News Category: Festival

BRISTOL, Tenn.-Va. (Aug, 30, 2023) – Nickel Creek, Margo Price, and Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers headline Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Sept. 8-10 in Historic Downtown Bristol, Tenn.-Va. – the town where the 1927 Bristol Sessions famously sparked the “big bang of country music.” Voted among the top five music festivals in the country by USA Today 10Best readers in 2023, the jam-packed, three-day event is honoring its heritage by serving 133 sets of live music and entertainment on 14 stages.

The massive lineup is comprised of 99 acts including Watchhouse, The Mavericks, 49 Winchester, Larkin Poe, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, Allison Russell, Sierra Hull, Darrell Scott’s Electrifying Band, Amythyst Kiah, Brent Cobb, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Oliver Wood Trio, Alison Brown, Jim Lauderdale, Carlene Carter, Adia Victoria, Sons of the East, and Illiterate Light, to name a few.

Bristol Rhythm has a knack for catching stars on the rise; buzzworthy acts on the bill this year include TK & The Holy Know-Nothings, Twisted Pine, Tommy Prine, Arcy Drive, Palmyra, Happy Landing, Erin & The Wildfire, and Nigel Wearne.

The festival will wrap with a Super Set finale by 49 Winchester on Sunday at the Cumberland Square Park Stage, featuring a wide range of special guests soon to be announced…stay tuned!

Other festival events of note include Hoot and Holler, a Roanoke, Va.-based storytelling collective that will bring its stimulating live stage show to Bristol Rhythm for the first time at 12:30 p.m., Sept. 10, on the Theatre Bristol stage.

WBCM Radio Bristol’s Farm and Fun Time variety show, hosted by Kris Truelsen and his house band Bill and the Belles, will broadcast before a live festival audience from the historic Paramount Bristol stage on Saturday of the event with special guests to be announced. The popular program is syndicated for television on Blue Ridge PBS, East Tennessee PBS, and PBS North Carolina.

The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail will offer special music programming at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum on Friday and Saturday with traditional acts Mustard Cutters, The Loose Strings Band, Ferrum College’s Orchestra Appalachia, Whitetop Mountain Band, and Addie Levy.

Bring your mat and join BristolYOGA at Cumberland Square Park at 9 a.m., Sept. 9, for a little self-love and zen; festival wristband is required to participate.

Families are invited to attend a free Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Children’s Day event, which is held outside festival grounds at Anderson Park, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Sept. 9. There will be games, crafts, and entertainment by Theatre Bristol Playtime, Syndey Gray, Art Woodward, the Bristol Academy of Music, Bristol Ballet‘s 75th Anniversary Love Letter to Appalachia, Fairmount Elementary School‘s Redhawk Musicians, and Junior Appalachian Musician’s JAM Kids.

Festival ticket holders and their children are invited to join in the fun, family-friendly activities in Bristol Rhythm’s newly expanded Kid Zone this year, located on State Street adjacent to The Sessions Hotel, 2-8 p.m., Sept. 9, and 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Sept. 10.

Festival goers are also encouraged to check out the special exhibit “I’ve Endured: Women in Old-Time Music” at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Curated by a women-led content team, the exhibit highlights the many women who have been integral to the early beginnings of the genre that pre-dates bluegrass and laid the foundation for country music. From Maybelle and Sara Carter, Ola Belle Reed and Elizabeth Cotten to Amythyst Kiah, Sheila Kay Adams, Alice Gerrard and Hazel Dickens, the exhibit sheds light on the hidden heroines of the genre and those who are carrying on those early traditions and making them their own. Full admission tickets (including the special exhibit), along with tickets to “I’ve Endured” on its own, are sold separately at the museum, located just steps away from festival gates.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts On the Road Artmobile, a state-of-the-art museum and education studio, will be parked across from the museum all weekend for festivarians and the public to tour for free, festival wristbands are not required. The mobile experience features the exhibit “Revealing and Obscuring Identity: Portraits from the Permanent Collection,” an exciting exhibition of paintings, photographs, and prints exploring portraiture through a variety of periods, cultures, and styles. Kids and kids at heart may also take a break with fun coloring and activity sheets at the Artmobile.

