in a free-form, jazz-influenced context. He liked to call it "going out," as in going outside traditional limits. "Going out" was about to influence an entire generation of musicians, and Hampton would serve as the movement's guru. "When I heard that music, it was so strange that I didn't know whether to run or stay," Mosier says. "I guess my curiosity kept me there."

A few days later, he put an electric pick-up in his banjo and began to sit in with Hampton. The band Hampton was in the process of forming became the seminal group of the jam band scene: Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit. "It was just a magical time," Mosier says. "Great art is created when a tradition is broken. Bruce is the greatest permission giver. He expects, and allows, those around him to completely be themselves without judgment."

Mosier stayed with the ARU during its formative years, then spent much of 1994 touring with Phish, and teaching that group about bluegrass. He kept thinking of how he could merge the two worlds: jam band rock �n' roll and traditional folk music. The idea finally crystallized in 1997 when Mosier sat in with Widespread Panic at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. With them that night was a fiddler named David Blackmon, who had played second guitar behind Jerry Reed as a kid and had performed on Widespread Panic's debut album. That night, Mosier and Blackmon jammed on the folk standard "Old Joe Clark" and discovered an instant connection.

After the show, Mosier told Blackmon he wanted to put together a jam band that played bluegrass, or maybe it was a bluegrass band that played rock. And Mosier wanted to play off that dichotomy; rather than call themselves "Bluegrass Underground," the name would be "Blueground Undergrass." Joining them was Johnny Mosier, whose ability to play quick bluegrass lines on the acoustic guitar and sinewy lead licks on the electric became a vital part of the band's sound. The line-up was rounded out by pedal steel guitarist Mark Van Allen. Rhythm sections came and went but for most of the history of Blueground Undergrass, those four were the band's core foundation. The group quickly found success on the jam band circuit.

"The kids were fascinated by it," Mosier would say. "They had never seen a pedal steel and a banjo played like that. They heard bluegrass, but right in the middle we would go into something that would trigger their Phish or Widespread sensibilities."

He views the Mosier Brothers as a middle ground between the traditional sound of Good Medicine and the "wall of twang" of Blueground Undergrass. "Good Medicine is the original recipe for pretty much everything we've done," he says. "And this will be quieter music than Blueground Undergrass."

In a sense, it is that last band reigned in. "We're getting broad by going narrow," says Mosier. "Going back in, in order to go out." A major part of that is making sure the audience can hear the lyrics he's singing. Mosier wants to evoke both message and mood, an intention that wasn't always possible over the loud rumble of Blueground Undergrass. "I love the music of people like Harry Chapin and Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt, the story-telling aspect," Mosier says. "Townes' music was almost like an inside joke, and he didn't care if you didn't get it. But if you did, there was a whole secret world there."

One of the Mosier Brothers' first shows, at the Five Spot in Atlanta, clearly showed the potential of the new sound. Joining the core three members on stage was a bass player with a stand-up bass, and a drummer who played most of the songs using brushes. The band played a mix of traditional bluegrass tunes, original material and contemporary folk songs. They still jam, but the lyrics -- and the sweet harmonies of the Mosier brothers -- now sit in the front seat. One new song that reflects the vision for the band is Richard Shindell's "The Courier." It's a mid-tempo ballad that tells one soldier's story, and features a haunting fiddle solo by Blackmon. Performing it live requires a delicacy that wouldn't have worked with Blueground Undergrass.

Standing backstage at the Five Spot, Mosier says he doesn't harbor aspirations to make a huge commercial splash. "I'm 50 years old and I play the banjo, so I'm obviously not too ambitious," he quips. But what he does hope for is that the acoustic sound of the Mosier Brothers will open up new avenues for the music he and his brother and Blackmon have played together for more than a decade. "Blueground Undergrass was one idea I had, but I have others," says Mosier. "I want to do more than play liquor stores with PA systems, which is essentially what a bar is. We're hoping to play theaters and venues where we'll be able to tell the stories and connect with people."

He says it's important to remember that Good Medicine got its name because the music they play makes people feel good. "I want to have fun on stage, to be able to be funny and tell stories," says Mosier. "I'm excited about it. I'm nervous. But I'm happy." And that's the sweet feeling of having started over.

