Ring in the new year with PineCone, Western North Carolina’s own The Harris Brothers, and Canadian singer-songwriter Dave Gunning! The Harris Brothers will perform at 7, 8, & 10 p.m., and Dave Gunning will perform at 9 p.m.
Reggie and Ryan Harris are a real brother duo born and raised in Western North Carolina, where they were exposed to a wide variety of music from an early age. The Harris Brothers started playing string instruments and singing as small children and are part of a musical family that still gets together to play. They have been playing professionally as a duo for more than 20 years, showcasing their unique style. Reggie sings and plays guitar, banjo, and a kick-drum suitcase for percussion; Ryan sings and plays the bass. The Harris Brothers’ live repertoire consists of traditional roots music, rock & roll, jazz, blues, Appalachian mountain music, vintage country, and bluegrass. A typical live show effortlessly shifts from original tunes to their own arrangements of songs from all sides of the Americana musical spectrum.
Acclaimed folk singer/songwriter Dave Gunning has 11 albums to his credit. His most recent album, Lift, showcases his masterful songwriting, which has earned him the respect of his peers, including Canadian folk songwriting legends such as Ron Hynes, David Francey, and James Keelaghan. Gunning has also earned a shelf full of music industry awards, including eight East Coast Music Awards and two Canadian Folk Music Awards, plus a 2012 Juno Award nomination in the Roots & Traditional Solo Album of the Year category for his album …a tribute to John Allan Cameron, a compelling homage to another of Gunning’s Maritime musical heroes. His songwriting skill has also been internationally recognized, with earlier tunes scoring victories and high placings in some major international songwriting competitions. As a fervent hockey fan, Gunning was also thrilled to win the CBC’s hotly-contested Hockey Night In Canada Song Quest in 2014 with “A Game Goin’ On,” a co-write with David Francey.
This year will be the 27th Annual WRAL First Night Raleigh! With 20+ blocks of programming throughout downtown, WRAL First Night Raleigh is the way to ring in the New Year! Learn a new hobby for the New Year at our daytime Children’s Celebration from 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm at the NC Museums of History and Sciences. Bounce around music, theatre, and other performances after the Early Countdown at 7:00 pm. Ride the WRAL First Night Ferris Wheel and the Down Draft amusement ride! Just make sure you’re on Fayetteville Street at midnight for the WRAL Countdown to Midnight and the famous Raleigh Acorn Drop with special guests Boulevards and Diali Dissokho and Kaira Ba.
Other performers on the WRAL First Night Raleigh lineup include:
- African American Dance Ensemble
- New Reveille
- Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba
- New Reveille and Friends
- Rod Abernathy
- The Glorifying Vines Sisters
Check out the complete festival schedule
Admission passes provide access to ALL First Night Raleigh venues, performances and activities – nearly 100 performances in more than three dozen locations across downtown Raleigh. There is also a VIP ticket option, which includes an invitation to an exclusive VIP reception, priority access to all indoor venues, and a private viewing area for the acorn drop.
For more information about First Night Raleigh, including performance schedules; directions, parking, and shuttle information; and a list of places where you can buy your passes in person, visit First Night Raleigh’s website or call 919-832-8699.