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Searching for Roots Music presents a performance by the Swanky Kitchen Band, a band from Grand Cayman Islands that performed on Friday night during the old-time band competition. This is a wonderful blend of "island" music and old-time music. This band is dedicated to the preservation of traditional dance music from the Cayman Islands, which, like the music from Appalachia, is influenced by Iri...

The clawhammer banjo competition at Clifftop took place on Wednesday, August 2. Each of the 5 finalists had to play two songs, Frank Evans, who ended up in 2nd place, began his performance with Rambling Hobo. I did not catch the name of the second tune, and would be much obliged if someone could please fill me in.

Searching for Roots Music brings you the first band that played in the finals of the Neo-Traditional Bands contest on day 3 of the Appalachian String Band Music Festival (AKA Clifftop). This is Super Critter.

Searching for Roots Music presents: Appalachian String Band Music Festival, AKA Clifftop, held August 2-6, 2023. Impressions from the first couple of days: Bands in tents, flatfoot dancing, home-made instruments, shape-note singing, picking on the porch, finals of old-time banjo competitions.

A contingent of The Blue Skye Pipes and Drums recently gave a performance of Scottish music for a small group of social-distancing residents of Myakka Valley Ranches, an equestrian subdivision close to Sarasota. The concert, which consisted of instrumental and vocal compositions, was much appreciated, and a great example of all the wonderful musical genres that can be found all over the country...

We travelled to Galax, VA, to see the 84th Old Fiddler's Convention, a 6-day competition of music, song, and dance from Appalachia. It attracts a huge number of participants from all over the world. The first day was devoted to the youth competition, where children as young as 6 show off their skills on fiddle, mandolin, guitar, banjo and string band. Some of these very young kids are so good t...

LATHAN "PUDGEE" HILL, WANDA JOHNSON, AND BIG RON HUNTER were the featured blues artists at the BIG BLUES SHOW, part of the 2019 Roots Music Fest, organized in the beautifully restored Reeves Theater in Elkin, NC. These three musicians, who were born and raised in the Carolinas, showed us that Appalachia also has a blues tradition to be proud of. Bob Kogut, a well-known local fiddle builder and ...

Our fifth, and final video of the 2019 Clifftop music festival shows some of the music competitions that were going on. The categories in which musicians could compete were banjo, fiddle, neo-traditional band, and traditional band. The neo-traditional category is quite interesting, since it allows participants a lot of leeway, as long as they use acoustic instruments. So although Clifftop is an...

Liesbeth describes briefly her frustrating quest to find the right banjo teacher. The rest of the video is an interview with Lori Pegram, who became her favorite, fabulous, banjo teacher. New, improved edition.

Clifftop 2019 vol. 4, takes a look at the way the 3,000 or so participants camp during the Appalachian String Band Festival. To say that these campers are very creative with the space they have is an understatement ..... The next, and last video in this series will be covering the music competitions that took place. Stay tuned!

Clifftop 2019.3. For 4 days, Clifftop is the center of trade in acoustic string instruments when countless vendors and instrument makers set up shop. Some have a dazzling quantity and variety of instruments on display, while others (typically the makers), just show a small number of their products. As can be expected, there is a lot of jamming going on in around the canopies of these vendors. M...

Clifftop 2019.2: The Clifftop Festival (Appalachian String Band Music Festival) has a lot to offer. When you walk the festival grounds, you may come across comical scenes and objects, but there is also profound beauty, as can be seen in this video of 5 cellos, playing "Shenandoah," on the campground next to the water tower.

Clifftop 2019, vol 1. CLIFFTOP, or the Appalachian String Band Music Festival, is an absolutely spectacular event. For 4 days, its 3000 or so attendees/participants can choose from activities that range from a flatfoot dancing competition to participating in innumerable jam sessions that seems to be going on 24/7. There are concerts, band competitions, activities for families with children, ins...

THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE; MAY 11-14, 2019 After our visit to the Bradfordville Blues Club (see our BBC video), we traveled through the Panhandle to Alabama (see our Fairhope Brewing Company jam session video). Our first stop was the Downtown Market in Tallahassee, which is a lovely, very intimate and relaxed affair. This farmers’ market is held in a beautiful, narrow park along Park Street, an are...

A MORNING OF CAJUN MUSIC IN FRED'S LOUNGE AND 3 OTHER PERFORMANCES

MUSCLE SHOALS RECORDING STUDIOS

BLUEGRASS JAM SESSION IN FAIRHOPE BREWING COMPANY

SPIRIT OF SUWANNEE MUSIC PARK

MOUNTAIN OPRY BLUEGRASS CONCERT AND MEMORIAL DAY CELEBRATION IN SIGNAL MOUNTAIN

THE BRADFORDVILLE BLUES CLUB; BIG SANDY & HIS FLY RITE BOYS

OLD-TIME JAM AT THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NP VISITOR CENTER