Gate to main stage opens
4:30pm
With the help of JD Thomas (Building Rockets, Charlie Woods and Deep Hollow) and Ishi Wooton (Restless Leg String Band, Bloodroots Barter), Dark Moon Hollow brings together a mixture of honky tonk, traditional bluegrass, and both psychadelic and southern rock. The eclectic group can only be described as high energy, no matter the tempo. Noted for powerful harmonies, the goal is to make the best music that speaks not only to themselves but one another and their fanbase as well.
Dave Eggar is regarded as one of the finest cellists on the planet. That cello solo you hear in the intro to Coldplay’s first #1 single “Viva La Vida” is Dave’s performance.
On the Billboard Top 200 #1 album, the debut solo album by Zayn Malik, Mind of Mine, Dave plays and arranged the music.
During the creative explosion that was country music in the 1990s Suzy Bogguss sold 4 million records with sparkling radio hits like “Outbound Plane”, “Someday Soon”, “Letting Go”, “Drive South”, and “Hey Cinderella”. But you can’t peg Suzy that easily…
In the midst of her country popularity she took time off to make a duets album with the legendary Chet Atkins. In 2003 she made an album of modern swing music with Ray Benson of Asleep At The Wheel. An album of original music in 2007 landed her at number 4 on the jazz charts. Her folk music roots show through in her frequent appearances on public radio’s A Prairie Home Companion, in the Grammy she earned for her work on Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster, and in her critically acclaimed album and book project from 2011,
American Folk Songbook. In 2014 she released Lucky, a collection of songs written by Merle Haggard and interpreted through Suzy’s crystal vocals from the female point of view. Her latest offering, Prayin’ For Sunshine, is an Americana tour de force with all songs written by Bogguss. She continues to tour the world, both on her own and with fellow country radio divas Terri Clark and Pam Tills as “Chicks With Hits” and more recently, with Kathy Mattea on their Together At Last tour. So yes, you can call her a country singer if you want, but really that’s just the beginning.
Based in Bristol, V.A. , Momma Molasses has toured throughout the Southeast, as a breakout D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) musician. Her music interlaces influences from Classic Country, Appalachian Folk, Western-Swing, Swamp-pop, Bluegrass, and Old-Time music into a uniquely timeless sound. Her rolling contralto voice scales over homespun finger-picked guitar, in haunting lamentations. Warm, rich, and passionate her songs embrace, and captivate listeners, soothing well warn hearts with vulnerable lyricism.
For many years, Town Branch has played many great venues in the area including the Carter Family Fold, Lays Hardware, Gathering in the Gap, Wilderness Road Heritage Festival, M.E.C.C. Home Craft Days, Papa Joe Smiddy Labor Day Festival, as well as many churches and private events.
Members of Town Branch include Brandon Elkins, Jack Bonham, Shirley Smith, Peggy Ely and Rod Griffith. All band members are from Lee County, Virginia.
Jared Boyd grew up in the small community of Laurel Fork in Carroll County, Virginia and spent the early years of his life surrounded by old-time music on both sides of his family. He learned clawhammer banjo from Ray Chatfield through the Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program as well as from his grandfather Jimmy Boyd, co-founder of the Franklin County, VA old-time dance band, The Dry Hill Draggers. His playing has also been influenced by local players of past and present such as Kyle Creed, Tommy Jarrell, Brien Fain, Emily Spencer, and Eddie Bond to name a few.
The Clinch Mountain Echo Band plays mountain style Bluegrass Music in the Stanley Tradition. Coming from the mountains of Southwest Virginia, these young gentlemen grew up right in the midst of true Appalachian music and they strive to keep that tradition alive with their high lonesome Bluegrass.