MerleFest Announced; Avett Bros Headline

Elvis Costello, Little Feat and tons more will perform next May at the annual music festival.

By Fred Mills

Last night the lineup announcement was made for the 2010 edition of Doc Watson's annual MerleFest bash - the 23^rd year, in fact, held as always in Wilkesboro, NC, on the campus of Wilkes Community College. Headliners: The Avett Brothers, currently giving good face time on the cover of the new issue of Blurt. They'll be closing out the event, which will take place April 29 - May 2 next year.

Among the other heavy hitters lined up: Elvis Costello (making a return visit no less), Little Feat, the Travelin' McCourys, Jim Lauderdale, Donna the Buffalo, Brave Combo, Avetts dad Jim Avett, and of course the good Doc himself.

Said the Avetts, in a statement, "We are honored and excited to announce that our only NC performance in the first six months of 2010 will be on Sunday, May 2nd at 3:30PM closing the 23rd annual edition of MerleFest. We have attended MerleFest, as fans and as performers, since 1994. There is not a finer or more welcoming music festival in the country. Those who make their way to Wilkes Community College for the event this year will find, as they would any year, a sincere and friendly place where the music is as colorful and beautiful as the North Carolina countryside that leads them there. MerleFest offers four days of absolute quality for the music-loving family. For us, in terms of performance, it is very much like coming home."

Amen to that.

Tickets will go on sale Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 2:00 pm EST, on the web at www.merlefest.org or via telephone 1-800-343-7857. (Early bird discounts thru March 12.)

Over 75 acts will perform on 15 stages throughout the festival - see the initial list, below. The Watson-hosted event is billed as "a celebration of ‘traditional-plus' music - a term Watson coined to describe the unique mix of traditional, roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, including bluegrass and old-time music, and expanded to include Americana, country, ‘plus whatever other styles we were in the mood to play.'"

A good mood is generally had by all, needless to say...

Doc Watson - www.docsguitar.com

Richard Watson

Susana and Timmy Abell - www.timmyabell.com

Alberti Flea Circus - www.albertifleacircus.com

The Avett Brothers - www.theavettbrothers.com

Jim Avett - www.jimavett.com

Balsam Range - www.balsamrange.com

Shana Banana - www.shanabanana.com

The Banknotes                                               

Bearfoot - www.bearfootband.com

The Belleville Outfit - www.bellevilleoutfit.com

Roy Book Binder - www.roybookbinder.com

Brave Combo - http://www.brave.com/bo/

Buffalo Barfield - www.buffalobarfield.com

Sam Bush Band - www.sambush.com

Cadillac Sky - www.cadillacsky.net

T. Michael Coleman - www.tmichaelcoleman.com

Elvis Costello - www.elviscostello.com

John Cowan Band - www.johncowan.com

Dailey & Vincent - www.daileyvincent.com

Dehlia Low - www.dehlialow.com

Donna The Buffalo - www.donnathebuffalo.com

Jerry Douglas - www.jerrydouglas.com

The Duhks - www.duhks.com

Eleanor Ellis - www.eleanorellis.com

Alice Gerrard

The Gibson Brothers - www.gibsonbrothers.com

Great Big Sea - www.greatbigsea.com

The Greencards - www.thegreencards.com

Buddy Greene - www.buddygreene.com

Mitch Greenhill - www.folkloreproductions.com/about.html

George Hamilton IV - www.georgeiv.net

John Hammond - www.johnhammond.com

Corey Harris - http://www.myspace.com/coreyharrismusic

Wayne Henderson - http://waynehenderson.org/Wayne/AboutWayne.htm       

David Holt - www.davidholt.com

The InterACTive Theater of Jef - http://www.jefthemime.com

Phil Jamison -www.swangathering.com/Catalog/OT/sgotstaff1.html

Jeni & Billy - www.jeniandbilly.com

The Kruger Brothers - www.krugerbrothers.com

Jim Lauderdale - www.jimlauderdale.com

Jack Lawrence - www.jacklawrence.com

The Lee Boys - www.leeboys.com

Little Feat - www.littlefeat.net

Jeff Little - www.jefflittle.net

The Local Boys                                  

The Lovell Sisters - www.lovellsistersband.com

Harry Manx - www.harrymanx.com

Bill Mathis

Andy May - www.andymay.com

Nashville Bluegrass Band - www.nashvillebluegrassband.net

Nation Beat - www.nationbeat.com

The Neighbors - http://www.myspace.com/theneighborspage

Ben Prestage - http://www.myspace.com/bprestage

Missy Raines & The New Hip - http://www.missyraines.com

Red Molly - http://www.redmolly.com

Tony Rice - http://www.tonyrice.com

Peter Rowan - http://www.peter-rowan.com

Scythian - http://www.scythianmusic.com/indexmain.cfm

Anne and Pete Sibley - http://www.anneandpetesibley.com

Joe Smothers - http://www.myspace.com/joehsmothers

Steep Canyon Rangers - http://www.steepcanyon.com

Tut Taylor - http://webpages.charter.net/tutbro

Happy Traum - http://www.happytraum.com

The Travelin' McCourys - http://www.myspace.com/thetravelinmccourys

Rhonda Vincent and The Rage - http://www.nemr.net/~rhondav

The Waybacks - http://www.waybacks.com

Lightnin' Wells - http://www.lightninwells.com

Pete and Joan Wernick - http://www.drbanjo.com

Shannon Whitworth - www.shannonwhitworth.net

The Wilders - http://www.wilderscountry.com

Wilkes Acoustic Folk Society    

Tony Williamson - http://www.mandolincentral.com/bio.html

W.P.A. - http://www.myspace.com/wpaband

Wylie and The Wild West - http://www.wylieww.com

Zephyr Lightning Bolts - www.zephyrlightningbolts.net