BGS and the Philadelphia Folksong Society, who are presenters of the oldest continuously run music festival in North America, are proud to join together to virtually present Cabin Fever Fest on February 20 & 21. This fully digital, interactive musical experience will include multiple streaming stages, performances by international stars and local favorites, music workshops and lessons, and more. (See the full lineup below.)
Tickets to Cabin Fever Fest are available now, full weekend passes are available for just $45 for PFS Members and $50 for Not-Yet-Members. Your ticket gives you full access to the event from February 20 until February 28, to watch at your leisure and convenience.
To get excited for the launch of the festival this Saturday, we wanted to introduce our BGS audience to some of the amazing folks on the lineup. Hopefully you’ll find a few favorite artists and performers — new and old — to catch this weekend on Cabin Fever Fest, presented by BGS and the Philadelphia Folksong Society!
Avi Kaplan
We first turned our attention to former Pentatonix low-end Avi Kaplan when he released his first rootsy foray, I’ll Get By, last February. In our interview last year, he spoke about his time with the internationally-renowned a capella group, growing up on bluegrass, and how is journey back to folk took shape. We were excited to have Avi on Whiskey Sour Happy Hour episode 3 last spring and we’re so excited to have him on Cabin Fever Fest, as well!
By now a longtime friend of BGS as well as a stalwart of the Americana-blues scene, Keb’ Mo’ has been our Artist of the Month, has been on our podcasts, our live lineups, and our year-end and holiday playlists, and now will join us and our Philly Folksong Society friends for Cabin Fever Fest! Whether he’s sharing a stage with Taj Mahal or swapping licks with Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley, Keb’ Mo’ is an extraordinary picker and collaborator.
Bluegrass family band turned modern blues-rock shredders Larkin Poe are a constantfavoriteon the pages and social media channels of BGS — and we totally see why! They combine fiery, impassioned energy with bluegrass technique and virtuosity for a brand of southern rock and blues that appeals to all kinds of roots music fans. They’ve kept up a constant “touring” calendar despite COVID-19, and we’re so grateful to have them join our virtual festival.
A cosmic, mystical force on banjo, with her songwriting pen, or within the pages of her poetry notebook, Valerie June is another Whiskey Sour Happy Hour alumnus joining us on the Cabin Fever Fest lineup. Her upcoming Jack Splash-produced album, The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers, is generating quite a bit of buzz in folk circles — the single, “Call Me a Fool” features Stax legend Carla Thomas! — so of course we’re looking forward to her Cabin Fever performance!
What would a folk festival be without sibling harmonies!? The way The Secret Sisters — Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle — blend their songwriting styles, their production and arrangements, and their voices is so effortless — while laser-precise, deliberate, and painstaking.
Lockdown shows from Nashville’s self-professed banjo house (and basement) have kept all of us going through the past year or so — or at least, all of us at BGS and Philly Folksong Society! We’re tickled they’ll be bringing more of their humorous, engaging, double-banjo content to Cabin Fever Fest.
Perhaps the world’s foremost ukulele virtuoso, Jake Shimabukuro represents quite a few American roots music traditions often left to the wayside in folk circles. Shimabukuro has performed with many bluegrass, old-time, and Americana greats including Sierra Hull, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Alison Brown, Béla Fleck, and more. His prodigious approach to the ukulele — an instrument with skyrocketing popularity at the moment, especially among Gen Z — will surely wow new and old fans alike, no matter your entry point to roots music.
Speaking of Sierra Hull! One of our all-time favorite mandolin maestros, this thoughtful composer/songwriter will headline one day of our BGS stage. Every chance we get to work together, we take it! We can’t wait to see what new, astounding cover songs — like her Whiskey Sour Happy Hour rendition of “King of Anything” — fantastic musical acrobatics, and bluegrass nuggets she’ll pepper throughout her performance.
Our Philly Folk Fest friends turned us onto local favorites, Mwenso & the Shakes, and we’re awfully glad they did. Led by Michael Mwenso, the troupe of global artists present music that’s entrancing, entertaining, and as they put it, “A formidable timeline of jazz and blues expression through African and Afro American music.” Their debut album, Emergence [The Process of Coming Into Being], is available wherever you get music now. We can’t wait to hear from Mwenso & the Shakes!
