ANNOUNCING: The Second Annual Shout and Shine: A Celebration of Diversity in Bluegrass

The Bluegrass Situation and PineCone are excited to announce the second annual Shout & Shine: A Celebration of Diversity in Bluegrass showcase at World of Bluegrass. The event — which was created to foster representation and encourage inclusion of the diverse artists, musicians, and professionals who love and create bluegrass and roots music — will take place at 10 pm on Tuesday, September 26, 2017 at the Pour House in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is a part of IBMA’s official showcase schedule/lineup, the Bluegrass Ramble.

Shout & Shine’s lineup includes the Tyler Williams Band, the Ebony Hillbillies, Sam Gleaves, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, the Otsuka & Watanabe Brothers’ Japanese Jam, and 2017 IBMA Hall of Fame Inductee Alice Gerrard. There will also be a SuperJam hosted by Emerging Artist of the Year nominees Front Country. Each artist was carefully chosen to celebrate and encourage diversity within the bluegrass and roots community. In addition to working toward universal inclusion of LGBTQ+ and POC (people of color), Shout & Shine recognizes the importance of representing people with disabilities and working toward universal access for all people at music events, clubs, and festivals.

The showcase was born in 2016 as a direct response to the North Carolina General Assembly’s controversial “bathroom bill,” HB2. The Bluegrass Situation and PineCone joined forces with the shared belief that celebrating folk music means supporting its rich and varied history. By amplifying diverse and underrepresented voices, we present a reminder that this music belongs to all and that inclusion strengthens our communities, our businesses and organizations, and our art. Multiple advocacy organizations will have representatives present and information available, including Equality NC, Triangle Friends of African-American Arts, and NC Asian Americans Together, who will have voter registration information available (the event falls on National Voter Registration Day).

“We are excited to have the Bluegrass Situation and PineCone producing another great Shout & Shine showcase this year, putting into practice the IBMA’s value statement around diversity and inclusion as a fundamental characteristic of our music community. Bluegrass is for all of us, and we’re stronger together than we could ever hope to be individually,” notes Paul Schiminger, Executive Director of IBMA.

Shout & Shine is made possible through the support of sponsors, which include Raleigh Convention Center, Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, VAE Raleigh (via the Ignite Fellowship), Larry’s Coffee, Montgomery Violins, and the Press House. For those who cannot attend but would like to be part of the event, the showcase will live stream on the Bluegrass Situation’s Facebook page.