Ceol Leinn

Ceol Leinn is a Celtic Performance band; their music is traditional and eclectic. The music is romantic and stirring, as is the history that is so much a part of our collective Celtic ancestry. The roots of Blue Grass and Gospel are explored, along with the music that they have arranged or written.

Ceol Leinn is Gaelic for “Music with Us.” The band is an eclectic group of musicians from vastly different backgrounds, illustrated in the extremes; a retired Air Force Major, a health care specialist and former Marine, a former Special Forces member, a long distance horse racer, a rock-n-roll musician, a Rock guitarist and a master fiddler. Their common love of performing and music binds them together in an interesting and pleasant combination of sound. www.ceolleinn.com

The band was founded by pipers Chip Mayes and Dick Hastings, who were performing regionally as the Two Pipers (weddings, memorials, and special events) for many years. See: www.two-pipers.com

“It just seemed like the natural and next logical step for us. We enjoy performing, and we enjoy the fellowship of other musicians.” said Chip Mayes, the band leader. His experience in the entertainment business and performing in all kinds of musical groups allowed the group to advance rapidly from a loose group of musicians to a sophisticated theatrical act. He goes on to say, “I rely heavily on Dick, my piping partner, who has been playing the pipes for over 28 years, for musical guidance. His knowledge of tunes and playing ability is such a great resource. Between the two of us, and with the interest and input from the rest of the members of the band, we combine our musical taste and abilities to give the audience a broad, exciting interpretation of the Celtic Music genre.”

In a typical Ceol Leinn performance the band will use their two massive Celtic War drums along with traditional Scottish pipe tunes to engage the audience. Then they do something that will amaze some, and bring a broad smile to others. The pipers will start off another traditional pipe tune. A little ways into the tune, the violin player takes over the lead and the tune suddenly morphs into an old time Appalachian Mountain Blue Grass sounding rendition. Later the band plays some arranged contemporary tunes not usually associated with Celtic Music, but when heard are amazed with the ease of the fit. The Irish tunes are well known and a favorite of many, especially with the lilting melodies of the violin woven in and around the sound of the pipes.

The band plays some music that has been written and composed by the band along with their interpretations of traditional tunes. Many of the tunes are just different enough to add another pleasant layer of sound texture to the performance.

The band web site is: www.ceolleinn.com which has two video clips to view on the “Tunes and Movie” page. You may also visit the Two Pipers website at:www.two-pipers.com and click on the "Ceol Leinn" button.

 

Big Daddy Love

Big Daddy Love was formed in early 2006 after years of friendship and informal jam sessions between founding members Daniel Smith, Dustin Transou, and Derek Reece. The trio spent a year learning how to perform together before adding Banjoist Ben Kallam and Drummer Steve Nalley. These five individuals, who in April 2008 released their debut CD 'Circle Around The Sun', forged the foundation of the sound associated with BDL. In 2009, one by one, the members started moving on to pursue other interests except Smith who, with the well wishes of the others decided to continue on what they had started. Ashley Sutton auditioned live on bass and was a natural fit with Smith's style. Electric guitarist Joey Reechio and banjoist Brian Swenk came on board at nearly the same time and provided just the drive needed to keep going. Ironically, both Reechio and Swenk are from the same hometown as Smith, a very small farming town in the mountains, Sparta NC. Towards the very end of 2009 drummer Kelly Linville arrived on the BDL scene and the line up was complete! Combining authentic song craft with undeniable musicianship, the quintet delivers high-energy performances comprised of their own brand of good-time music.

The members of Big Daddy Love, who have played "thousands" of shows in various other projects, have covered the gamut of styles from beach to blues to jazz to traditional bluegrass and, together, these influences merge together to form their indefinable sound, which Swenk said is best described as bluegrass combined with Southern-style rock along the lines of the Allman Brothers and Drive-By Truckers. Other artists that influence BDL are Led Zeppelin, The Stanley Bros, Bill Monroe, Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Allman Bros, Grateful Dead, Gov't Mule, and John Hartford to name a few. "We�re playing so from the heart, that it's one of those things that we really are creating this as we go," Brian told Alice Wynn of the Metro Spirit. "The blues bands and the bluegrass bands that we came from, we were just re-creating a genre, re-creating our influences. With this, we're taking everything we've learned and being as creative as possible and feeling our way through it."