The drawing for the 5th annual Bristol Sessions Super Raffle will be held outside the Birthplace of Country Music Museum at 12-4 p.m., Sept. 10. The largest fundraiser of the year for the museum, winners will take home up to $250K in cash and big prizes. Tickets are selling fast, so don’t delay – purchase yours while they last. Participants do not have to be present to win. Visit BristolSessionsSuperRaffle.org for prize details and to purchase.

A production of the nonprofit Birthplace of Country Music and presented by Ballad Health, Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion is shockingly affordable given the massive amount of talent on the bill. Weekend passes are a mere $140 ($165 at the gate), day passes are $70 ($80 at the gate), and children 12 and under are welcome free of charge. Festival goers are encouraged to download Bristol Rhythm’s free mobile app prior to arrival so they can create their own schedule, set up alerts, and get the most up-to-date schedule changes and notices. For passes, lineup, and more information visit BristolRhythm.com.

RICHMOND, Va. (July 13, 2023) – Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) and the Birthplace of Country Music (BCM) are partnering up to bring the Road to Bristol Rhythm 2023 concert experience to Hardywood Park Craft Brewery in Richmond at 5:30 p.m. ET, July 20. The event is a sample of what’s in store for music fans at the 22nd annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival later this summer. Jim Lauderdale, the rhinestone studded “King of Americana,” headlines the show with Virginia-based acts Holy Roller, Woody Woodworth & The Piners, and Mackenzie Roark. There is no cost to attend, but you must be 21 years or older.

“We’re building the connection between two of Virginia’s greatest cities for live music – Bristol and Richmond – with an incredible lineup of talented, emerging acts from the state, all in one amazing show,” said Chris Canfield, VTC Vice President of Partnership Marketing. “Our goal is to unify the music community from both locations to encourage visitation to the festival and vice versa.”

“This is just a sample of the great talent coming out of the state of Virginia right now,” said Leah Ross, BCM Executive Director of Advancement. “We urge everyone to support these artists by going to live shows like this and by visiting our festival.”

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion is scheduled for Sept. 8-10 in Historic Downtown Bristol, on the state line of Virginia and Tennessee. For more tickets, lineup and more information visit  BristolRhythm.com.

BRISTOL, Tenn.-Va. (July 11, 2023) – Roanoke-based storytelling collective Hoot and Holler is bringing its stimulating live stage show to the 22nd annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion this September for a storytelling hoedown – and if you’ve got a great festival story to share, they want to amplify your voice at the event. Submissions for your most unforgettable festival moments, hilarious mishaps, or heartwarming encounters are now being accepted.

“We are seeking passionate storytellers to join us in celebrating the magic and mayhem of music festivals,” said Hoot and Holler founder Lee Hunsaker. “If you have a captivating tale from the realm of music festivals, we want to hear from you!”

Hoot and Holler is seeking stories that evoke the spirit of music, capturing its transformative power and the indelible memories it creates. Your story could inspire, entertain, or resonate with others who have shared similar experiences.

To be considered as a Hoot and Holler storyteller at Bristol Rhythm, potential candidates are asked to submit a summarized version of their festival-themed story, highlighting the key moments and all the juicy details, including what compels you to share.

Selected storytellers will have the opportunity to dazzle audiences at Bristol Rhythm and connect with a vibrant community of music and storytelling enthusiasts.

If your story is chosen, you will be coached and supported in order to shape your story into the very best six to eight-minute version, ready to share at Bristol Rhythm during Hoot and Holler’s Sunday set on Sept. 10. Chosen storytellers will be gifted a weekend pass to the festival.

Submit your best festival story to hootlee540@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is Aug. 25.

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion will be held on State Street in Historic Downtown Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia Sept. 8-10, 2023. For lineup, passes, and more information, visit BristolRhythm.com.

