UPDATE: August 14, 2025
The Blue Ridge Roots Revival concert series continues!
As we head into Fall 2025, the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area continues to partner with the Jazz Foundation of America to hold and sponsor several concerts into November. The purpose of the concert series is to support Western North Carolina musicians and bands in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, providing them with opportunities and connections throughout the region.
August 1-2: Fly Around Festival in Lansing, NC. The festival is the first of its kind in Lansing, which is located in the Upper High Country. It was created as a fundraiser for Lost Province Center for Cultural Arts, featuring eleven different bands.
August 23: An Appalachian Evening: Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road at Stecoah Valley Center for Cultural Arts in Robbinsville, NC. The band is featured on the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area’s Traditional Artist Directory. Members include Liam Purcell, Zack Vickers, Devin Jones, Ari Silver, and Teddy Kent. An Appalachian Evening is a time-honored tradition at Stecoah, welcoming musicians, friends, and artists to weekly Saturday-night concerts throughout the summer.
August 30: Healing the Hollers at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival at the Tryon Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, NC. This music session will occur during the annual Earl Scruggs Music Festival. Healing the Hollers is the brainchild of musician (Unspoken Tradition) and promoter, Ty Gilpin. Ty wanted to gather musicians with songs and stories from Hurricane Helene while also highlighting the resilience of the mountain communities. Unspoken Tradition will play along with Zoe & Cloyd, Laura Boosinger, Josh Goforth, Nest of Singing Birds, and Lance Mills. The event is also a fundraiser for the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area and will be livestreamed on Facebook. Additional support for the event comes from the Earl Scruggs Music Festival and Bluegrass Situation.
September 21: Western North Carolina Storytellers at the Earle Theatre in Mt. Airy, NC. This is a gathering of four storytellers from Western North Carolina: Connie Regan-Blake, Michael Reno Hall, Sheila Kay Adams, and Josh Goforth. Additional partners for this event include the Surry Arts Council and the International Storytelling Center.
November 8: Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Fundraiser Concert at White Horse Black Mountain. Details coming soon!
[Asheville, NC] – [May 20, 2025] – The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (BRNHA) is partnering with the Jazz Foundation of America to present a summer and fall concert series. Blue Ridge Roots Revival will feature 10 performances throughout Western North Carolina (WNC), bringing local and nationally acclaimed artists to local venues.
The series begins with 5 shows scheduled in June, the first commencing on Friday, June 6, in Old Fort, to kick off its Trails & Trains Festival from 6:30 to 10:00 pm. The free public show will feature bluegrass and old-time bands, including Zoe and Cloyd, Darren Nicholson, and the Blue Ridge All-Star Band featuring Buddy Melton, Shawn Lane, Colby Laney, Danielle Bishop, Jeff Partin, and Jacob Burleson.
“We are so honored to partner with the Blue Ridge Heritage Area and the Jazz Foundation to host this special event, welcoming the community and visitors back to Old Fort,” stated Dr. Jordan Laney, music curator for the Rhythms & Rails Bluegrass Night at the Trails & Trains Festival. “The town suffered significant damage during Hurricane Helene, and this event is one way of communicating to the world that we are open, resilient, and ready for business. We are excited to gather and share our musical heritage as we continue to heal and rebuild together.”
The remaining lineup for June includes 3 free Saturday shows at 2 pm at the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center – Milepost 384 (Asheville, NC).
- June 7 – Sourwood Ridge
- June 21 – Cast Iron Bluegrass
- June 28 – Travis Stuart & Clarke Williams
A ticketed concert will be held on June 14th at Burnsville Town Center in Burnsville, NC, featuring Rhonda Gouge, Sam McKinney, Kathy Kuhne, Carley Arrowood, and Daniel Thrailkill. The show starts at 7:00 p.m. For ticket information, visit HERE.
The concert series is born out of a need to create opportunities for musicians and music venues. Since Hurricane Helene’s destruction in September 2024, many communities are still working to rebuild physically, economically, and emotionally. The region is widely known for its tourism economy, and visitation is still down.
BRNHA has helped artists and venues in its 25-county footprint plus the Qualla Boundary through stipends and small grants. The Blue Ridge Music Trails, an initiative of the BRNHA, is an essential resource in identifying and promoting musicians and venues focused on traditional music, a unique and vital part of WNC’s heritage. The Jazz Foundation of America, an influential and nationally known organization, has also been an essential organization in helping to support WNC’s music scene, financially assisting musicians who succumbed to loss of property, instruments, and income.
The Blue Ridge Roots Revival series will run through September, and other shows will be announced in the coming weeks.
For more information and updates on the concert series, please visit BlueRidgeHeritage.com.
Media Contact:
Blue Ridge National Heritage Area
Bridget Herbig, Communications Manager
bridget@blueridgeheritage.com
828-818-5334
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Purchase tickets for the June 14th show at Burnsville Town Center here!
