For Grateful Web readers hungry for a new autumn adventure, let us point your compass toward Indiana—where the picking is sweet, the camping is easy, and the roots run deep. The First City Music Festival, returning September 25-27, 2025, in Vincennes, Indiana, has quietly grown into one of the Midwest’s most authentic, family friendly, and welcoming gatherings for fans of bluegrass, Americana, and folk-fusion sounds. Now in its sixth year, this volunteer-run celebration is as much about community as it is about chords—and it just might be the blend you didn’t know you were missing.

For Coloradans and jamgrass loyalists used to the high-elevation circuit, First City offers something beautifully different: a soft-rolling landscape where strangers become neighbors, and the late-night pickin’ doesn’t require oxygen tanks. You may even opt for bug spray instead of sunblock. Campers fill the historic fairgrounds with laughter and licks, while local food vendors, family activities, and pop-up jams give the festival a “front porch” vibe that’s genuine and grounding.

And the lineup? Let’s talk about what’s drawing ears this year.

Headlining 2025 is none other than Peter Rowan, a living legend whose storytelling and songs are essential threads in the tapestry of American roots music. He’s joined by the Sam Grisman Project, carrying forward the legacy of David Grisman and Jerry Garcia with reverent, soul-stirring interpretations of Old & In the Way music. If you like your string music high-octane, Armchair Boogie delivers it with funky freshness, while Henhouse Prowlers bring their internationally flavored, Chicago-brewed bluegrass with global heart.

This year’s lineup also features festival favorite artist-at-large Kyle Tuttle, whose banjo prowess spans from Jeff Austin Band to Billy Strings to psychedelic folk realms; the poetic grit of Chicago Farmer & The Fieldnotes; the groove-laden vibes of The Hammer & The Hatchet; and the mountain spirit of Chain Station, making the Colorado-to-Indiana connection a meaningful one. Rounding out the bill are acts like Grandpas’s Cough Medicine, Avocado Chic, Front Porch, and the high-energy, locally beloved New Old Cavalry.

But what makes First City different isn’t just who’s on stage—it’s how the festival feels. If you live for pickin’ season and the soulful spirit of grassroots gatherings, First City Music Festival in Vincennes, Indiana is calling your name. “We wanted something we would want to go to,” say the festival organizers. That means things like instrument workshops, kids' programs, locally-sourced food, and a commitment to inclusivity. We dream big. We act locally. We believe in the good things coming. 

I recently sat down with founders Jeff and Nash to discuss how this musical family reunion came to be and why it means so much to those who return year after year. 

June: I’ve been thinking a lot about how a festival is more than just a few days of music—it’s a heartbeat. It’s the people who build it, the fans who travel for it, the kids who grow up with it, and the community that claims it. That’s why I wanted to talk with you both today about the First City Music Festival. It’s got that special kind of magic—the kind that starts small and grows deep roots. And now that we’re heading into your sixth year, it feels like the right time to look back on how far it’s come and look ahead to where it’s going. I just walked into the gym and came out to lightning, thunder, and rain. I hope that's not an omen for this year. Guys, I'm really sorry.

Jeff: Let me say this — we went through Hurricane Helene last year, so a little rain doesn't scare us!

June: It's got to get better from there!

Jeff: Yeah, it can't get any worse.

June: Well, I’ve got some questions—about who you are and what your vision is. I wanted to start with who you are. Can you share with me your first memorable festival experience? Was it as a kid or perhaps a teenage road trip?

Nash: What turned me on to all this was my first show. My sister snuck me off to a Dead show at Noblesville when they crashed the gate. That was my first show. That’s what got me into the jam scene. 

Jeff: I went to Summer Camp in 2008 or 2009 and happened to catch Yonder Mountain String Band at 3 p.m. on a third stage. Jeff Austin grabbed me, and that’s what started it all.

June: That’s a good one.

