Dom Flemons performs in Durham, North Carolina, on Sept. 8, 2016. (Photo by Thomas Barta)
At the Kingmans Island Bluegrass and Folk Festival on Saturday, I endured sun and rain, met some cool dogs, suffered for some ice cream, and most of all experienced some very good bluegrass, Americana, and blues bands on one full day.
Kingman Island Bluegrass & Folk Festival (Photo courtesy Living Classrooms)
Make sure to put the Kingman Island Bluegrass and Folk Festival on your calendar for Saturday, June 9. For just $35 a ticket, you get eight and a half hours of music, from noon to 8:30, with five stages of acts to choose from. The festival is family friendly, including your four-legged children!
The festival has booked a diverse set of outstanding artists to perform this year. Headliners Ganstagrass, known for the Emmy-nominated theme song to the FX series Justified, play a unique brand of bluegrass/hip-hop fusion.
Trampled by Turtles (Photo by David McClister)
Tramped by Turtles released Life Is Good on the Open Road, their eighth studio album, on May 4 via BanjoDad. The Minnesota-based bluegrass group perform at 9:30 Club on Sunday, May 13.
Black Masala lead a parade at Sleepy Creek SpringDig 2018. (Photo by Chester Simpson)
Sleepy Creek SpringDig returned May 4-6, 2018 for its fifth year to the region’s favorite family-friendly venue, Sleepy Creek on the Potomac in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. The annual camp-out offers a stellar line-up of local roots music and national superstars, with added attractions such as playgrounds and parades. Chester Simpson took some photos of this year’s Sleepy Creek SpringDig, and folk musician Sally Mae Foster wrote some words to accompany them!
Anna & Elizabeth (Photo by Lisa Elmaleh)
Living in Washington, we can become numb to the myriad of entertainment and cultural opportunities available to us. It is easy to forget that we live in a word-class city with possibilities unmatched for its size. Without the institutions in our amazing city, without the Library of Congress’s musical archives, without Smithsonian Folkways, it wouldn’t be possible for Anna & Elizabeth to enthrall a hushed, rapt crowd with their music.
Robbie Fulks (Photo by Andy Goodwin)
Chicago singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks helped define alt-country when he released his first album in 1996. He most recently released Upland Stories to universal acclaim in 2016 via Bloodshot Records. On the road once again, Robbie plays Jammin’ Java tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 27.
Marlon Williams (Photo courtesy Ticketfly)
New Zealand’s Marlon Williams released Make Way for Love, his second studio album, via Dead Oceans on Feb. 16. He’s embarked on the accompanying Make Way for Love Tour, which visits DC’s Rock and Roll Hotel on Friday, March 23.
