Snapshots: Watermelon Pickers Festival @ Watermelon Park (Berryville, VA) — 9/16-9/19/21

Posted on 09/24/2021 by Chester Simpson in Live Review and tagged Americana, Bela Fleck, Bijou Creole, bluegrass, Bumper Jacksons, Cedric Watson, Charley Crockett, Daryl Davis, music festival, The Infamous Stringdusters, Town Mountain, Watermelon Pickers Festival.

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Charley Crockett performs at Watermelon Pickers Festival 2021. (Photo by Chester Simpson)

Watermelon Picker’s Fest is one of my favorite festivals that I look forward to every year. The experience of camping, socializing with old and new friends while listening to music is an amazing experience not to be over looked. Besides music on the stages, there’s the night jam sessions, where various musicians travel from campsite to campsite for a special musical experience. It’s an opportunities to hangout with performers in a pleasant, usually quite rural, setting.

Live Review: Hank Williams Tribute @ The Birchmere — 12/29/19

Posted on 01/02/2020 by Mark Engleson in Live Review and tagged Bumper Jacksons, country, cover band, Hank Williams, The Birchmere, The Kennedys, tribute show.

Hank Williams’ star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Photo by allison_dc)

The end of the year brings the annual Hank Williams tribute show to The Birchmere. In the 23rd annual occurrence of the show recently, many performers returned from last year: Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, Pete and Maura Kennedy, bassist Mark Schatz, and fiddler Patrick McAvinue.

Music Park: Kingman Island Bluegrass & Folk Festival — 6/9/18

Posted on 06/12/2018 by Mark Engleson in Live Review and tagged American Songster Revue, Americana, Amythyst Kiah, bluegrass, blues, Bumper Jacksons, Dan Whitener, Dom Flemons, Dori Freeman, folk, Gangstagrass, Gina Clowes, Guy Davis, Jonny Grave, Kamara Thomas, Kingman Island, Kingman Island Bluegrass and Folk Festival, music festival, roots, The Gina Clowes Project, The High & Wides.

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.

Don’t Miss: Watermelon Park Festival @ Watermelon Park Campground (Berryville, VA), 9/21-9/24/17

Posted on 09/18/2017 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged acoustic dance music, Americana, Bumper Jacksons, Keller Williams, Marty Stuart, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, roots, The Dead South, The Del McCoury Band, The Quebe Sisters, The Seldom Scene, Watermelon Park, Watermelon Park Campground, Watermelon Park Festival, Western swing.

Watermelon Park Fest Sept. 24-27, 2015 (Photo by Chester Simpson)

Kick off the fall season this weekend with the Watermelon Park Festival, one of our region’s most exciting Americana and roots music festivals, at Watermelon Park Campground (3322 Lockes Mille Rd, Berryville, Virginia) on Thursday, Sept. 21, through Sunday, Sept. 24. Several ticketing and camping options are available.

Around Town: Biscuit Jam @ Industrious Warehouse — 8/6/16

Posted on 08/10/2016 by Mickey McCarter in Around Town, Live Review and tagged Ampersand Stringband, art installation, Biscuit Jam, blue grass, blues, Bumper Jacksons, Industrious Warehouse, Ivy City, Mason Dixie Biscuit Co., One Love Massive, roots, swing.

The Bumper Jacksons perform at Biscuit Jam 2016 in DC on Saturday, August 6. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

The Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. turned two years old recently, and instead of simply selling $2 biscuits or some other kitschy idea, it threw a proper birthday bash in Ivy City and called it the Biscuit Jam.

Held at the Industrious Warehouse (1900 Kendall St. NE, DC) on Saturday, Biscuit Jam offered up music, drink, food, and art on a sunny day. The full entertainment line-up consisted of a slate of regional bands: Jonny Grave & The Tombstones, Justin Trawick & The Common Good, Oh He Dead, Jahnel Daliya, Brian Farrow & What Got Over, Ampersand Stringband, and The Bumper Jacksons.