Nash: I got hooked on the festival scene before I even attended concerts. I was in middle school and always a big music fan, really taken with the ‘60s movement. My uncle, my dad’s oldest brother, told me I had to watch the Woodstock documentary. That was during the VHS days. I convinced the public library to buy it just so I could borrow it. I watched it over and over, wrote papers about it. Then in high school, I started going to shows. My first real festival was Bonnaroo 2004. I was 17. I was completely taken by the scene and the people coming together. I wasn’t thinking about how to start a festival then—it was more like, how can I get to the next one? It’s been a lifelong chase.

June: If someone has never been to a Strings festival, what makes it different from something like Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, or another mainstream event?

Nash: First off, the crowd and community that comes with bluegrass or jamgrass is one of the most welcoming atmospheres you can experience. There’s a real sense of fellowship. The music attracts a different type of person—people who want to share songs and traditions, even teach kids how to play instruments. That creates a very welcoming, inclusive environment.

Jeff: Exactly. We’re grassroots. That’s what separates us from the big corporate festivals like Lollapalooza. We’re just trying to break even. It’s all blood, sweat, tears, and love. You’ll see us out there literally driving stakes into the ground. The people see us building this thing with our own hands, and I think that makes a difference.

June: Can you tell me a little about the chairs? At a Strings festival, people set up their chairs and leave them there. Everyone respects that.

Jeff: Not only do they respect it, but if a chair’s open, you sit in it—even if it’s not yours. If someone comes back and says, “Hey, that’s our chair,” people move without issue. A lot of this came from the John Hartford Festival. We’d set out our chairs and not move them until the end of the fest. I’ve made more friends from chatting with people who were sitting in my chair or whose chair I was sitting in than probably any other way.

June: Speaking of Hartford, word on the street is that First City Music Festival is the continuation of the John Hartford Memorial Fest. How do you feel about carrying that torch?

Jeff: It’s an honor. I’ve been going to Hartford since day one. That’s where I learned how to throw a party—under Tom Burkhart’s wing, one of the founders. He and John Hotze taught me a lot. Tom still comes every year. We’re the sister festival. They were in spring, and we’re in the fall.

June: Bean Blossom was considered the bluegrass Mecca.

Jeff: It’s heartbreaking what happened there, but it had nothing to do with Tom or John. It was due to a change in ownership. (The new owners don’t really play well with others.)

To understand the soul of First City, you have to go back to Bean Blossom. For years, the John Hartford Memorial Festival held court at Bill Monroe Music Park—just south of Indianapolis—where it became a sacred gathering place for bluegrass fans, pickers, and dreamers. It wasn’t just about the music; it was a place where strangers became family, where kids learned fiddle tunes by campfire light. When new ownership took over the park, many felt that spirit began to slip away. An attempt to revive that magic at a new site—the Americana Jamboree—carried good intentions but couldn’t quite capture the same heartbeat. For many, First City Music Festival has become that new beating heart. Not a replacement, but a continuation. A place where the grassroots ethos of JHMF lives on and evolves in its own Indiana soil.

June: How did you end up in Vincennes?

Jeff: We live here. This is home, baby! 

Nash; Back in 2019, at Hartford, Jeff had been hosting a smaller fall event at his house that had grown. It felt like time to take the next step. My wife and I are involved in the natural health field—we have a donation-based yoga studio. One of our goals had always been to throw a festival, maybe a wellness festival with plenty of yoga, Reiki, maybe some tunes. Then we got involved with the Spirit of Vincennes, a historical reenactment group. We weren't into history, but we saw it as an opportunity to learn how to run a large event. 15,000 plus people come through town for this event. We want good things happening in our community.

By 2019, I had become the president of that group. We realized we could do this in town. The grounds had never hosted a music event before, but the infrastructure was there. We wanted to create something our kids could grow up with and be proud of. By October that year, we had our first two-day event. It grew from there. We became a 501(c)(3) the next year, built out a committee, and just kept going. The rest of the committee are community volunteers—many who had never even been to a bluegrass show—but they believed in the mission: creating a supportive, inclusive community and making our town a destination.

Being a musician, growing up in a small rural town in Indiana was disheartening. There wasn’t a whole lot going on in the music scene. We needed a place to express that. You can sit around and complain about it, or you can be the change, right?!