Based in Santa Cruz, California these fixtures in the Northern California bluegrass scene are making a splash on a national scale, despite the pandemic throwing a wrench in their ascension. Blue Summit’s music is modern, crisp, and precise with a songwriting heart that feels fully realized and mature, despite their relative youth as a group. Lee’s vocals and originals spearhead the ensemble, reminding of Alison Krauss and her former bandmate Molly Tuttle, too. BGS has been waiting for the opportunity to get Blue Summit on a lineup and Cabin Fever Fest was the perfect opportunity!
Check out the full lineup and schedules for Cabin Fever Fest below and don’t forget to head to the CFF website for more information — discover workshops, get your Philly Folksong Society membership, find FAQs, and more!
Saturday, February 20, 2021
(all times EST)
CAMP STAGE presented by the Philadelphia Music Co-op
11:00AM Katherine Rondeau 11:30AM Jason Ager 12:00PM Hot Club of Philadelphia 12:30PM Rebecca Lang Fiorentino 1:00PM Ami Yares 1:30PM Bethlehem & Sad Patrick
CAMP STAGE presented by the Bluegrass Situation
2:30PM The Wandering Hearts 3:15PM AJ Lee & Blue Summit 4:30PM Jontavious Willis 5:45PM Jon Stickley Trio 7:00PM Sierra Hull
MARTIN STAGE / MAIN STAGE
3:30PM Emily Drinker 4:15PM OKAN 5:30PM James McMurtry 6:45PM Mwenso & the Shakes 8:00PM The Secret Sisters 9:15PM Keb’ Mo’ 10:15PM Avi Kaplan
Sunday, February 21, 2021
CAMP STAGE presented by the Philadelphia Music Co-op
11:00AM Ken Ulansey 11:30AM Huston West 12:00PM Rachel Eve 12:30PM Todd Fausnacht 1:00PM Ants On a Log Presents the World Premier of CURIOUS: The Movie 1:50PM Valentina Sounds
CAMP STAGE presented by Eisteddfod Amgen
2:30PM Tŷ Gwerin o bell featuring Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog, Tant, VRi, Pedair
Welcome to the BGS Radio Hour! Since 2017, the show has been a weekly recap of all the great music, new and old, featured on BGS. This week we’ve got new releases from so many amazing artists on the roots scene today, from Luke Combs to Langhorne Slim to Sierra Hull! Remember to check back every Monday for a new episode of the BGS Radio Hour.
Luke Combs, of country radio stardom, teams up with bluegrass-favorite Billy Strings this week for a new single. “The Great Divide” was written by the duo for Combs’s bluegrass album, one that he hasn’t completed yet. However, both artists agreed that the time to release this song was now, attempting to shine a light of hope in this tough time.
Singer/frontwoman of the Birds of Chicago, Montréal-based Allison Russell brings this Sade cover to the show this week. What she calls an “endlessly expansive and inclusive song of love,” this song brings comfort to Russell – as it does to us, as well.
Nashville-based Jaelee Roberts is one of the quickest rising stars in bluegrass music. Her first single on Mountain Home Music Company, an original song co-written with Theo MacMillan (of Theo and Brenna), brings big promises of more great music to come.
A 5+5 guest this week is none other than Jim Olsen, president of Massachusetts record label Signature Sounds. Celebrating 25 years of the label, and the so many great artists presented by it, Olsen brings us the Golden Age playlist – which includes this jam from Twisted Pine.
Kentucky-based Dale Ann Bradley brought us a new album this weekend! While you may remember her from former BGS Artist of the Month Sister Sadie – an all-female bluegrass supergroup – Bradley is stepping away from the band in 2021 to celebrate this new solo album, just one of so many in her extensive catalog.
“Glory Demon” comes from Brewers Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. “It means war,” Matheson tells BGS. But, this is an anti-war song from the Scottish artist, one about how we never learn and life just keeps endlessly repeating itself.
The Black Pumas are our February Artist of the Month here at BGS! You may recognize them from the Biden inauguration, where they performed this song from their 2019 self-titled album. Stayed tuned all month long, where we’ll be featuring exclusive content on the Black Pumas!
This week on The Show On The Road podcast brings us a conversation with Sean Scolnick – known mostly by his alter-ego, Langhorne Slim. Host Z. Lupetin caught up with Slim to talk about his new album, Strawberry Mansion, creative funk, mental health, and more.
From Snohomish, Washington, Hillary Grace Fretland (of FRETLAND) catches up with BGS this week on a 5+5 segment – that is 5 questions, 5 songs. We talked favorite memories from being on stage, influences, and songwriting techniques.
