The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) announced the official showcase artists for the 2016 Bluegrass Ramble, which is one component of the annual World of Bluegrass. The Bluegrass Ramble takes place in various venues in Raleigh from September 27-29, 2016.
Reserve your Bluegrass Ramble passes today
Four of this year’s 30 showcase bands are from North Carolina: Carolina Blue (Pisgah Forest, NC); Tellico (Asheville, NC); Town Mountain (Asheville, NC); and Zoe & Cloyd (Asheville, NC). Other bands will attend from as far away as California, Texas, Arizona, and Colorado, while still others will travel internationally to the event from Canada, the United Kingdom, and Italy.
Two of this year’s Ramble bands will perform in the Triangle this spring: Asheville band Tellico will play in Raleigh on May 15 as part of the Midtown Bluegrass Series, and Virginia-based band The Honey Dewdrops will perform in Cary on June 11.
The following 30 acts were selected by a jury from among 150 submissions from artists from all over the world, representing a broad cross-section of bluegrass styles:
10 String Symphony – Nashville, Tennessee
Annie Lou – Parksville, British Columbia, Canada
Bill and the Belles – Johnson City, Tennessee
Cardboard Fox – Bath, Somerset, United Kingdom
Carolina Blue – Pisgah Forest, North Carolina
Hackensaw Boys – Washington, D.C.
Hannah Shira Naiman – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
High Plains Jamboree – Austin, Texas
Hot Buttered Rum – San Geronimo, California
J2B2 (John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band) – Nashville, Tennessee
Jenni Lyn – Nashville, Tennessee
Joe K. Walsh – Portland, Maine
Kaia Kater – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Missy Raines & the New Hip – Nashville, Tennessee
Molly Tuttle Band – Nashville, Tennessee
Old Salt Union – Owensboro, Kentucky
Red Wine – Rapallo, Italy
Run Boy Run – Tucson, Arizona
Steep Ravine – Watsonville, California
Tellico – Asheville, North Carolina
The Andrew Collins Trio – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Honey Dewdrops – Baltimore, Maryland
The Lil’ Smokies – Denver, Colorado
The Loose Strings Band – Galax, Virginia
The Unseen Strangers – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Tim Carter & Bang Bang – Goodlettsville, Tennessee
Town Mountain – Asheville, North Carolina
Trout Steak Revival – Denver, Colorado
Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike – Bell Buckle, Tennessee
Zoe & Cloyd – Asheville, North Carolina
Learn more about all of the bands selected for the 2016 Bluegrass Ramble on IBMA’s website
Each act will perform at least twice over the course of the three-night Ramble event, at one of five downtown Raleigh clubs plus the Raleigh Convention Center, giving industry professionals and fans multiple opportunities to hear as much music as possible. Venues hosting Ramble artists are:
- Lincoln Theatre: 430 S. Dawson Street
- Vintage Church: 117 S West Street
- Pour House Music Hall: 224 S. Blount Street
- Kings: 14 W. Martin Street
- The Architect Bar & Social House: 108 1/2 E. Hargett Street
- Raleigh Convention Center: 500 S. Salisbury Street
All of the official showcase acts can be heard on the free Bluegrass Ramble 2016 Noisetrade compilation.
Admission to the Bluegrass Ramble is included with an IBMA Business Conference registration, or Ramble passes may be purchased separately.
Additional artists will be added to the Bluegrass Ramble via co-sponsored shows at the venues along with privately hosted “after hours” showcases, Tuesday through Friday, at the Raleigh Marriott City Center.
For the second year, the IBMA is also offering afternoon showcases during the business conference from Tuesday-Thursday. These showcases, open only to business conference attendees, give artists the chance to showcase before a concentrated audience of talent buyers, labels, agents, and “tastemakers” in the bluegrass community.
IBMA showcases will provide over 200 opportunities for bands to perform at sanctioned IBMA events during World of Bluegrass. The full Bluegrass Ramble schedule will be available in the coming months. Those interested in sponsoring a showcase may contact Eddie Huffman at IBMA: 615-256-3222, 888-GET-IBMA, eddie@ibma.org.
IBMA’s World of Bluegrass is a five-day annual bluegrass music homecoming and convention consisting of four parts: the IBMA Business Conference, September 27–29 ; the 27th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards, scheduled for Thursday evening, September 29; Wide Open Bluegrass (presented by PNC), September 30 – October 1 (which includes both free stages and ticketed festival performances) and the Bluegrass Ramble showcases, taking place September 27 – 29 in downtown Raleigh and at the Raleigh Convention Center.
IBMA – the International Bluegrass Music Association – is the professional trade organization for the global bluegrass music community. The organization’s six-year stay in Raleigh is the result of a partnership with The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, PineCone—The Piedmont Council of Traditional Music, the Raleigh Convention Center, the City of Raleigh and a local organizing committee.
Members of the IBMA receive a discount on regular registration and ticket fees, and first time attendees receive a special discount on conference registration. Tickets for all World of Bluegrass events are on sale now and may be purchased online or by calling Etix at 1-800-514-3849.