When asked if there is there something Big Daddy Love is trying to express to the public with their music, Brian Swenk responded, "Just that we're proud to be from North Carolina and the South, and we're proud of our families and the people around us - and we LOVE the mountains! It PISSES US OFF that people are tearing them down (mountain top removal). I think the concept is to take a different approach of instruments and the widest possible variety of influences and mix them with the roots of WNC and foothills and see what that spits out."

Here's what the music press is saying about Big Daddy Love:

"...blends bluegrass and roots rock into an upbeat groove."
Michael Flynn - Asheville Citizen-Times

"...unique and personal sound while maintaining traditional acoustic Carolina groundings."
Aimee Shea - Performer Magazine (Southeast)

"...15 solid, if not spectacular tracks...certainly good enough to make the skip button a distant memory."
Ryan Snyder - YES!Weekly

"...boogie-ready beats, memorable melodies and solid stringband interplay between members..."
David Brewer - High Country Press

"..wickedly good five-piece bluegrass and Americana band Big Daddy Love..."
Jeff Eason - The Mountain Times

Big Daddy Love's music has had a profound effect on their fan base in their home state, who have formed the Love Bus, a charitable organization that comes together in the name of the band, holding food drives and giving away free CDs with blood donations. "We really see us being active with that in the future, putting a lot of effort into charities and really promoting the Love Bus thing of helping people out," Swenk said. "That's kind of neat for us."

In support of BDL's new CD release the band is setting off on an extensive US tour - tour dates can be accessed from the band's website.

Big Daddy Love's latest, 'To The Mountain,' can be obtained through CDBaby, iTunes, Amazon as well as the band's website.

Aaron Lee Tasjan

Like many midwestern-born musicians, Aaron Lee Tasjan heeded New York City's cultural siren call and ran into its open embrace. Hailing from New Albany, Ohio, he easily slipped into New York's roots music community and quickly established himself as growing force to be reckoned with. As a singer-songwriter he has performed and recorded as a solo artist (in 2008 he released the excellent Hard Love and Free Luck), and he also fronts the raucous Madison Square Gardeners, a foot-stomping, folk-infused pop rock band, that will be releasing a new EP entitled Tune it Up, Dime it Out.

Tasjan has garnered rave reviews from all corners. Tasjan is a formidable guitarist who has added musical fireworks playing with such artists as the New York Dolls, Tim Easton and Drivin n' Cryin's Kevn Kinney.

With a golden voice, natural musical and lyrical gifts and a reverence for his influences worn proudly on his sleeve, Tasjan is a songwriter who demands - and deserves - attention.

"His solo record is a wonderful piece of work in the vein of Gram Parsons/Burrito Bros. I know that's saying a lot, but you have to hear it to believe."
John Agnello (Son Volt, Dinosaur Jr, the Hold Steady)

"If you live in New York City and pay attention to roots music, you've probably heard of Aaron Lee Tasjan... A natural with seemingly limitless talent..."
Peter Blackstock, No Depression

"The auditory equivalent of looking through wax paper at a giant picture of Gram Parsons..."
Columbus Magazine

"The influences are heavy from Bob Dylan to the Beatles to the Johns -- Prine and Hiatt -- but they never overwhelm Tasjan's skill as a songwriter."
Chicago Sun Times

The festival starts Friday, August 13 and runs through Sunday, August 15. If you haven't already, send us an email and we'll enter you in our drawing to win a pair of tickets and keep you informed about the festival.

Tax-deductible donations to the Greater Lansing Area Development Committee (GLAD), a 501(c)3, help make the Ola Belle Reed Festival possible and support local improvement projects.

Depending on the amount of the donation, our sponsors are featured prominently on the festival main stage, in the festival program, in the festival e-newsletter and here on the festival website.

If you would like to be a sponsor for the 2010 festival, please email marketing at olabellefest dot com.

