When it comes to music festivals, I’m a dabbler. Barring a few must-see acts, I tend to wander from stage to stage to try to catch bits of as many bands as possible, hoping to stumble across a surprise or two. At many festivals, that approach can be exhausting, making it easy to spend more time rushing off to see the next band than being able to get a true feel for the performers.
But thanks to generous set lengths and the close proximity of stages and tents, Shakori Hills is a sampler’s paradise. During my 13 hours at the festival, I was able to catch parts of 22 acts with enough time to actually relax and enjoy the music. I even managed a couple of cat naps. Hit the jump for minute-by-minute impressions. Continue reading »
The Fall edition of Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival in Silk Hope is set for Oct. 8-11, a little less than two months away. This morning, festival organizers announced the first 27 acts of this season’s celebration. The big names so far are the usual suspects—The Duhks, The Gourds, festival founders Donna the Buffalo. Among the most exciting acts in this initial batch, though, are young locals stretching beyond Shakori’s Hills Americana roots—eclectic hip-hoppers The Beast, melancholy Trekky kids Butterflies, the steamy soul of the Howie Dewitt Band—and national acts like The Belleville Outfit and Casey Driessen & the Colorfools, both of which never met a genre they couldn’t integrate. Also notable: Chatham County Lines, Christabel and the Jons, Midtown Dickens, Mosadi Music and new band Good-Timin’-Campin’ Hackney Farm Family Band Super Groove Ritual Joint.
While Chatham County Line bassist Greg Readling and principal songwriter/ vocalist/ guitarist Dave Wilson have long used Stillhouse as their electric outlet, banjoist Chandler Holt and fiddle/ mandolin player John Teer have finally found their own channel for tunes that don’t fit CCL’s ever-evolving acoustic catalog thanks to The Jackets. With Wilson out of the picture, the songwriting talent of Holt—who contributed “Coming Home” to CCL’ s Speed of the Whippoorwill and “Whipping Boy” on IV—is given room to shine on harmony-rich AM pop numbers like “Holding On,” one of the first Jackets collaborations. The video below is from The Jacket’s December 9 debut at Raleigh’s Berkeley Cafe.
The Norway and Nord Cack ensemble of Chatham County Line and Jonas Fjeld made its debut Raleigh appearance last night at the Berkeley Cafe before heading to Europe for a tour behind their new collaborative album, Brother of Song.
The Fall edition of Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival in Silk Hope is set for Oct. 8-11, a little less than two months away. This morning, 
