Music is the lifeblood of the Triangle, and for fifty years, Carrboro’s live music venue Cat’s Cradle has been the heart that keeps it pumping. But like many independent music venues across the country, Cat’s Cradle is in trouble. With its concert calendar canceled and the building shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the club is struggling to cover rent and basic overhead costs. With the prospect of drastically reduced revenue even after shows return, there is a growing need to help it survive until things normalize.

North Carolina Brewers and Music Festival will celebrate its 10th anniversary at Historic Rural Hill in Huntersville, NC on May 8-9, 2020. The annual event, which pairs live music with craft beer and community, will welcome GRAMMY-winning bluegrass outfit Steep Canyon Rangers, roots troubadour Hayes Carll, regional newgrass pioneers Acoustic Syndicate, acclaimed songwriter Jill Andrews, and a variety of additional performers to its stage this year.

Now in its 35th year and in its 11th year at its current setting, Grey Fox has hosted virtually every notable luminary of the bluegrass, progressive string, and acoustic musical genres.

Superstar phenom Billy Strings returns as Artist-in-Residence, joining 40+ award-winning bluegrass acts including the Del McCoury Band, Leftover Salmon, Tommy Emmanuel and many more at the 2019 Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival from July 18-21.

Appaloosa Roots Music Festival will return to Skyline Ranch Resort in Front Royal, Virginia, on Labor Day weekend—August 30-September 1, 2019—adding an entire third day of music to the two-day format of previous years.

In just a couple of months, on July 18-21, North Plains, Oregon will see the return of one of the country’s premier bluegrass and roots music festivals, Northwest String Summit. Hosted every year by presiding band Yonder Mountain String Band, the four-day event will see top-billing sets from other veteran performers like The Infamous Stringdusters and Trampled By Turtles, as well as invite newcomers from across the musical spectrum, like Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Dark Star Orchestra, Galactic and more.  

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.

The Third Annual "Suwannee Spring Reunion” bluegrass music festival kicked off on Thursday, March, 21st in Live Oak, Florida. Located on the grounds of "The Spirit Of The Suwannee Music Park" located in Northern Florida, between Tallahassee and Jacksonville, just south of the Georgia border.

Sam Bush Band, Steep Canyon Rangers, Sierra Hull and Ghost Light are among the final list of bands announced for the 11th annual Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival. Other new additions include:  The Steel Wheels, The Black Lillies, ‘Yarn Morrison’ (Yarn’s tribute to Van Morrison), Runaway Gin, The Trongone Band, Sanctum Sully, Disco Risqué, Kate Rhudy, Adar, The Folly, Chamomile & Whiskey, Prosperity’s Folly, The Drove, and MHC Praise Band.

For decades the onset of Spring meant gathering at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida for a weekend of fun, family, Bluegrass and string music. A beloved tradition continues as the picturesque grounds play host to a new take on a classic family-friendly gathering with the 3rd Annual Suwannee Spring Reunion taking place Thursday through Sunday, March 21-24, 2019.