A musical journey through North Carolina
Music runs deep and wide in North Carolina. Thanks to its Appalachian roots and diverse historical influences, the state is a veritable potpourri of culture, sights and sound, where bluegrass, blues, folk, country, jazz and gospel find their place alongside rap, metal, punk and good ol’ fashioned rock and roll. Is it any surprise that its unofficial anthem is Carolina in My Mind, written by North Carolina’s own James Taylor?
With summer festival season upcoming, there’s never been a better time to traverse the music-loving state, and its varied playlist as your guide.
Wilkesboro Wilkesboro hosts one of the most popular music festivals in the country, MerleFest. Held in late April, the festival was founded in 1988 as a tribute to Eddy Merle Watson, the son of music legend Doc Watson. The event, also a fundraiser, is a celebration of “traditionalplus” music, a combination of traditional, folk, bluegrass and roots-oriented sounds as well as Americana, country, blues, rock and other modern styles. Performers at this year’s four-day event include Steep Canyon Rangers and Friends, Steve Martin, Kris Kristofferson, Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn.
While there, head over to Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame, located at the Wilkes Heritage Museum, where national and local musicians are inducted. Inside the museum, you can also find Old Wilkes Jail, circa 1859, where Confederate soldier Tom Dooley (memorialized by The Kingston Trio song) was incarcerated.
Asheville Every Saturday in the summer, music takes hold of downtown Asheville’s Pack Square Park with the bluegrass concert series called Shindig on the Green. Run by the Folk Heritage Committee as a way to preserve the traditional music, dance and storytelling heritage of the southern Appalachian Mountains, the event — celebrating its 52nd season — attracts up to 5,000 people from around the world.
The first weekend of August, you can also enjoy its sister event, the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, the oldest continuously running folk festival in the U.S. Since 1928, fiddlers, banjo pickers, dancers and other performers have made it a memorable three-night event.
If an indoor venue is more your thing, head to the Orange Peel, a favourite North Carolinian venue that has hosted a diversity of artists over the years, from Bob Dylan to the Beastie Boys.
Charlotte The largest city in the state and second-largest financial centre in the U.S., Charlotte boasts a mix of modern and southern flavours that infuse its culinary, cultural and musical offerings. Check out the Charlotte Folk Society, which runs performances throughout the year. Or head over to the Levine Museum of the New South. Dedicated to the history of the South since the Civil War, the museum highlights the legends of bluegrass and gospel, as well as current local musicians.
For intimate musical venues, there’s Visulite Theatre, Fillmore Charlotte or Neighborhood Theatre. Originally built as a movie theatre, the venue hosts local and national musical acts playing old and new sounds. It’s also conveniently located in NoDa, a historic arts and entertainment district replete with restaurants, shops and bars.
If you’re in Charlotte over the Fourth of July weekend, drive an hour to Morganton for the annual Red White and Bluegrass Festival. Running for 30 years, the event is one of the more popular bluegrass festivals in the Southeast United States.
Side trip: Want a beer with your tunes? Then travel 20 minutes to Southern Grace Distilleries. Formerly a prison, visitors can get a historical tour, along with a brew. Racing fans check out the home of NASCAR Motor Speedway in nearby Concord.
Raleigh-Durham Along with Raleigh, North Carolina’s capital, and the town of Chapel Hill, Durham is known for being part of the Research Triangle, a region renowned for its concentration of top universities and high-tech companies. It also has a lively musical scene, thanks, in part, to Moogfest, a multiday music, art and technology festival held every May. Named after the late inventor of the Moog synthesizer and “founding father” of electronic music, Robert Arther “Bob” Moog, the event was previously in Asheville before moving to Durham. Past performers include Kraftwerk, Devo and Brian Eno.
In early September, check out the Hopscotch Musical Festival, where 120 bands play music of every genre imaginable on large outdoor stages as well as more intimate indoor clubs.
Greensboro If you’re in North Carolina’s third-mostpopulous city in mid-May, don’t miss the 32nd annual Carolina Blues Festival, the longest-running blues festival in the Southeast United States. This year’s line-up includes Nikki Hill, Gary
Hoey, Lakota John, Cory Luetjen and The Traveling Blues Band.
Mount Airy Fiddler fans shouldn’t miss the annual Old-Time Fiddlers Convention on the first weekend of June. Established in 1922, the two-day festival is a celebration of old-time and bluegrass music that features solo and band competitions.
Visit the Earle Theatre, where you’ll find the MerryGo-Round live radio show (the second-longest-running in the U.S. after the Grand Ole Opry) and regular jam sessions with local musicians. The theatre also holds the Old-Time Music Heritage Hall, which boasts exhibits, tours and workshops geared at preserving and promoting traditional music in the region.
Side trip: Once in Mount Airy, don’t miss the Andy Griffith Museum. You are in Sheriff Andy’s hometown, after all.
Blue Ridge Mountains These picturesque peaks make a fortuitous backdrop for the Brevard Music Festival. Hosted by the Brevard Music Center from June to August each summer, the festival brings a variety of performers to its 1,800-seat, open-air auditorium. This year, audiences will enjoy the sounds of symphony, opera, jazz, bluegrass, dance and folk, performances by The Manhattan Transfer, bluegrass legends Steep Canyon Rangers and Béla Fleck, and special tributes honouring the centennial of Leonard Bernstein.