A full archive of Quarantine Happy Hour episodes, the nightly broadcast that brought old-time musicians together virtually throughout the pandemic, is now available at slowerthandirt.org/QHH.
New books on old-time music
McFarland has several new books related to old-time music among their forthcoming 2022 releases. Naomi “Omie” Wise: Her Life, Death, and Legend, by Hal Pugh and Eleanor Minnock-Pugh, tells the… Read More →
Hammons Family Memorial Fiddle and Banjo Contests (Marlinton, WV)
July 9 is the date for the inaugural Hammons Family Memorial Fiddle and Banjo Contests, held in Marlinton, West Virginia. Registration and other information can be found on the Facebook… Read More →
Clifftop (WV)
August 3 – 7 are the dates for this year’s Appalachian String Band Music Festival, AKA Clifftop, held in person again at Camp Washington Carver in Clifftop, West Virginia. Pre-festival… Read More →
Banjo Gathering (Baltimore, MD)
The 25th annual Banjo Gathering will be held in Baltimore November 3 – 6. As details are finalized they will be announced at banjogathering.weebly.com.
Mountain Dance and Folk Festival (Asheville, NC)
The 95th annual Mountain Dance and Folk Festival will take place in Asheville, North Carolina, August 4 – 6. Doors open at 6:00 and show begins at 7:00, at the… Read More →
Deer Creek Fiddlers’ Convention (Westminster, MD)
The Deer Creek Fiddlers’ Convention will be in-person this year, held on the campus of McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland, on July 16. The festival is now part of the… Read More →
Elliot County (KY) Fiddlers Convention
The first annual Elliot County Fiddlers Convention will take place at the Little Sandy Lodge in Sandy Hook, Kentucky, on July 8 and 9th, 2022.
Attic #23: Many Strings, No Neck
All images from the collection of Paul Wells. Organologists—scholars who study and classify musical instruments—lump them into large, broad generic groupings. All stringed instruments, for example, are classed as “chordophones,”… Read More →
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Started Out In Town (The Horsenecks)
I’ll begin this review by taking a wild guess that Quarantine Happy Hour was responsible for growing the reputation of the Horsenecks by leaps and bounds. Or was it just… Read More →
South Arts Folk & Traditional Arts Cross-Border Mentor-Apprentice Program
South Arts presents an annual fellowship to teacher-student teams of traditional artists in Appalachian counties, the Folk & Traditional Arts Cross-Border Mentor-Apprentice Program. Among the teams who have participated so… Read More →
Folklife From Home WNC: Call for artists
The North Carolina Folklife Institute is presenting a growing collection of videos, Folklife from Home, in which North Carolina traditional artists, including old-time musicians, share their traditions. The latest series,… Read More →
Spring Fed Records Haley Family set
Spring Fed Records has announced the imminent release of their box set of Haley Family recordings, projected to be available in January 2022. Stole from the Throat of a Bird:… Read More →
Sepia Tones podcast
This spring the Great Smoky Mountains Association released a new podcast mini-series, Sepia Tones: Exploring Black Appalachian Music. The series, they write, which is hosted by Drs. William Turner and… Read More →
Clyde Davenport
Kentucky fiddler, banjo player, and National Heritage Fellow Clyde Davenport passed away in February 2020. The National Endowment for the Arts shared the following statement. Clyde Davenport was born October… Read More →
Bill Stewart
The St. Louis old-time music scene, as well as family, coworkers, and friends, were saddened by the passing of old-time fiddler Bill Stewart, 68, on March 14, 2020, after a… Read More →
