After more than a decade of twangin’ tunes in the City of Oaks, IBMA Bluegrass Live! packed up and landed in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The festival’s final Raleigh run was last September, and after the final bows, PineCone announced Raleigh Wide Open, a new iteration of a former Oak City bluegrass festival.
While Raleigh Wide Open is set to debut in October, nonprofit PineCone is giving Raleigh a taste of bluegrass by way of a Down Home Concerts Series. The events nod to Raleigh’s bluegrass legacy while mixing in gospel, funk, old-time, and blues — genres deeply rooted in the region.
Mark your calendars for May 16 when bluegrass band Della Mae, Laurie Lewis, and Alice Gerrard honor Hazel Dickens’ 100th birthday with a tribute show at A.J. Fletcher Theater. Plus, multi-instrumentalist Laura Boosinger will host an old-time banjo workshop on May 17 at John Chavis Memorial Park.