BRISTOL, Tenn.-Va. (June 5, 2023) – Birthplace of Country Music (BCM) has announced the addition of Brent Cobb and Carlene Carter to an already stellar Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion lineup, which includes Nickel Creek, Margo Price, Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, Watchhouse, The Mavericks, 49 Winchester, Larkin Poe, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, Allison Russell, Sierra Hull, and many, many more. The festival celebrates its 22nd annual event on State Street in Historic Downtown Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia September 8-10, 2023.

The daily schedule for Bristol Rhythm has also been released, in addition to single “Any Day” passes, on sale now for $70 plus tax/fees. The full artist schedule, including set times and stages, will be released late summer. Weekend passes to Bristol Rhythm are on sale now for $140 plus tax/fees, with the price increasing at the gate. For tickets and more information visit BristolRhythm.com.

Bristol, Va.-Tenn. (Jan. 26, 2023) – Nickel Creek and Margo Price are among the top tier of what’s shaping up to be an eclectic Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion lineup in 2023. The award-winning festival returns to Historic Downtown Bristol, Tenn.-Va. for its 22nd annual event September, 8-10.

Other acts included in the initial lineup announcement include Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, Watchhouse, The Mavericks, 49 Winchester, Larkin Poe, Allison Russell, Amythyst Kiah, and Walderado, with more artists to be announced in the spring.

Bristol Rhythm boasts a super-sized lineup each year and offers more than a dozen outdoor stages and indoor venues along State Street, where Tennessee meets Virginia. Established to honor the legacy of producer Ralph Peer’s 1927 Bristol Sessions, which gave us the first recordings of the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers, Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion is to roots music what Peer was to country – a tastemaker. Just as the 1927 Bristol Sessions introduced the world to those legendary performers, the festival has a reputation of also catching stars on the rise.

Those seminal recordings that created the “Big Bang” of country music continue to influence a wide range of genres and you’ll find a diverse sampling of sounds at Bristol Rhythm – from indie rock and cow punk to Piedmont blues and traditional bluegrass. As more acts are added to the bill in 2023, you may just glimpse a future festival headliner among the middle or lower tiers of the roster.

Weekend passes to Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, along with a limited number of VIP packages, are on sale now at BristolRhythm.com.

Bristol, Tenn./Va. (Nov. 25, 2022) – The Birthplace of Country Music (BCM) has announced 49 Winchester, one of the hottest acts to emerge from Southwest Virginia, will perform at its 22nd annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival in 2023.

“49 Winchester embodies the tremendous wealth of musical talent that resides in our region,” said Leah Ross, BCM executive director of advancement. “We are so proud of the band’s accomplishments and are thrilled to announce they’ll return to the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion lineup next year.”

In the past, 49 Winchester front man Isaac Gibson has stated that performing at the festival was a major goal when the group first formed.

Hailing from Russell Co., Va., 49 Winchester is taking the national music scene by storm with the critically-acclaimed, New West Records release Fortune Favors The Bold, the band’s fourth album. 49 has been selling out venues across the country, made their network tv debut on CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and took to the stages of the Grand Ole Opry and Ryman Auditorium in support of Turnpike Troubadours and Whiskey Myers. Most recently the band’s song “Last Call” was featured in an episode of the Paramount Network’s Yellowstone starring Kevin Costner. In April the band will return to the Opry and debut at California’s Stagecoach Festival with headliners Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, and Chris Stapleton.

Upon announcing the band’s upcoming performance at Paramount Bristol, the concert sold out while still in pre-sale.

Though 49 Winchester is the only Bristol Rhythm 2023 act to be revealed at this time – more of the festival lineup will be announced in the new year – BCM disclosed a few exclusive opportunities for festival goers.

“We’re also excited to offer a limited number of premium, all-inclusive VIP festival packages for fans that include experiences like yurt ‘glamping’ and accommodations at The Bristol Hotel or The Sessions Hotel, meet and greets with artists, and much more,” said Ross.