Jeff; We were sitting around at Harford Festival in what? June? We put on the first one by October of that same year. One of the reasons it works so well is that we are doing it in our own community. This town cares about its community, and they want cool stuff to happen. Part of the conversation was, ‘If people come from all over to Bean Blossom, IN, why can’t they join us here in Vincennes, IN?’

June: Jeff, you do the booking, right? Tell me about curating the lineup. How do you balance return acts, established acts, with new ones or local heroes? If 2025 is the 6th year you’ve put this on, I see Armchair Boogie keeps coming back. Chicago Farmer comes back, Hammer & the Hatchet, New Old Cavalry, Henhouse Prowlers, and this year, Sam Grisman returns with Peter Rowan!

Jeff: We faked it till we made it. I’m a mechanical guy, a heavy equipment operator. I work until I fall down, basically. When I went to festivals, I paid attention to layout—where the porta-potties went, where the light plants were, how they set up everything. My son is a computer tech, so he handled the emails and tech side. We just started calling booking agents and putting together listening parties. And we paid the bands well and treated them like gold. They remembered that. Word got around.

Nash; We’re true-blue music fans. These bands are our heroes. We decided from the start that we were going to treat them like gold. When they show up, they’re met with Hoosier hospitality. My mom cooks for them. Jeff hosts them at his house. They can tell we’re in it for the right reasons.

June; Tell me about the camping and what people can expect.

Jeff: We’ve got boondock camping and 100 RV passes. The grounds are flat and laid out really well—you can hear music from anywhere. We even have a live stream so campers can listen from their sites. It’s a very intimate setup. Even if you’re in the back corners, once the sun goes down, you're gonna hear the music.

Nash; There’s a lot of shade, lots of trees. Once you’re here, the shade keeps you from seeing cars, houses, or the highway. The site is right next to a major federal monument and a big World War II museum. It’s close to downtown, so people can explore the town during the day. It feels like a hidden oasis. It’s a few blocks from downtown. We have awesome vendors on site, but if you’d like, you can just walk into town and see what else we have to occupy you. People like to ride their bikes downtown to grab coffee or just stroll the town. The layout allows for folks to be able to see and really experience what Vincennes has to offer.

Jeff; Last year, Vince Herman said it perfectly. On stage, he said, ‘Normally you have to run way out in the country in some sort of field to do things like this.’ He said, ‘I want to give it up for the city of Vincennes, Indiana, for letting us do this in the middle of their town.’

June: Someone behind the scenes who deserves a shout-out?

Nash: Oh my God, that is a long list. Our First City Music Festival committee. It’s all volunteers. They show up all year to make this happen. It’s humbling to be surrounded by people who support your vision. This festival is built by the community, and that’s exactly what it’s created for.

Jeff: Yeah, you’d start with 1 and end up listing 100. There are so many people that pitch in to make this thing happen. It’s all passion, and we still give scholarships away.

June:  Tell me about that! What is it, Evan Twitty Scholarship?

Nash; Yup! It’s the Evan Twitty Music and Art Scholarship. Evan was a local fingerpicker and played our first festival. He passed away in a car accident at 19 years old. We named the scholarship after him. It’s open to any Knox County resident continuing their education, ideally in music or the arts. We’ve awarded one every year since 2019.

June; On the topic of young folks, how many festivals has Nolan Stroup played? How did you get him on the lineup this year?

Jeff; I’ve known Nolan since he was a baby, just a little pumpkin in a car seat. He had a toy guitar with no strings and was already mimicking playing. That started at Hartford. We love Nolan!

Nash; First City was his first official gig. He’s got great family support. Sometimes he plays solo, sometimes with Prowlers or New Old Calvary. He shows up in a three-piece suit with his fiddle. He’s like a little John Hartford. His family is wonderful friends of ours, and we are so glad to be supporting him on his journey, that’s for sure. 

June: It was raining when we started, and now there’s a rainbow over us.

Jeff; There we go! That’s First City, baby!