Live Review: Appaloosa Festival @ Skyline Ranch Resort — 9/3-9/4/22

Posted on September 11, 2022 by Chester Simpson in Live Review and tagged Americana, Appaloosa Festival, Appaloosa Music Festival, Arbo, Ben-David Warner Band, Birdwalker, bluegrass, Cake for Dinner, Celtic, country, Everyday Everybody, Flex Matthews, folk, Gothard Sisters, Justin Trawick and the Common Good, Molly Tuttle, music festival, Pickin’ Thistles, Presley Barker, rap, Scythian, Skyline Ranch Resort, Smoke & The Poet, soul.

Alex and Dan Fedoryka of Scythian with Molly Tuttle (Photos by Chester Simpson)

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” – Plato

Two days of Music at the Appaloosa Roots Music Festival was “Music Among Friends,” held on Labor Day weekend at Skyline Ranch Resort in Front Royal, Virginia.

Alex and Dan Fedoryka, founding members of the band Scythian, created the festival that brings in musicians and fans from all over the country. You are surprised to hear and see bluegrass, Celtic, folk, rap, soul, and country Music all in one festival.

Live Review: Appaloosa Festival @ Skyline Ranch Resort — 8/13-8/15/21

Posted on August 20, 2021 by Chester Simpson in Live Review, Local Spotlight and tagged Abigail Dowd, Appaloosa Festival, Appaloosa Music Festival, Arbo, Bill and The Belles, bluegrass, Honeyday, Justin Trawick, Justin Trawick and the Common Good, Mink's Miracle Medicine, music festival, roots, Scythian, Young Dubliners.

Flex Matthews joined Justin Trawick at the last minute to fill an emergency opening in the 2021 Appaloosa Festival. (Photo by Chester Simpson.)

Alex and Dan Fedoryka, founding members of the band Scythian, wanted to bring their friends and fans back to their family’s hometown of Front Royal, Virginia, on the scenic Skyline Ranch Resort, nestled in the Shenandoah Valley. It’s just a few minutes from the northern entrance to Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive, and less than a mile from the Shenandoah River. There is camping available on site, plus opportunities in the immediate vicinity to hike, canoe, fish, and bike.

Welcome to the perfect setting and the perfect weekend for the annual Appaloosa Music Festival, the result of the Fedoryka brothers’ dream to celebrate life and music with their friends and family, which includes you and me!

Snapshots: Appaloosa Festival @ Skyline Ranch Resort — 8/30-9/1/19

Posted on September 4, 2019 by Chester Simpson in Live Review and tagged Americana, Appaloosa Festival, Aztec Sun, bluegrass, Celtic rock, Fireside Collective, Gothard Sisters, Honeyday, Hussey Brothers, Jack Dunlap, Jessica Willis Fisher, Jonathan Byrd, Justin Trawick, Justin Trawick and the Common Good, music festival, Screaming Orphans, Scythian, Sibling Rivalry, Skyline Ranch Resort, Steep Canyon Rangers, The Dustbowl Revival, Upstate, Yarn.

5th Annual Appaloosa Roots Music Festival

Jessica Willis Fisher performs at Appaloosa Festival over Labor Day weekend. (Photo by Chester Simpson)

“There are no strangers here, only friends who have not yet met.” — William Butler Yeats.

That quote from Yeats opened the program for the 2019 Appaloosa Festival, which invited friends of all stripes to Skyline Ranch Resort in Front Royal, Virginia, over Labor Day weekend for a gathering of bluegrass, folk, Americana, Celtic rock, and more! Parklife DC’s Chester Simpson captured the action on film.

Snapshots: The Circus Life Podcast 6th Anniversary @ 9:30 Club — 7/27/19

Posted on August 7, 2019 by Ari Strauss in Live Review, Local Spotlight and tagged 9:30 Club, Abigail Furr, Americana, anniversary show, Circus Life Podcast, Feel Free, Justin Trawick, Justin Trawick and the Common Good, Mystery Friends, podcast, reggae, synthpop, The Dirty Grass Players.

Justin Trawick, The Circus Life podcast host and lead singer of Justin Trawick and the Common Good, performs at 9:30 Club, July 27, 2019. (Photo by Ari Strauss/ aristrauss.com)

“Life’s a circus and this is The Circus Life.”

Frequent listeners to the Circus Life podcast recognize that phrase because it’s how host Justin Trawick begins each episode of the podcast which is recorded live in remote locations in and around the nation’s capital. The interview-based podcast features conversations between Justin and influential and interesting individuals in music and culture.

Preview: The Circus Life Podcast feat. Justin Trawick and The Common Good @ 9:30 Club, 7/27/19

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Parklifer in Local Spotlight, Preview and tagged 9:30 Club, Abigail Furr, Americana, anniversary show, DC, FeelFree, Justin Trawick, Justin Trawick and the Common Good, Mystery Friends, podcast, The Circus Life, The Dirty Grass Players.

Justin Trawick (Photo by Casey Gill)

Singer-songwriter Justin Trawick presents a sixth anniversary concert for his podcast, The Circus Life, at 9:30 Club on Saturday, July 27! At the show, you can see Justin and The Common Good, along with FeelFree, The Dirty Grass Players, Mystery Friends, Abigail Furr, and other special guests.

Live Review: Kingman Island Bluegrass & Folk Festival — 5/4/19

Posted on May 9, 2019 by Mark Engleson in Live Review and tagged bluegrass, Che Apalache, folk, Hackensaw Boys, ilyAIMY, Jess Elliot Mhyre, Justin Trawick, Justin Trawick and the Common Good, Kingman Island, Kingman Island Bluegrass and Folk Festival, Matt Ruppert, music festival, Odetta Hartman, The Bumper Jacksons, The Dustbowl Revival.

Odetta Hartman performs at the Kingman Island Bluegrass & Folk Festival on May 4, 2019. (Photo by Matt Ruppert)

The Kingman Island Bluegrass & Folk Festival was held in northeast DC last weekend. It featured numerous local bands and artists, as well as a few that came from out of town for the festival. With four stages of music, the festival ran from noon to eight o’clock.