We'd like to thank all of the sponsors who made the 2009 Ola Belle Reed Festival such a success. In no particular order, thanks to American Emergency Vehicles, Ashe County Arts Council, First Citizens Bank, Lansing Foods, On the Windfall, West Jefferson Medical Associates, WKSK, Workman Financial Group, Dr Pepper Bottling of West Jefferson, Jefferson Rent-All, United Chemi-Con, Warrensville Drug Store, WNCW, Ashe County Chamber of Commerce, Boone Family Funeral, Buffalo Tavern, Ernie Carpenter Grading, New River Winery, Old Hat Records, Reeves Law Firm, Priscilla Cox Cuthbertson, Dorothy T. Korb, Hakan Kjellin, and especially Anonymous. You know who you are. Much appreciated.

We are actively seeking men and woman to help as volunteers for this year's festival. Putting together an event like this is an amazing process and undertaking, but also a lot of fun. If you'd like to work on the 2010 Ola Belle Reed Music Festival, please contact Nita or Carl Jordan at nita_j at comcast dot net, call (336) 384-4400 or stop by the Lansing Grocery.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

This year's festival will be held at the Lansing Creeper Trail Park in Lansing, NC.

Click here for directions with Google Maps.

Located in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Lansing lies in the shadow of Phoenix Mountain. The waters of Big Horse Creek run through town. Within close proximity to the New River, Virginia Creeper Trail, and with abundant natural resources, the region offers many year round outdoor sports and activities.

Lansing, NC is approximately 15 minutes from West Jefferson, NC; 45 minutes from Boone, NC; 1 hour from Abingdon, VA; 1-1/2 hours from Winston Salem, NC; 2 hours from Charlotte, NC; 2-1/2 hours from Asheville, NC; 3 hours from Knoxville, TN; 3-1/2 hours from Charleston, WV; 4 hours from Columbia, SC.

Driving Directions:

From downtown West Jefferson, take NC-194 N toward Warrensville.

In Warrensville, turn RIGHT and continue on 194 N to Lansing.

In Lansing, look to your left for Teaberry Rd. Turn LEFT and go across the low-water bridge. Don't worry, it's safe, even for big RVs. Take the first RIGHT across the bridge onto H Street and you will see the festival grounds.

Parking areas will be marked.

Below are some links to accommodations in and around Lansing, NC.

Among the Laurels

Buffalo Tavern B&B

Carolina Mountain Properties

On The Windfall

Cabins at Zydeco Moon Farm

Mountain View Lodge and Cabins


You can also find information here:

Ashe Chamber

Camping

We are happy to announce that this year we will be able to offer near on-site camping at the Ola Belle Reed Festival. Primitive/tent campers will pay just $10 to camp for the duration of the festival, up to 3 nights for a flat rate. What a deal!

Self-contained RV's pay $25 for the duration, not per night! There is no light, electricity or water, but there are porta-potties, and you are on a beautiful site just across from the music park. There is a restaurant and a grocery store within a 10 minute walk, in the town of Lansing.

The camp site is only 300 yards from the venue, but shuttle buses will operate during the festival hours.

So come and park your RV or tent, and stay a few days under the beautiful skies of Lansing, NC. No alcohol or open fires, please, but grills are OK. Acoustic music welcome, but please respect your neighbors.

There is plenty of room, but we recommend you make arrangements in advance so you know how to locate the camp site well in advance of dark or the beginning of the festival on Friday.

Contact Dan Strickland by email at vitis at skybest dot com or by phone at 336-384-4915. If you get the machine, leave a message with a call-back number.

Download the 2010 Ola Belle Reed Festival Souvenir Poster and Postcard!

• Doug Strickland Photography, August 31, 2009
• High Country Press, August 13, 2009
• Bluegrass Journal, August 10, 2009
• High Country Press, July 30, 2009
• Maryland Traditions, Spring 2009
• Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame, 2009 Inductees
• Bluegrass Journal, November 17, 2008
• The Mountain Times Online, August 21, 2008
• The Mountain Times Online, July 31, 2008
• The Mountain Times Online, June 26, 2008
• Tim O'Brien Road Journal, August 21, 2007
• The Mountain Times Online, August 16, 2007
• High Country Press, July 26, 2007
• The Mountain Times Online, August 24, 2006
• The Mountain Times Online, August 17, 2006
• The Mountain Times Online, April 6, 2006
• High Country Back Roads: Printable Route Guide and Self-Guided Audio Tour
• The eMusic Dozen: Folkways Country