Radney Foster News

MerleFest, presented by Window World, has officially come to a close, but not without a number of electric collaborations, spontaneous sit-ins, and world-class performances. Wynonna & The Big Noise, Amos Lee, Tyler Childers, Sam Bush Band, Brandi Carlile, and The Avett Brothers all brought extra MerleFest energy to the Watson Stage, marking another successful year for the long-running festival. Early estimates show that from its start on Thursday, April 25, to its close on Sunday, April 28, participation over the festival's four days exceeded 75,000 attendees and artists from across the world. MerleFest, held on the campus of Wilkes Community College, is the primary fundraiser for the WCC Foundation, which funds scholarships, capital projects, and other educational needs.

Now that MerleFest, presented by Window World, is only one week away, annual festival-goers have surely begun planning their weekends. For those who have not, however, here are five sure-to-be epic experiences that shouldn't be missed. Make a note or two and join a welcoming legion of music fans in Wilkesboro, N.C., from April 25th to 28th at MerleFest.

“We All Come Together' for John Berry and Music Health Alliance has announced two additional options to support the benefit concert on April 23rd. Contributions to the benefit can be made by texting the word DONATE to 678-666-5269 and following a URL link in the response. An online auction will go live on Thursday, April 18 at 9 AM CDT with new auction items added through the day of the benefit concert and once live can be viewed here!

From its first incarnation in 1993, MerleFest's annual Chris Austin Songwriting Competition has seen the likes of Gillian Welch, Tift Merritt, and Martha Scanlan rise to the top of an always competitive field of up-and-coming songwriters. Legendary songwriters have presided over the competition from the start as judges, too. Darrell Scott, Hayes Carll, and the late, great Guy Clark have all taken a turn at judging the CASC. This year, the event will be judged byJoey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale, better known as The Milk Carton Kids, Cruz Contreras of The Black Lillies, and Texas-troubadour Radney Foster. Mr. Americana Jim Lauderdale will host the competition and Mark Bumgarner will return as emcee for the finalist contest taking place at MerleFest's Austin Stage on Friday, April 26th at 2:00 p.m.

Between them, Radney Foster and Darden Smithhave released over two dozen albums, written hundreds of songs, played thousands of shows and logged millions of miles getting there and back. From April 11-13 and June 21-23, they'll play six more dates together. For these special evenings, Foster and Smith will join each other on stage to sing songs, read selections from their books, tell the stories behind both, and do their best to make each other (and the audience) laugh, cry, and get lost in the mystery behind the process of two of Texas' great songwriters.

MerleFest, presented by Window World, is proud to announce the 2019 lineup for their beloved Late Night Jam. Sponsored by The Bluegrass Situation and hosted by Chatham County Line, this year's Late Night Jam will feature Molly Tuttle, Jim Lauderdale, The Brother Brothers, Donna the Buffalo, Presley Barker, Ana Egge, Steve Poltz, and more. The annual homecoming of musicians and music fans returns to the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, April 25-28.

MerleFest, presented by Window World, is proud to announce the 2019 lineup for their beloved Late Night Jam.  Sponsored by The Bluegrass Situation and hosted by Chatham County Line, this year's Late Night Jam will feature Molly Tuttle, Jim Lauderdale, The Brother Brothers, Donna the Buffalo, Presley Barker, Ana Egge, Steve Poltz, and more.  The annual homecoming of musicians and music fans returns to the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, April 25-28.

California via Australia's Shelley Segal is set to release her six-song EP, HOLY, in March.  Segal's Americana-tinged latest tackles homesickness (“Already Gone”), religion and leaving the strict Jewish upbringing of her youth (“Holy Man”), a true crime story a murder/suicide (“San Antonio”), national tribalism (“Blood”), love and life partnership (“Here”) and consent in the time of #MeToo (“No”.) Segal will tour North America this spring with stops in Arizona, Florida, Nashville and Philadelphia amongst others.

Weston Playhouse Theatre Company Executive Artistic Director Susanna Gellert announced casting for the 13th Annual Weston-Ghostlight New Musical Award Winner, ALICE BLISS, a musical based on Laura Harrington's acclaimed novel. It follows Alice, a young teenager whose father is deployed to Iraq, as she navigates the challenges of growing up in a family touched by the effects of war.

