From Left: T. Michael Coleman, Merle Watson and Doc Watson MerleFest 2005 Four-Day Festival of Fun & Music Starts Today By Jeff Eason The grass has been cut on the fields of Wilkes Community College and folks are ready for a little bluegrass to be cut on the stages of the 18th Annual Merle Watson Festival. MerleFest 2005 runs from Thursday, April 28th through Sunday, May 1st and features its best-ever lineup of musical stars from the worlds of bluegrass, Americana, blues, country, folk, Celtic, old-time and international music. Basically, if it’s a style of music that utilizes acoustic instruments, it will probably be on display at MerleFest. Deep Gap, North Carolina resident and folk music legend Doc Watson will once again be on hand to oversee the proceedings of the festival that bears his son’s name. Merle Watson was a talented guitarist who had just begun to make a name for himself in the music business when he was killed in a tragic tractor accident in the mid-1980s. Two years after his death, a group of music lovers and fellow musicians organized a benefit concert on the campus of Wilkes Community College. That first concert was a one-day affair that attracted an audience of about a few thousand people. Today, MerleFest is recognized as the premiere acoustic music festival in the eastern half of the United States. Last year’s festival attracted over 80,000 people to Wilkesboro for four days of fun and fantastic tunes. Loretta Lynn This year’s festival will feature Doc Watson and his grandson Richard Watson, Balfa Toujours, BR549, Sam Bush, the Chieftains, John Cowan Band, Rodney Crowell, Donna the Buffalo, the Duhks, the Bela Fleck Acoustic Trio starring Casey Driessen and Bryan Sutton, Corey Harris, King Wilkie, Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Robert Lockwood Jr., Loretta Lynn, the Del McCoury Band, Buddy Miller, Allison Moorer, Railroad Earth, Tony Rice, Earl Scruggs with Family & Friends, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Peter Rowan and many others. One of the highlights of MerleFest 2005 is the appearance of the Chieftains on stage with many of the musical guests who made last year’s album Down the Old Plank Road such a hit. During the two nights of performances featuring the Cheiftains and guests, look for artists such as Scruggs, Douglas, Fleck, Moorer, McCoury and others to join the Celtic masters on stage. Another highlight should be the reunion of former members of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys featuring Scruggs, Richard Greene, Bobby Hicks, host Peter Rowan and others. MerleFest now features over a dozen stages spread out across the beautiful campus of Wilkes Community College. If there’s a downside to all of this, it is choosing which shows to see and which to miss. Fortunately, most of the artists appearing at MerleFest show up on a number of stages while they are at the festival. The Duhks The MerleFest 2005 roster also includes Timmy Abell, R.G. Absher & Extra Measure, Acappella Fellas, Scott Ainslie, the Avett Brothers, Etta Baker, Martha Bassett, Roy Book Binder, Laura Boosinger, Henry Butler, Can Joe John, Hayes Carll, T. Michael Coleman, Crooked Jades, Rodney Crowell, Daybreak, Deer Clan Singers, Dixie Dawn, Robert Dotson, Gigi Dover, Tony Ellis and the Musicians of Braeburn, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Mary Flower, Pat Flynn, Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, the Gospel Jubilators, the Greencards, Buddy Greene, George Hamilton IV, George Hamilton V, Corey Harris, Caroline Herring, Bob Hill, Clyde Hollifield, the Clint Howard Band, David Holt & the Lightning Bolts, the Hushpuppies, Billy Jonas, Carl Jones & Beverly Smith, Mel Jones & His Bag O’ Bones, the John Jorgenson Quintet, Si Kahn, the Kruger Brothers, Jim Lauderdale, Jack Lawrence, the Little Rascals, Jeff Little, Brack Llewellyn, the Local Boys, Bill Mathis, Andy May, John Moody, Nashville Bluegrass Band, the North Carolina Thumb & Finger-Style Guitar Players, Mollie O’Brien, Tim O’Brien, Old School Freight Train, Andy Owens & 1-800-Bluegrass, Charles Pettee & FolkPsalm, Josh Pinkham & the Pinkham Family Band, Polecat Creek, Roman Candle, Tom Sauber, Darrell Scott, Shana Banana, Jim Shumate, Joe Smothers, Stillhouse Bottom Band, Tethered, Tater Tate, Tut Taylor, Joe Thompson & Bob Carlin, Happy Traum, the Waybacks, Wayfaring Strangers, Charles Welch, Pete & Joe Wernick, Roland White, the Wilders, Blake Williams, Tony Williamson, Robin & Linda Williams and Zoe Speaks. Acoustic musicians are urged to bring their instruments to MerleFest and several jam areas will be designated for the impromptu picking parties that have a way of popping up at the festival. Musicians (and everyone else) are also invited to attend the many workshops held with the MerleFest stage artists and professionals from the industry. Look for workshops and demonstrations at the Creekside, Dance and Pit stage areas. Alison Krauss & Union Station MerleFest also features dozens of craftspeople and artisans—including instrument makers—who bring hard-to-find and one-of-a-kind items to the festival. Companies such as Gibson, Taylor, and Deering Banjo will set up shop inside a giant tent to invite you to test drive one of their new instruments. Speaking of instruments, be sure to check out the annual instrument contests during the first few days of MerleFest. The Mandolin Contest, featuring guest judges Wayne Benson, Tony Williamson, Andy Owens and Randy Gambill, will start at 4:30 on Thursday at the Lounge. The Banjo Contest, featuring guest judges Pete Wernick, Jens Kruger, Scott Avett and Laura Boosinger, starts at the Lounge Stage on Friday at 10 a.m. The Guitar Contest starts at 3 p.m. on Friday and features guest judges Jeff Autry, Uwe Kruger, and David Johnson. Another contest that stirs up a lot of interest each year is the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. The twelve finalists will take the stage at the Austin Stage on Friday starting at 2 p.m. The judges include Jim Lauderdale, Darrell Scott, Caroline Herring and Hayes Carll. The winners of all four categories—gospel, general, bluegrass and country—will perform their winning songs on the Cabin Stage on Friday evening, starting at 7 p.m. Seth Avett Tickets General admission tickets for MerleFest 2005 are available at the gate, starting at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday and at 8 a.m. Friday through Sunday. Tickets for all four days are $145, while Friday through Sunday wristbands are $125. Individual day rates are $35 for Thursday, $45 for Friday, $50 for Saturday, and $40 for Sunday. For more information, call 1-800-343-7857 or visit www.merlefest.org. MerleFest Checklist