The Darin & Brooke Aldridge Bluegrass Festival will be at the Coot Williams Road festival grounds outside Cherryville, NC on April 1 and 2.  Headlined by the Darin & Brooke Aldridge Band, the host band, and bluegrass superband The Grascals ,Balsam Range and The Harris Brothers.

The Grascals,Since coming together as The Sidemen at the World Famous Station Inn in Nashville, about six years ago the Grascals have established an enviable record of recognition within the bluegrass world and in taking the music to audiences not previously exposed to it. The band was named IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year in 2005 and Entertainers of the Year in 2006 and 2007, while banjo player Kristin Scott Benson has been named Banjo Player of the Year for the past three years, a feat only achieved by three other banjo players in the history of the IBMA awards.  Their song “Me and John and Paul” was recognized as Song of the Year in 2005.  Their new CD “The Grascals and Friends,” an offering at Cracker Barrel restaurants, is an exciting new crossover effort melding bluegrass and country music. Here is their video of I am Strong  shot at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital. From The Grascals & Friends, available exclusively at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® and online … 

Balsam Range  is from Haywood County N.C. and they have had multiple-national #1 songs, multiple performances on national television, been touring around the globe to some of the world’s premier venues.  They are 2010 International Bluegrass Music Association’s – Emerging Artist of the Year Award Nominees.  Individually the band features premier tenor and instrumentalist Buddy Melton.  Award winning songwriter and guitar player Caleb Smith. Grammy Winning Banjo Player Marc Pruett.   IBMA Award Winner and Grand Ole Opry veteran Darren Nicholson. And Southern Gospel Hall of Famer Tim Surrett. Their brand new release “Trains I Missed”…is another national #1 in Bluegrass Music Profiles and was the #1 Album and Song on Sirius/XM Satellite radio.

The Harris Brothers are what you might call songsters. They can draw from a vast repertoire of American traditional music – “Americana” is often used to describe their style, but the Harris Brothers just call it music. Their sound is heavily influenced by traditional blues and Appalachian mountain music, jazz, country, and rock n’ roll. No matter what the Harris Brothers play, be it originals or old favorites, they have a special way of making the music their own; it’s stripped down, intense, and real, with no gimmicks.

New Plowed Ground is steadily gaining credibility on the acoustic Americana music scene. From early country, bluegrass, folk, to old-time, NPG features finely crafted original songs and just plain “good for the soul” music .The Band includes Al and Karen Dunkleman with Dr.Bobby Jones

The Darin & Brooke Aldridge Festival will be held at the Coot Williams Road site in Cherryville, NC, owned and operated by Linda and John Hunsucker under the name of The Catawba Valley Music Revival, a non-profit corporation devoted to “promoting and preserving live music in the unifour and surrounding areas of North and South Carolina.” In support of this goal the organization offers two festivals a year and hopes to support youth programs on its own property and in the area’s schools.  While not offering any hookups, the site has plenty of room for rough camping.  The natural bowl holds a large tent, while a food shed and flush toilets and showers are available.  Vendors are well situated to serve attendees.  The Hunsuckers have been holding festivals on this site for several years, and have become increasingly adept at presenting events in a customer friendly fashion.

We are having some great bands the weekend at the festival and also some great young talented bands also. Unspoken Tradtion is a local group of guys from Cherryville with a lot of energy and great picking to their music.The Roan Mountaineers is a great young band from students at ETSU.Carolina Foxfire is a band from Vale and it also has some wonderful young pickers in it that will go far in the bluegrass circuit.

The Moore Brothers will be joining in on the fun Saturday and these two kids can pick with the best .They are from Hickory and released thier first CD in Feb 2010. The  Catawba Valley Youth Revival Allstar band is some fine young pickers that have come together thru the youth program of Catawba Valley Music. Also Darin Aldridge will feature many of his students of all ages and give them a chance to show off what they have learned in front of a great crowd.

Tickets
Advance Friday – $20 per person
Advance Saturday – $20 per person
Advance Two Day – $35.00 per person
OR
$25 Daily at the Gate

more info at

http://catawbavalleymusicrevival.com/index.html

here is a great review of the Festival also at http://tedlehmann.blogspot.com/2011/03/darin-brooke-aldridge-bluegrass.html