Old Settler’s Music Festival announces the launch of their online auction taking place March 13 - 17, ahead of their 36th annual event taking place April 20-23, 2023 at the Old Settler’s Homestead, a 145-acre ranchland located at 1616 FM 3158 Dale, Texas 78616, less than an hour from both Austin and San Antonio, and two hours from Houston. Old Settler’s Music Festival will launch their online auction during SXSW this year with auction items including two tickets to a SOLD OUT Tyler Childers concert on Wednesday, April 19 at 713 Music Hall in Houston, Texas with opening acts John R. Miller (who will be playing Old Settler’s Music Festival on Saturday, April 22) and Wayne Graham, a pair of Platinum Passes to Old Settler’s Music Festival plus a private meet and greet with The Wood Brothers on Friday, April 21, a Collings Guitar, (retails for $2925) signed by the 2019 Old Settler’s Music Festival artists and more! See here for more information on the online auction.
In addition to the online auction, Old Settler’s Music Festival has announced that legendary Austin artist, Jim Franklin, will be designing the official 2023 poster for the festival in collaboration with another Austin art titan, Danny Garrett. Franklin is an artist, illustrator, and underground cartoonist best known for his detailed, surrealistic illustrations of armadillos that were featured on the poster art created for the Armadillo World Headquarters. Garrett is also an artist and illustrator best known for his poster art done for Antone’s Nightclub. The festival also just added yoga classes by Thrive Yoga for adults and children taking place throughout the weekend, including a special class Sunday morning featuring music by Ley Line. Packaged beer, wine and basic camping supplies will be available for sale in their campground store during the event. Festival attendees can enjoy free onsite parking, free tickets for kids under 12, discounts for teens, a variety of food and artisan vendors, music workshops, a youth talent competition, and a fully electrified campground powered by renewable energy, eliminating noisy generators. Various ticket packages and tiers to Old Settler’s Music Festival 2023 are currently on sale and can be purchased here. Working media who wish to attend the festival can email here. For more information on Old Settler’s Music Festival, please see here (the new Old Settler’s website coming soon).
Old Settler’s Music Festival’s genre-diverse lineup features Yola, The Wood Brothers (who just released the first single from their latest studio album, scheduled to be released right before the festival), Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway (who just won the GRAMMY Award for Best Bluegrass Album), Elephant Revival (who are back on tour after a four-year hiatus and have chosen to make Old Settler’s one of only two shows they’re playing this year thus far), Tommy Emmanuel, Shovels & Rope, Shinyribs, The Brothers Comatose, Melissa Carper, Sunny War (who just hit #1 on Americana Singles Chart), John R. Miller, Buffalo Nichols, Matt the Electrician, Jack Barksdale, Goodnight, Texas, Twisted Pine, Big Richard, Ley Line, Armchair Boogie, Jomo & the Possum Posse, Bee Taylor, Nigel Wearne, Tiger Alley, Flounders Without Eyes, Supper Party, Scott Strickland, Sol Chase and Charlotte Hills.
"This is one of the greatest festivals I've ever been a part of,” said Kevin Russell, aka Shinyribs. “In fact, I think of this as my home festival."
“I’m so pleased that we get to finally feature Molly Tuttle as one of our headliners this year (she was scheduled to play in 2020 when we canceled for Covid), and now as a Grammy Winner!” says Talia Bryce, Executive Director of Old Settler’s Music Festival. “And with the release this week of Tommy Emmanuel’s first single on his new record, which happens to be a duet with Molly Tuttle, I’ve got my fingers crossed that we’ll get to see a live Molly/Tommy collab on Saturday at the fest.”
In addition to the stellar music lineup, Old Settler’s is a 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to bring a legacy of Americana/roots music to a new age of listeners while preserving the music and a strong culture of family, friends, and a sense of community. They support this mission through programs such as the Youth Talent Competition, sponsored by The Wittliff Collections, that helps to develop a new generation of Americana/roots artists by providing professional evaluation, offering performance opportunities, and presenting cash awards. The tradition began more than 19 years ago when four-time GRAMMY Winner Sarah Jarosz took first place. The competition continues to be a fertile ground for the development of young artists. Sarah Grace, a semi-finalist on Season 15 of the Voice, won the Youth Talent Competition in 2018.
Old Settler’s has grown from a one-day bluegrass festival into a nationally renowned four-day event, attracting thousands of loyal roots-music fans. Many return annually for amazing performances by both legendary and up-and-coming bluegrass, folk and Americana artists.
Past performers include Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile, Billy Strings, Béla Fleck, Del McCoury, Flaco Jimenez, Jerry Douglas, The War and Treaty, Alison Krauss, Los Lobos, The Jayhawks, Milk Carton Kids, The McCrary Sisters, and local favorites Sarah Jarosz, Shakey Graves, Ray Wylie Hubbard and Shinyribs.
According to No Depression magazine, “Old Settler’s is what a festival should be: simple, properly sized, stocked with excellent bands, and held in an environment where it is nearly impossible not to enjoy yourself.”
A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Old Settler's is directed and staffed by devoted volunteers. For more information, please see oldsettlersmusicfest.org.
