Shakori Hills Spring 2012 - The Undercard

With over 60 bands attending the four-day festival,Shakori Hills' spring 2012 iteration has more than enough variety to please every taste. The full list of performers, including a schedule of events is over on Shakori Hill's official website, but we're going to be taking the weeks leading up to the festival to introduce you to some of the acts we're most excited about.

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Jim Avett

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Sunday, Cabaret Tent: 5:00pm
  

After 35 years of running his own welding company, Jim Avett has returned to his true passion: making music. He first recorded a collection of gospel music, Jim Avett and Family, featuring his daughter Bonnie, and sons Scott and Seth Avett (yes, those Avett Brothers). In 2010 and 2012, he released albums of original tunes, ranging from lighthearted rock n' roll to soulful true country ruminations of boyhood memories and loss. All of Avett's endeavors are marked with an unwavering honesty and an unflappable charm, and Shakori Hill's Cabaret Tent is a perfect, intimate setting to experience the earnest, heartfelt songwriter up close.

Shakori Hills Spring 2012 - The Local Bands

With over 60 bands attending the four-day festival,Shakori Hills' spring 2012 iteration has more than enough variety to please every taste. We're going to be taking the weeks leading up to the festival to introduce you to some of the acts we're most excited about. It's starting today with bands from the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Triangle and North Carolina as a whole. Look for new Shakori updates every Wednesday.

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 Bombadil

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

Saturday, Grove Stage: 11:00pm

As one of the resounding highlights of the Hopscotch Music Festival, Bombadil was a not-so-surprising but thoroughly exciting addition to the Shakori Hills line-up. Having recently released their second album, All That the Rain Promises, Bombadil's star is rising. After a hiatus related to health issues, Bombadil is roaring back to form, expertly crafting their singular mixture of Bolivian folk, roots rock, and chamber pop as if they'd never missed a beat. It is highly recommended that everyone make every effort to catch their set at the Grove Stage Saturday night. This is a quartet of masterful musicians and unparalleled showmen whose live performances vacillate between bombastic energy and restrained solemnity.

In Brief: Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, Spring 2012

Photo courtesy of The Bottom String.

Recently, Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance released a scintillating taste of what is sure to be an EXCELLENT lineup for their Spring Festival, to be held April 19th-22nd. Featuring returning favorites and some fresh blood, there's no way to complain about this preliminary list. Myxem favorites Driftwood are returning, as well as Midtown Dickens, Mandolin Orange and Holy Ghost Tent Revival. After stunning the entirety of our staff at Hopscotch, seeing Bombadil make it onto the lineup was a delightful surprise. Having been recently introduced to Curtis Eller's banjo-based roots-ragtime, seeing his name pop up was both unexpected and certainly a good reason to dig further into his catalog.

The preliminary lineup announcement is after the jump AND on Shakori Hills' website

Myxem Live | Driftwood

Driftwood are (l to r) Jon Doll, Claire Byrne,
Joe Kollar and Dan Forsyth.

For the very first installment of our Myxem Live series, wherein we capture intimate performances of artists on the rise, we present to you, live from their campsite at Shakori Hills, Driftwood. My (mostly) misguided allegiance to all things Binghamton, NY gave the rest of the camp cause to hesitate when I mentioned the band, but these natives of the frozen north continually amazed us all weekend with their high energy Americana.

Whether they were busting out songs from their upcoming album or, as in the video, redesigning a Kris Kristofferson classic, the band's astonishing energy was enough to move even the heaviest of feet and, as we saw time and time again that weekend, get people moving. Combining elements of bluegrass with every imaginable element of Americana, the band resides comfortably where overwhelming talent meets affable stage presence. You can see what I'm talking about for yourself, as Driftwood is currently on tour throughout the northeast, supporting their soon to be released new album.

Watch the band perform live from Shakori Hills after the jump.

Shakori Hills Fall 2011 - Retrospective (Part Two)

The Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance, held twice annually in idyllic Silk Hope, North Carolina, attracted major national acts, including Donna the Buffalo, legendary banjoist Béla Fleck & the Flecktones, NY natives Driftwood, Toubab Krewe, Thousands of One and many, many more. While we attempted to make an itinerary, there were too many equally wonderful listening options at any given time to resign ourselves to a schedule. What follows is a day-by-day breakdown of what we saw throughout the weekend. Too large for a single post, this is our account of the last two days of the four day festival.

Shakori Hills Fall 2011 - Retrospective (Part One)

The Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance, held twice annually in idyllic Silk Hope, North Carolina, attracted major national acts, including Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, legendary banjoist Béla Fleck & the Flecktones, up-and-comer Brett Dennen, Dirty Bourbon River Show, The Emmit-Nershi Band and many, many more. While we attempted to make an itinerary, there were too many equally wonderful listening options at any given time to resign ourselves to a schedule. What follows is a day-by-day breakdown of what we saw throughout the weekend. Too large for a single post, this is our account of the first two days of the four day festival.

Shakori Hills Fall 2011 - The Undercard

With over 60 bands attending the four-day festival and acts ranging from Noot d'Noot to Bela Fleck and the Flecktones to Hammer No More the Fingers, Shakori Hills has more than enough variety to please every taste. We're going to be taking the next few days to introduce you to some of the acts we're most excited about. Today's list features some of the bands from the undercard that deserve your attention at the festival.

