MERLEFEST 2009 ANNOUNCES LINEUP
Here is a press release we received from the folks at Merlefest. Sounds like another amazing event! Perhaps it is time for me to make the drive to NC this spring!!
WILKESBORO, N.C.–MerleFest 2009, presented by Lowe’s and slated for April 23-26, is proud to announce the line up for the event’s 22nd year. The following artists will join host Doc Watson on the campus of Wilkes Community College for a celebration of what Doc calls “traditional-plus” music—traditional, roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, complemented by spontaneous jam sessions and musical collaborations not seen anywhere else:
Richard Watson
Susana and Timmy Abell
The Alberti Flea Circus
Angel Band
Banknotes
Buffalo Barfield
Bearfoot
BeauSoleil
Rory Block
Blue Highway
Roy Book Binder
Laura Boosinger
Bob Bovee and Gail Heil
Broken Wire
David Bromberg
Sam Bush
Cadillac Sky
The Carolina Chocolate Drops
The Circuit Riders
Clack Mountain String Band
T. Michael Coleman
The John Cowan Band
Dailey & Vincent
The Dixie Beeliners
Donna The Buffalo
Pat Donohue
Robert Dotson
The Duhks
The Farewell Drifters
Benton Flippen Band
Full Throttle Bluegrass Band
Rayna and Dan Gellert
The Grascals
The Gravy Boys
Great Big Sea
The Greencards
Mitch Greenhill
George Hamilton IV
Emmylou Harris
Wayne Henderson
Violet Hensley
Willette Hinton and Family
Jimmy “Duck” Holmes
David Holt
Sierra Hull and Highway 111
The InterACTive Theater of Jef
Phil Jamison
The Kruger Brothers
Jim Lauderdale
Jack Lawrence
Mark Lippard
Jeff Little
The Local Boys
The Lovell Sisters
Doug MacLeod
Andy May
Del McCoury Band
Tift Merritt
Mountain Heart
Nashville Bluegrass Band
The Neighbors
New North Carolina Ramblers
Ollabelle
Out on the Ocean
Polecat Creek
Missy Raines and the New Hip
Loretta and Lindsay Rice
Tony Rice
The Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band
Patrick Sauber
Martha Scanlan
Scythian
Anne and Pete Sibley
Joe Smothers
Spring Creek Bluegrass Band
The SteelDrivers
Rodney Sutton
Patrick Sweany
Tut Taylor
Joe Thompson
Tom, Brad and Alice
Happy Traum
Jenny Traynham
Travis Tritt and Jerry Douglas
The Waybacks
WCC Child Development Singers
Pete and Joan Wernick
Wilkes Acoustic Folk Society
Tony Williamson
In addition to providing the full line-up, the festival’s website, www.merlefest.org , is a complete source of information on all aspects of the event. Festival fans are encouraged to visit the website and sign up for the MerleFest e-newsletter to keep up with the latest developments. They can also sign up to volunteer by visiting the site.
The MerleFest box office will open for 2009 ticket sales on Tuesday, November 11, at 2:00 p.m. EST. Ticket purchases can be made on the web at www.merlefest.org or by calling 1-800-343-7857. With over 90 acts performing on 15 stages during the course of the event, MerleFest is an entertainment value, with 2009 ticket prices remaining the same as for 2008.
MerleFest, celebrating its 22nd year in 2009, is a four-day event that honors the memory of instrumental virtuoso Eddy Merle Watson and the contributions of Doc and the entire Watson Family to the musical traditions of the region and nation. Held on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, MerleFest began in 1988 as a fundraiser for the college and remains the largest fundraiser for the institution.