For eighteen years and counting, Northwest String Summit has brought fans of contemporary bluegrass, indie, funk, jam rock, and everything in between to the greater Portland area for what has become a highlight of the summer for festival-goers nationwide. Taking place in North Plains’ beautiful Horning’s Hideout, String Summit’s 19th annual gathering brings some familiar faces back to the festival and some widely requested artists to their first String Summit the weekend of July 16-19, 2020.

Indie folk band The Head and the Heart and soul octet St. Paul & The Broken Bones will headline the 2020 Old Settler’s Music Festival. Friday night will also feature country music icon Tanya Tucker ahead of St. Paul & The Broken Bones.  Tucker’s latest album, While I’m Living, received four Grammy nominations last month and was produced by last year’s Old Settler’s headliner, Brandi Carlile, and Shooter Jennings.  A partial lineup by day is included below.

Ten years ago festival founder John Hotze gathered in Bean Blossom, IN with a hundred of his friends and family and celebrated the life of his childhood friend, John Hartford. This inaugural gathering took place in the most appropriate form of jubilation, that of a festival. The first year included performances from people who worked with, and were inspired by Hartford, and ten years later we are delighted to continue that same tradition. John Hartford was a trend setting, genre bending, creative force that left a culturally rich legacy of musical history.

DelFest, the festival brainchild of Del McCoury and his extended McCoury family now in its 13th year, in partnership with High Sierra Music, announced an initial star-studded lineup today. Held at the Allegany County Fairgrounds in beautiful Cumberland, MD, DelFest originated from the desire to create a family-friendly music festival celebrating the rich legacy of McCoury music while creating a forum for world-class musical collaborations and to showcase fresh new talent.

The Suwannee Roots Revival music festival held its fourth annual concert at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL. The four-day festival ran from Thursday, October 10th through Sunday, October 13th, and featured a variety of top-rated musical acts. The family-friendly event is situated in northern Florida where concertgoers and campers can relax amidst the Spanish covered Oaks, a lake, a river, or a beach.

I’ve had a few whirlwind romances with festivals before, but I’m infatuated with you, dear Shoe Fest 2019. The understated red and gold signs off the highway invited us in and although I cannot find the right words to say, I shall try to express how I love thee. From the moment we entered Camp Shaw-waw-nas-see in Manteno IL, we knew that this would be a truly special Labor Day weekend. There was a twinkle in security’s eyes when they approved our non-firework no glass bottles camper ready wagon. They waved us through as if it were their job to bring the most satisfaction and to welcome us in, accepting us as another member to the Shoe Family Tribe. We quickly and easily parked, gazing out over the sea of cars in anticipation of the festival grounds.

Unlike larger festivals, Shoe Fest is a unique festival, in that it offers patrons folk-rooted music with multiple interactive experiences. The main focus of the festival is on bringing people of all ages together to relish in a carefree community where they can leave their busy lives behind and actually have a good time.

MerleFest, presented by Window World, has officially come to a close, but not without a number of electric collaborations, spontaneous sit-ins, and world-class performances. Wynonna & The Big Noise, Amos Lee, Tyler Childers, Sam Bush Band, Brandi Carlile, and The Avett Brothers all brought extra MerleFest energy to the Watson Stage, marking another successful year for the long-running festival.