The lineup for our 2025 Down Home Concert Series represents some of our favorite artists in traditional music as well as a few once-in-a-lifetime experiences, including Della Mae and Laurie Lewis teaming up to celebrate 100 years of Hazel Dickens and the 2025 North Carolina Heritage Awards.
Tickets are on sale now. Did you know that PineCone members get a discount on tickets? It’s not too late to join: You’ll get the ticket discount and you’ll be supporting PineCone’s work all year long. Visit our membership page for info on membership levels, benefits, and what your support means to PineCone’s mission.
To buy tickets for any Down Home Concert, we strongly urge you to call the PineCone box office at 919-664-8333 for substantial savings on fees. We can’t wait to welcome you at a show!
Here’s the lineup:
FRI, JAN 10
The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
FRI, JAN 31 (<– please note new date)
Iris DeMent
FRI, FEB 21
The Steel Wheels
FRI, FEB 28
BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, 50th Anniversary Tour
FRI, MAR 7
Tim O’Brien with Jan Fabricius
FRI, MAR 21
Willie Watson
SAT, APR 12
Scythian
FRI, MAY 16
Della Mae with Laurie Lewis, Celebrating 100 Years of Hazel Dickens
SAT, JUN 7 (matinee)
2025 North Carolina Heritage Awards
All shows take place at the AJ Fletcher Opera Theater in the Martin Marietta Center in downtown Raleigh at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
FRIDAY, JAN 10: The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
Doors open 6:30 p.m. | Showtime 7:30 p.m.
A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater | Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts | Raleigh
Orchestra: $40 members; $45 public
Balcony: $35 members; $40 public
Rear: $18
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Entertaining and engaging, the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys put on a high-energy show beloved by audiences across generations. Formed over a decade ago at a distillery on the Tennessee side of the Smoky Mountains, the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys have spread their brand of bluegrass far and wide – to festivals across the country, European venues, and recently on the Grand Ole Opry stage. Their music is rooted in reverence for and deep knowledge of bluegrass and country music traditions, but their songwriting speaks to modern times. Learn more about the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys here.
FRIDAY, JAN 31: Iris DeMent
Please note new date: Jan. 31
Doors open 6:30 p.m. | Showtime 7:30 p.m.
OPENER: Ana Egge
A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater | Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts | Raleigh
Orchestra: $40 members; $45 public
Balcony: $35 members; $40 public
Rear: $18
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With her one-of-a-kind voice and piano, Iris DeMent brings enraptured audiences along as she’s “workin’ on a world” (to borrow the title of her most recent album) that’s brighter and more just with every note. Her iconic voice and powerful songwriting first was revealed on her landmark debut, Infamous Angel, which recently marked its 30th anniversary and included songs like “Our Town,” “Let the Mystery Be,” and “Mama’s Opry” that are now considered Americana classics. She received the Americana Music Association’s Trailblazer Award in 2017 and was a favorite duet partner of John Prine, on his song “In Spite of Ourselves” and many others. In any song, from any era, DeMent’s music comes straight from the heart, and it’ll find its way into your heart, too. Learn more about Iris DeMent here. The show will be opened by singer-songwriter Ana Egge.
FRIDAY, FEB 21: The Steel Wheels
Doors open 6:30 p.m. | Showtime 7:30 p.m.
A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater | Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts | Raleigh
Orchestra: $40 members; $45 public
Balcony: $35 members; $40 public
Rear: $18
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PineCone favorites The Steel Wheels return with songs to get us through hard times and hard choices and into a brighter tomorrow. “As a band,” says frontman Trent Wagler, “our aim is to make music that acknowledges the pain and difficulty of the moment, but takes a step back to look at the harmony we can create through all that life throws at us.” Harmony, both musical and universal, is at the core of the Virginia-based folk-rock band’s sound. And you’ll feel it in the audience, too. Learn more about the Steel Wheels here.
Here’s a look back at past PineCone shows featuring the Steel Wheels.
FRIDAY, FEB 28: BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet
Doors open 6:30 p.m. | Showtime 7:30 p.m.
A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater | Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts | Raleigh
Orchestra: $40 members; $45 public
Balcony: $35 members; $40 public
Rear: $18
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Let the good times roll with the Louisiana flavors of BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet. Now celebrating 50 years as a band, this Grammy-winning group has blended the sounds of their Acadian heritage with jazz, blues, rock, zydeco, swamp pop, and more for a stew as flavorful as the food in the Cajun tradition they champion. Learn more about BeauSoleil here.
FRIDAY, MAR 7: Tim O’Brien with Jan Fabricius
Doors open 6:30 p.m. | Showtime 7:30 p.m.
