Mark your calendar for the nine shows in our 2025 Down Home Concerts series. Get a preview of the shows in the video below, and read on for more info on each artist in the lineup.
You can buy tickets online here. If you’d like to save on ticket fees, we invite you to call our box office at 919-664-8333. A friendly PineCone person will take your order and information and find you the best available seats. You can also buy reduced-fee tickets in person from the box office at the front of the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh. It’s open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and an hour before showtimes.
Members always get a discount on tickets, and it’s never too late to start or renew a membership and take advantage of that and other perks. Find more info on our membership page. When you start or renew a membership, the discount code will be emailed to you. Existing members received the discount code via email on Nov. 11.
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.