MerleFest, presented by Window World, is proud to announce new artist additions for MerleFest 2019: Amos Lee, The Milk Carton Kids, Steep Canyon Rangers, The Del McCoury Band, The Casey Kristofferson Band, and David Holt. The annual homecoming of musicians and music fans returns to the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, April 25-28. MerleFest is pleased to welcome these six distinguished acts to the 2019 lineup:

The Texas Whiskey Festival today announced the first 15 distilleries participating at this year's event, taking place April 19th at the Star Hill Ranch near Bee Cave Texas. With more distilleries to be announced in the weeks ahead, the event offers a casual and informative evening for whiskey enthusiasts to meet Texas' master blenders and distillers, while enjoying food, cigar pairings and entertainment led by singer, songwriter and storyteller Radney Foster - all designed to complement the craft whiskey brands showcased at the event.

Radney Foster is not good at sitting still. The last fifteen months saw the release of For You To See The Stars, a full-length album and companion book filled with short stories to accompany each track. Austin Chronicle called the book a “touching read that confirms Foster's master storytelling.” Fans will now be able to hear Radney in full storyteller mode, self-narrating his tales on a newly released unabridged audiobook, available here. The deluxe version of the 5-disc audiobook also contains the album's eleven songs, each paired with their respective story.

Radney Foster is not good at sitting still. The last fifteen months saw the release of For You To See The Stars, a full-length album and companion book filled with short stories to accompany each track. Austin Chronicle called the book a “touching read that confirms Foster's master storytelling.” Fans will now be able to hear Radney in full storyteller mode, self-narrating his tales on a newly released unabridged audiobook, available here. The deluxe version of the 5-disc audiobook also contains the album's eleven songs, each paired with their respective story.

 Cumberland Music Collective is proud to announce its acquisition of Nashville's premier acoustic music agency, KCA Artists. CMC will continue to book legendary acts, such as The Seldom Scene, Radney Foster, Blue Highway, and The Fairfield Four, in addition to greatly diversifying their roster. 

 Cumberland Music Collective is proud to announce its acquisition of Nashville's premier acoustic music agency, KCA Artists. CMC will continue to book legendary acts, such as The Seldom Scene, Radney Foster, Blue Highway, and The Fairfield Four, in addition to greatly diversifying their roster. 

MerleFest, presented by Window World, is proud to announce new artist additions for MerleFest 2019: The Avett Brothers, Molly Tuttle, and Sean McConnell. The annual homecoming of musicians and music fans returns to the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, April 25-28. MerleFest is pleased to welcome these three distinguished artists to the 2019 lineup:

MerleFest, presented by Window World, is proud to announce new artist additions for MerleFest 2019: Brandi Carlile, Dailey & Vincent, and The Brother Brothers. The annual homecoming of musicians and music fans returns to the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, April 25-28. 

MerleFest, presented by Window World, is proud to announce the initial lineup for MerleFest 2019, which will be held April 25-28. The annual homecoming of musicians and music fans returns to the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The complete lineup for MerleFest 2019 will be announced over the next few months. Today's lineup announcement includes Wynonna & The Big Noise, Keb' Mo', The Earls of Leicester, Sam Bush, Tyler Childers, Peter Rowan and The Free Mexican Air Force, and many more. The 2019 Late Night Jam on Saturday, April 27th will start at 10:30 p.m. and run well past midnight, hosted by Chatham County Line. This very popular after-hours hootenanny in the Walker Center gathers many performers from the festival for impromptu artistic collaborations and one-of-a-kind superstar jams that have become legendary in the festival's history. Ticket sales for both the festival and Late Night Jam begin at 10 a.m. EST on Nov. 13th.

Park City Institute kicks off the Independence Day holiday, with its traditional July 3rd concert, presenting GRAMMY winning band, Los Lonely Boys, at the Quinn's Junction Sports Complex Fields. “Los Lonely Boys' brand of blues-infused Texican rock, is just right for celebrating our first first pop-up concert of the 2018 St. Regis Big Stars, Bright Nights Concert Series,” said Teri Orr, Park City Institute Executive Director. “Our community has a lot to celebrate, and this band knows how to throw a party.”

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Bowen MusicFest will return to Waco with a venue and lineup that are bigger and better than ever before. The festival is hosted by country rocker Wade Bowen and the Bowen Family Foundation, which has raised over $2.5 million for charities that support children and families in and around Waco.