Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Events

Our Find Your Pint series continues! We have been partnering with breweries along the Parkway who are generously donating a portion of their beer sales to support the scenic route. Wooden Robot is releasing a special batch of their Generously Hopped IPA on February 28 and $1 of every large pour or crowler will be donated directly to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation until it runs out. We will be at Wooden Robot on Wednesday, March 27 from 5-7 p.m. with I ♥ the Parkway stickers. We hope to see you there. Cheers!

The Blue Ridge Music Center is inviting music lovers to explore the musical history of our country during a one-day conference titled Mill Towns and the Birth of American Music on Thursday, April 11, at WinMock at Kinderton in Bermuda Run, North Carolina. The conference and an evening concert will follow the thread of musical influences and traditions that were born out of mill and factory towns in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys are a high energy, fast-paced traditional bluegrass band from the Great Smoky Mountains. Named the IBMA’s 2018 Emerging Artist of the Year, they’re a young, old-school bluegrass band emulating the style from a time before people saw bluegrass and country music as separate things.

Folk duo Mandolin Orange, songwriter Andrew Marlin (vocals, mandolin, guitar, banjo) and Emily Frantz (vocals, violin, guitar), are known for their tight vocal harmonies, virtuosic instrumentation and engaging storytelling. Their sound includes elements of folk, country, bluegrass, gospel and pop, creating an appealing blend of modern roots music.

Bill Monroe, the revered Father of Bluegrass, considered his Blue Grass Boys band a training ground for musicians. This concert brings together five of the musicians who shared the road and stage with Monroe for a celebration of his enduring body of music. Banjoist Butch Robins, fiddler Billy Baker, and bassist Doug Hutchens hail from Southwest Virginia. They will be joined by Ohio guitarist Tom Ewing, and mandolinist Mike Compton of the Nashville Bluegrass Band.

Born and raised in Europe, brothers Jens and Uwe Kruger started singing and playing instruments at a young age and were exposed to diverse musical influences. The brothers were performing regularly by the time they were 11 and 12 years old, and in just a few years they began busking throughout Europe. Several years later, the brothers teamed up with bass player Joel Landsberg, a native of New York City with an extensive musical upbringing in classical and jazz music, to form a trio that has been playing professionally since 1995.

Kelsey Waldon has become a key player in the East Nashville music community by penning songs that capture the heartland through twentysomething eyes. Waldon’s powerful alto communicates both her love of elders like Loretta Lynn and her generational connection to Southern millennials like Kacey Musgraves. She recently sang onstage with John Prine, Jamey Johnson and Willie Nelson.

For generations, the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia have produced an abundance of extraordinary traditional musicians. The Virginia Luthiers are steeped in those traditions and present an evening of stellar bluegrass and old-time music. As their name suggests, the members of The Virginia Luthiers are also master builders of acoustic instruments.

A jazz pianist turned roots musician, Sam Reider is redefining American music on the accordion. He’s traveled extensively overseas as a musical ambassador for the Department of State, been featured at Lincoln Center and on NPR, and performed alongside pop stars and jazz and folk musicians. Now he’s surrounded himself with a crew of some of the most in-demand acoustic musicians on the scene in Brooklyn.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is proud to present the exhibit Modern Visions, Modern Art: The Cone Sisters in North Carolina at Blowing Rock Art and History Museum from July 20 through November 30. The exhibit is a complement to the museum’s art exhibit Modern Visions, Modern Art: The Cone Sisters in North Carolina (August 3-November 30).

The Steel Wheels’ style weaves through Americana and bluegrass music, folk and old-time music, and the acoustic poetry of the finest singer-songwriters. Hailing from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the band is familiar with the traditions of folk music and how a string band is supposed to sound while simultaneously evoking a sense of forward motion.

Michael Cleveland brings dynamic traditional bluegrass to the stage with his award-winning band, Flamekeeper, in a show that will leave the audience in awe. An 11-time winner of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Fiddle Performer of the Year award, Cleveland and his talented band present a program of tight vocal trios and duos, blistering instrumentals, and fiddle-and-banjo duets that echo the first-generation stars of bluegrass. The show is rounded out with Cleveland’s dry wit and the band's sense of fun.

Chatham County Line has never been shy about crossing musical borders. The Raleigh-based quartet refers to its sound as new traditional. The band consists of Dave Wilson on guitar, vocals, and harp; John Teer on mandolin and fiddle; Chandler Holt on banjo; and Greg Readling on bass, pedal steel, and piano. Playing traditional string band instrumentation around a single microphone while clad in string bow ties and cowboy hats, the band visually projects a sepia-toned timelessness.

The Hot Seats play string band music with simple intentions: to keep the role of traditional musician as entertainer and commentator alive and kicking. They combine the virtuosic soloing and tightness of bluegrass, the band-driven rhythm of old time, the jerky bounce of ragtime, and the swagger of good old rock and roll. Add some eastern melodies, a few modernist ideals, and an uncanny feel for comic timing, and you begin to understand their sound. Tickets are $15. Tickets

Mark your calendar for the fourth annual Denim Ball to benefit Moses H. Cone Memorial Park. We can't wait to celebrate all you have accomplished at the Cone Manor house and estate, and the improvements yet to come for this special place listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Check back for details in the coming weeks.

Fireside Collective from Asheville, North Carolina, delights listeners with memorable melodies and contemporary songwriting. While roots music lies at the core of the band’s songs, a willingness to explore the boundaries and present relevant new material remains fundamental to their sound. Fireside Collective’s energetic live performances show off their instrumental proficiency, colorful harmonies and innovative musical arrangements.

J2B2, a.k.a. John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band, is an all-star bluegrass group featuring four legendary, award-winning musicians: John Jorgenson on acoustic guitar, mandolin and vocals; Herb Pedersen on banjo, acoustic guitar and vocals; Mark Fain on bass; and Patrick Sauber on acoustic guitar and vocals. The band’s undeniable live shows have received stellar reviews and have the bluegrass world buzzing.