Take one little mountain valley, mix in some mandolins, mud, master brewers, musicians, and some local towns named Roseland and Lovingston and what you get is a well organized and highly enjoyable musical event known as The Festy.  Greeted with road signs pointing out Walton’s Mountain, the Patrick Henry Highway and Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest while passing through classic Americana towns on curvy mountain roads; folk’s attitudes were appropriately adjusted before hearing the first song.

Beginning with an Infamous Stringdusters show in August, 2009 at the Brew Ridge Music Festival located at Devils Backbone Brewery in Nelson County, The Festy was born.  The Stringdusters and Friends created a festival of their own design located just south of the village of Nellysford in Nelson County, Virginia.

A side project of The Infamous Stringdusters, The Founding Fathers, Andy Falco and Chris Pandolfi combine their strings, pedals and whatever instrument is within reach to form as impressive of a duo as is out on the road today.  Their set:

Have A Cigar, Sitting on Top of the World, Ravi Shankar Jam>Listen To The Wind Blow>Ravi Shankar Jam, Fork in the Road, While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Well, it wouldn’t be NedFest without a little rain and a lotta Vince Herman. As the first hopeful few sauntered on to the grounds last Friday, we dared the sky to open up wider and keep pouring down on us. It hadn’t stopped us Nedestrians before (we’re no fair-weather fans) and it certainly was not going to now that Whitewater Ramble, leaving tradition behind, plugged in and opened up the weekend with some lively tunes.

The need to represent some sort of social responsibility is a fundamental ethic for Newgrass quintet Infamous Stringdusters. Instead of throwing an occasional benefit concert with proceeds going to a certain charity, they decided to call their Summer 2013 Tour the American Rivers Tour.

It was the biggest and best small festival I have ever attended. There, I said it. I have started with a boom; a writer’s biggest mistake. There was no building to this statement. The opportunity to hook you with subtlety and humor was lost. If you stop reading now, I have only myself to blame.

All Good Music Festival made its return to Legend Valley the weekend of July 18th-21st with what has now become an annual star-studded lineup of jamband and EDM favorites.  This year was no different, with acts to please any music fans taste, ranging from bluegrass darlings Yonder Mountain String Band and Leftover Salmon, rock idol Les Claypool with Primus

Grammy-nominated band, The Infamous Stringdusters will launch their 2013 American Rivers Tour with a very special show at Salt Lake City’s The Depot on Wednesday, July 31 – opening night of Outdoor Retailer Summer Market.

Last year I wrote a preview for a festival I had never attended. This year I write a demand for anyone who considers themselves fans of bluegrass. Go to Grey Fox!For 37 years, this festival has been doing it right. It’s the total package.

Today, The Infamous Stringdusters announce the lineup for the fourth installment of their annual Festy Experience.