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 Dirty Bourbon River Show

 WEBSITE | FACEBOOK

Friday, Cabaret Tent: 12:45am

Combining Americana, roots, jazz-tinged blues and gypsy style, Dirty Bourbon River Show continues the tradition of great New Orleans music (with a bit of  NOLA's flair for spectacle). Pegging themselves as "an interactive multi-genre variety hour-style band," listening to their recorded material does not do justice to the bombastic stage presence, energetic performance and all-around impressive musicianship the band has to offer. I managed to meet the members at a show they played with Holy Ghost Tent Revival, and I can say that they are also nice guys, as if you needed more of a reason to go see their show. This is one that I know for sure I will not, under any circumstances, be missing. DBRS is gearing up for an album release November 11th, 2011, and is touring strong to support it. After Shakori Hills, they are heading to Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia. You can listen to their first three albums, as well as a preview of their upcoming album The Old-Timey AfroPop Jibberish Junction, on their Bandcamp.

Myxem Picks 'Em - Shakori Hills Fall 2011

Click above to listen to this week's playlist.

With the excitement building (I spent time this weekend getting my camping gear ready) for Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, we dedicate this week's playlist to the incredible artists the organizers have lined up this year. Pulling down large names like Bela Fleck & the Flecktones and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings speaks to the reputation this festival's been building as an up-and-comer. Never forgetting its roots, situated in the hills outside of the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Triangle, they also offer an impressive array of local talent, from The Old Ceremony, Hammer No More The Fingers, and Big Fat Gap. Other bands that piqued our interest include the pyschedelic stylings of Noot d'Noot, the roaring bluegrass of The Emmitt-Nershi Band and Brett Dennen's thoughtful folk-pop.

Click the banner above to listen to this week's playlist, highlighting Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival's lineup!

Shakori Hills Fall 2011 - The Local Bands

With over 60 bands attending the four-day festival and acts ranging from Noot d'Noot to Bela Fleck and the Flecktones to Hammer No More the Fingers, Shakori Hills has more than enough variety to please every taste. We're going to be taking the next few days to introduce you to some of the acts we're most excited about. It's starting today with bands from the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Triangle and North Carolina as a whole.

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 Mike Quinn and Holy Ghost Tent Revival

 MIKE QUINN: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK
HGTR: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

Thursday, Grove Stage: 12:00am

 

I know what you're thinking: "I love Holy Ghost Tent Revival, but who's Mike Quinn?" And if you're wondering - no, he's not a local. But Holy Ghost Tent Revival certainly are and if they've given their stamp of approval to an artist, there's no doubt you should listen. I have a leg up in the "listening-to-Mike-Quinn" department. After seeing him at the spring iteration of the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, I was made a Mike Quinn believer. In fact, I listened to his song "Yonda" over at his bandcamp so many times, I'm pretty sure I was singing it in my sleep. In fact, I challenge you to listen to the song "Magico" and not be compelled to move to the music. So, when you combine the stellar musicianship of Holy Ghost Tent Revival with Mike Quinn's penchant for raucous roots rook, it's an explosion of energy, camaraderie and an unmissable display of talent.

Shakori Hills - Itinerary Fall 2011

Sun sets on the Meadow Stage at Shakori Hills.
Image courtesy of Wild Goose Festival.

Back in April, I had the great pleasure of attending the first day of the spring edition of the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance. I was immediately charmed by the location: Shakori is a peaceful little patch of land nestled in Chatham County, NC that has become a thriving community built on environmentalism, sustainability, and local art and culture. In other words, you couldn't ask for a better place to attend a music festival. It's a utopian vision put into practice, a society of open-minded individuals realizing a dream.

I could go on for pages describing the incredible vibe I felt for one day last spring, but with the fall festival less than two weeks away, it's time to start looking forward to what my next Shakori endeavor has to offer.

Preview: Shakori Hills Fall 2011

Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival will be held Oct 6th-9th.
Click above to visit their official site.

Having fully recovered from the breakneck pacing of Hopscotch, we now set our sights on another of the Triangle's (well, just outside the Triangle) hidden gems: The Shakori Hill Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance, Shakori for short. On October 6th, the sleepy rural community of Silk Hope will erupt to vibrant life as folks of all stripes gather together on its beautiful countryside to enjoy a four day music festival.

The last festival, held in April, boasted 50 bands, including jam-band mainstays (and upstate New York natives) Donna the Buffalo, as well as astonishing sets from Arrested Development and Holy Ghost Tent Revival. As vibrant a musical community as the Triangle is, it featured a fair number of local acts, including Birds and Arrows, Mount Moriah and perennial favorites Midtown Dickens (whom I watched in the rain).

This time around, the organizers have gone all-in, so to speak. They've attracted major national acts, including Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, legendary banjoist Béla Fleck & the Flecktones, up-and-comer Brett Dennen, Dirty Bourbon River Show, The Emmit-Nerishi Band and many, many more. Still, they make a fantastic effort to highlight local talent with Hammer No More The Fingers, Dub Addis and Des Ark. With a grand total of over 50 fifty bands lined up and a boatload of daily activities, there is something for everyone to listen to and enjoy.