Originally Posted By: bobcflatpicker
One area where live music is thriving is bluegrass festivals. I think it's safe to say there are more festivals now than ever before. They're held all over the the country from spring through the fall.

You have lots of original music mixed in with old favorites and there's a ton of young and old musicians who are at the top of their game musically.

The crowds run the gamut from young hipsters to old hippies, accountants, lawyers, doctors, etc. The audiences are large and enthusiastic.

The festivals range in size from small local affairs to huge festivals like Merlefest where you literally have to be bused in. Merelefest has numerous stages, workshops for various instruments and there are opportunities to meet a lot of performers. It features bluegrass, folk, blues, jazz, country and fusions of all of the above.



I agree with everything Bob says and I'll ramp it up a notch: from what I can see, bluegrass is the genre to watch for performing opportunities. It is not only alive and well, it is being actively promoted by preservation societies and other groups such as all the festivals (all over the country) that are dedicated to promoting the music. Preservation societies also provide funding for local gigs.

Talented performers? H#ll yeah! and more importantly is the fact that there are LOTS and LOTS of young bluegrass musicians in the pipeline! and they are GOOD! Their presence is significant because it virtually guarantees at least one more generation of bluegrass. (I think it won't stop there)

Ramping it up another notch, I think that bluegrass is to the current music environment what rock was to the 60s and 70s. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. When was the last time you saw a music festival dedicated to any other genre that approached the size and diversity of Merlefest? And Merlefest is just one of a hundred such festivals!



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Pat Marr went for the first time this past year and said he had a blast.


That's true. I did... And I'll be going back! I also plan to explore other festivals besides Merlefest... within easy driving distance there's a fiddler's convention in Galax Va., Floydfest in Floyd Va., a bluegrass festival in Raleigh, one in Gettysburg Pa... no matter where you live, I bet there are multiple BG festivals near you.


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While it's hard to break into that scene as a performer, they do welcome original music and new acts.


I don't think any of us will be playing at Merlefest any more than we would have been invited to play at Woodstock.. but in the same way that Woodstock stirred up interest in local Rock & Roll for decades, these bluegrass festivals are creating local performing opportunities. If I were a good bluegrass musician (and I make no claim to be) I'd have no problem playing around here. There's as much bluegrass going on here as there is anything else. And it's on the rise.


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For those of you that have never been to one, you may want to take time to check them out next year when they fire back up, even if bluegrass isn't your thing.


Two days ago I was listening to the link at the bottom of BobCFlatpickers tagline (music in the mountains) and learned of another festival near Bob. (If you haven't clicked Bob's link and listened to his music, you should... even if you don't like bluegrass, the awareness is worth an hour of your life.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ey71h8ep047758h/AAC12jNM0Hz9Q8zsh5iDeqNHa?dl=0