A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater | Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts | Raleigh
Orchestra: $40 members; $45 public
Balcony: $35 members; $40 public
Rear: $18
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Two-time Grammy winner Tim O’Brien is joined by his wife, mandolin player Jan Fabricius, for a show that will feature simple instrumentation, sweet harmonies, and songs that both advance and honor traditional music. O’Brien’s remarkable journey in roots music began when he saw Doc Watson performing on TV. From there, he was hooked on old-time and bluegrass music, and he’s made a career applying his songwriting and instrumental skills to both. His songs have been covered by Nickel Creek, Kathy Mattea, Garth Brooks, and many others, and his collaborations have included albums as part of Flatt & Scruggs tribute supergroup the Earls of Leicester, with his sister Mollie O’Brien, and as a duo with Darrell Scott. A founding member of Hot Rize (as well as their friends Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers), O’Brien has also found time for his own projects, including numerous solo albums, guest appearances, and an album of grassed-up Bob Dylan covers titled Red on Blonde. Learn more about Tim O’Brien and Jan Fabricius here.
FRIDAY, MAR 21: Willie Watson
Doors open 6:30 p.m. | Showtime 7:30 p.m.
A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater | Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts | Raleigh
Orchestra: $40 members; $45 public
Balcony: $35 members; $40 public
Rear: $18
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Willie Watson is a one-of-a-kind singer and showman, a channeler of folk traditions who brings all the folks in his audiences along for the ride. He has spent the last couple decades as a professional musician, releasing albums and touring as a founding member of Old Crow Medicine Show, contributing to projects from Gillian Welch and David Rawlings and The Watkins Family, and even making two solo albums. But he calls his latest, self-titled album his debut. Why? Because in a new phase of life and career he’s stepping up with his own original songs, even as he continues to honor the traditional songs and sounds he’s always loved. Learn more about Willie Watson here.
SATURDAY, APR 12: Scythian
Doors open 6:30 p.m. | Showtime 7:30 p.m.
A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater | Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts | Raleigh
Orchestra: $40 members; $45 public
Balcony: $35 members; $40 public
Rear: $18
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Scythian pulls together a blend of Celtic, Eastern European, and Appalachian traditional music into an unforgettable show. The quartet’s onstage energy is matched by its musical prowess, a phenomenon Nashville’s Music City Roots described as “what happens when rock star charisma meets Celtic dervish fiddling.” Led by brothers Alexander and Danylo Fedoryka, the band’s sound stems from their classical training and love for bluegrass and Ukrainian folk music, with folk-rock and even Cajun flavors added by the band’s other members. The buzz around Scythian’s sets spreads like wildfire at festivals they attend, and at their own shows they transfix fans old and new with their enthusiasm and earnest love for music. Learn more about Scythian here.
FRIDAY, MAY 16: Della Mae with Laurie Lewis and Alice Gerrard
Doors open 6:30 p.m. | Showtime 7:30 p.m.
A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater | Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts | Raleigh
Orchestra: $40 members; $45 public
Balcony: $35 members; $40 public
Rear: $18
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Join us for a special evening celebrating 100 years of Hazel Dickens, a pioneer in bluegrass and an inspiration to generations of women in traditional music. Grammy-nominated all-woman string band Della Mae will lead this tribute, joined by California bluegrass icon Laurie Lewis and by Alice Gerrard, Dickens’ partner in the landmark duo Hazel & Alice. Read more about Dickens’ life and legacy in this biography from the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, which inducted both Dickens and Gerrard in 2017. Learn more about Della Mae here, and Laurie Lewis here.
SATURDAY, JUN 7: North Carolina Heritage Awards
Doors open 1:30 p.m. | Showtime 2:30 p.m.
A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater | Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts | Raleigh
Orchestra: $20 members; $25 public
Balcony: $10 members; $15 public
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Come celebrate North Carolina’s rich artistic heritage with a daytime event honoring the latest recipients of the North Carolina Heritage Award, the state’s highest honor for folk arts. This biennial awards show draws a large and enthusiastic crowd to recognize and honor distinguished award recipients, who range from acclaimed musicians to folks who quietly practice their art in family and community settings. The five honorees will share the inspiring stories of their lifelong dedication to craft through live on-stage interviews, documentary film presentations, musical performances, and a display of artwork. Full of music, art, and community, this uplifting afternoon will leave you feeling proud to call North Carolina home.
The 2025 recipients of the N.C. Heritage Awards are:
Gaurang Doshi, a North Indian classical musician from Winston-Salem
Helen Gibson, a woodcarver from the Brasstown community in western N.C.
The Glorifying Vines Sisters, a gospel quartet from Farmville
Chester McMillian, a Round Peak guitarist from Mount Airy
Herman and Loretta Oxendine, Lumbee traditional artisans from Pembroke (Loretta Oxendine passed away on Oct. 6, 2024, and will be honored posthumously.)
Read more about the honorees and their work here, and learn more about the N.C. Heritage Awards program here.