Prices for VIP experiences for two people range from $1,500 to $3,500. Each package includes accommodations (hotel or camping), weekend passes to Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, tickets to the pre-festival kick-off concert, meet-and-greets with festival artists, tickets to tour the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, and more.

Weekend passes to the 22nd annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival, slated for Sept. 8-10, 2023, are available for $100 (plus tax/fees) through Cyber Monday, Nov. 28; it is the lowest price available all year. The price of weekend passes increases to $120 (plus tax/fees) on Tuesday, Nov. 29 through Dec. 31, 2022. Prices go up to $140 (plus tax/fees) on Jan. 1, 2023. Bristol Rhythm 2023 weekend passes and exclusive VIP experiences are on sale now at BristolRhythm.com.

Bristol, Tenn./Va. (August 10, 2022) – You’re invited to “raise the rooftop” with The Larry Keel Experience, Woody Woodworth & The Piners, and Old Line Skiffle Combo during the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion pre-festival kick-off show at Lumac Rooftop Bar above The Bristol Hotel in Downtown Bristol starting at 5:30 p.m., Sept. 8. The concert is presented by the Birthplace of Country Music (BCM) with special thanks to The Bristol Hotel, Rabbit Hole Distillery and Virginia is for Lovers for sponsoring this special event.

“Lumac is a great destination for live music and dining in Downtown Bristol,” said Leah Ross, BCM executive director of advancement, the parent nonprofit of the annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival. “We’re thrilled to partner with our friends at The Bristol Hotel to kick off the festival with these wonderful artists in such a beautiful venue.”

“The Bristol Hotel enjoys a great partnership with the Birthplace of Country Music that continues to grow,” said Sean Copley, general manager of The Bristol Hotel. “We’re very proud to be part of the excitement of the festival and to help kick-off the main event at Lumac, especially as Bristol celebrates the 95th Anniversary of the 1927 Bristol Sessions.”

Larry Keel is an award-winning and innovative flat-picking guitarist and singer-songwriter who has brought the flat-picking form to its highest level of sophistication and sonic power. As a composer and singer, Keel integrates raw honesty and charming grit to form a unique brand of music he calls “experimental folk.” He has appeared on over 20 albums, 12 of which he produced, and has written songs that have been recorded and performed by distinguished artists including GRAMMY Award-winners Del McCoury and The Infamous Stringdusters. Keel has collaborated and continues to merge creative forces with some of the greatest artists in modern roots music, including Tyler Childers, Billy Strings, Al DiMeola, Tony Rice, Keller Williams and Sam Bush, to name a few.

Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, Woody Woodworth & The Piners are part of the newest revival of country music in Virginia. Established in 2016, The Piners are named for the bygone expression “to pine,” meaning a deep longing for something or someone. Influenced by Virginia’s deep musical history and Appalachian culture, Woody Woodworth & The Piners fuse storytelling with country, bluegrass, and rock ‘n’ roll to create a sound that can be described as Appalachian alt-country with a steady shot of Southern rock.

Members of Old Line Skiffle Combo consider Bristol their second home. The Maryland-based sextet first performed at Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion in 2004 and was an event staple for many years. The group amicably parted ways after their final festival performance as a band in 2015. Not missing a beat, the OLSC is reuniting its original members for a special, pre-festival kick-off show for Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion and bringing a fine batch of their signature high-energy, non-stop locomotive sounds that combine their love of old-timey music mixed with hot jazz, western swing, vaudeville, rockabilly and the general zaniness of the 1920s and 1930s, so fitting as part of the 95th Anniversary of the 1927 Bristol Sessions festivities.

Tickets to the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Festival Kick-off Concert at Lumac Rooftop Bar above The Bristol Hotel are on sale now for $25. To purchase, visit the Events page at BirthplaceOfCountryMusic.org. Weekend and single day passes to Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, to be held Sept. 9-11 in Historic Downtown Bristol, are sold separately at BristolRhythm.com. For more information about The Bristol Hotel and to book a room, visit BristolHotelVa.com.