Now that MerleFest, presented by Window World, is only one week away, annual festival-goers have surely begun planning their weekends. For those who have not, however, here are five sure-to-be epic experiences that shouldn’t be missed. Make a note or two and join a welcoming legion of music fans in Wilkesboro, N.C., from April 25th to 28th at MerleFest.

“This is my first time here…You know, I think I like the sound of this room.” So spoke the one and only Del McCoury at Tarrytown Music Hall this past Saturday night, towards the beginning of his performance with master mandolinist David Grisman. Moments after this quote, McCoury and the Tarrytown audience sang “Happy Birthday” to Grisman, who on this night turned seventy-four years.

DelFest is proud to reveal their full performance schedule for this year’s festival which will take place in Cumberland, Maryland, on Memorial Day Weekend—May 23-26, 2019.

DelFest announces the 2019 Late Night lineup which starts Thursday with An Evening with Billy Strings (2 sets) and concludes on Sunday with The DelFest Chaser, a set hosted by recent “Best Bluegrass Album” Grammy winners, The Travelin’ McCourys, joined by longtime comrade, Sam Bush + surprise guests. New this year by popular demand, headliners Yonder Mountain String Band (Friday night) and Railroad Earth (Saturday night) will perform first followed by supporting acts, Larry Keel Experience (Friday) and Joe Craven and The Sometimers (Saturday).

Congratulations to The Travelin’ McCourys on their GRAMMY win for “Best Bluegrass Album,” announced today in Los Angeles, CA. The band’s eponymous debut album was released on May 25th of last year after decades of playing-- the GRAMMY award pointing to both the band’s work ethic and their innovative style of bluegrass which honors the genre’s tradition and drives it forward. In the acceptance speech Rob McCoury thanked Del and Jean McCoury, saying “without them, none of this would have happened.”

High Sierra Music Festival saved a lengthy list of legendary artists and burgeoning up-and-comers for their second round of lineup announcements.

Following an incredibly successful inaugural year in 2018, Greensky Bluegrass have announced that the Camp Greensky Music Festival will be returning to Wellston, MI for year two.

I've been a fan of the Travelin' McCourys for nearly a decade.

From the first time I saw them live at Wakarusa in Ozark Arkansas in 2012, to my most recent show at the City Winery in Boston this past November 2018, I've tried to catch them live whenever possible.

Bluegrass royalty, Del McCoury Band, will headline the 15th Aiken Bluegrass Festival on May 10th & 11th in Aiken, SC. The two-time GRAMMY winner, celebrating his 80th birthday this year, is at the top of a bill that brings the three-stage festival back to the roots of bluegrass, while simultaneously celebrating the bright future of the genre. The full lineup includes red-hot Billy Strings, Keller Williams’ string band collaboration, Keller and the Keels, the 14th ABF appearance of Larry Keel Experience, hard-driving Horses

Today is Del McCoury’s 80th birthday. And to celebrate, DelFest, a production of McCoury Music and High Sierra Music, is announcing the following lineup additions to the 12th annual festival: Tyler Childers, Sam Bush, Yonder Mountain String Band, Keller Williams’ PettyGrass feat. The Hillbenders, The SteelDrivers, Joe Craven & The Sometimers, The Larry Keel Experience, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, Kitchen Dwellers, Lindsay Lou, Front Country, Pixie & The Partygrass Boys, and Marty O’Reilly & The Old Soul Orchestra.