From her upcoming The Moon and the Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers, Valerie June brings us this song that she dedicates to us all. Produced by June and Jack Splash – whose resume includes Kendrick Lamar, Alicia Keys, and John Legend – this album makes it clear to June why she makes music.
Nashville-based fiddler Mike Barnett brings us this Bill Monroe twist-up from his upcoming duets album, +1. The record was slated for a fall 2020 release, until Barnett suffered from an unexpected brain hemmorage. After multiple successful surgeries, he is doing well and recovering in extensive rehab where he is reconnecting his brain and fingers. So in listening to this piece of amazing music, let’s all send our best wishes to Mike Barnett and his family. You can support Mike Barnett’s recovery here.
From last year’s Whiskey Sour Happy Hour, this week we’re featuring Sierra Hull’s performance of this Sara Bareilles pop-hit. The Nashville-based singer and songwriter just released Weighted Mind (The Original Sessions), an EP made up of the demos for her 2016 release, Weighted Mind.
“Time traveled on a superhighway,” Chicago-based singer and songwriter tells BGS of the world before the pandemic, “but since March, we’ve all been in a traffic jam.” David McMillin of the group suggests that getting a break from all that movement is actually a good thing, however. This song is all about hitting that pause button.
The Jon Stickley Trio is one of the most exciting instrumental, “jamgrass” groups on the scene today. Made up of drums, flatpick guitar, and fiddle, they continue to push the boundaries of instrumental roots music, while being a festival favorite across the nation. This week, they bring us this new single on Organic Records.
At the end of the Show On The Road podcast episode with Langhorne, he graced us with a performance of this song, accompanied by his cat, Mr. Beautiful. What better way to end this week’s show?
Photos: (L to R) Allison Russell by Francesca Cepero; Sierra Hull by Gina Binkley; Valerie June by Renata Raksha
One of the most significant casualties of the new coronavirus may be the live music experience. By the time concert venues and local listening rooms are able to reopen — and nobody knows when that will be — it may be too late for a large majority of locally-owned clubs, who simply can’t afford months and months of bills without being able to generate revenue.
Gia Hughes, production manager of Hotel Café in Hollywood, California, is spreading the word about this dire situation to artists and fans through The National Independent Venue Association and its social media campaign, #saveourstages.
“Without proper support, the live independent music venues you know and love will close,” she says. “Historic institutions in their brick-and-mortar form will not be able to weather this storm. The stages that first provided homes for the Adeles, Katy Perrys, Hoziers, and Lumineers of the world will cease to be. It will take a group effort to survive, and independent venues need you now more than ever. Please support your local institutions, and help spread the word.”
Hughes spoke to BGS about NIVA, and what the shutdown means for grassroots artists as well as live music listeners.
BGS: Can you tell us about the formation of NIVA? How did you and the venue get involved?
Hughes: The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) formed at the start of the COVID-19 and shelter-in-place orders. We joined without hesitation; we are stronger in numbers. While we have all been working together to flatten the curve and keep our staff and communities safe, we must look forward to how independent venues will financially survive this shutdown.
There are now over 1,600 members spanning all fifty states, and each day there are action points we all touch on to help spread the word of this cause. Independent venues are needing federal financial assistance that will help us see this through. With no — or very little — revenue coming in, 90% of independent venues don’t think they’ll be able to survive a shutdown of six months (or more) if they don’t receive help from the federal government.
How would the permanent closure of independent clubs affect the grassroots music community?
The ripple effect would be felt throughout the music industry internationally. I’ll use us as an example. We host up to ten artists (sometimes more) — consisting of both local and touring acts — per night between both of our stages. Oftentimes, we are a stop on a national tour, or we are showcasing up-and-coming acts to labels, managers, A&Rs, publishers, and more.
But in the age of streaming, there’s nothing quite like seeing an artist live. That’s why so many acts are signed after performing at our venue. Without the presence of independent clubs, independent music could suffer greatly. Without a live outlet, there will be no person-to-person connection between artists and fans, between artists and industry, and between artists and their peers. So many independent artists make their income by performing live, as well as by selling merch to fans after their shows. Without independent clubs, local music communities would disappear.
According to NIVA’s letter to Congress, “It is estimated that for every $1 spent on a ticket at small venues, a total of $12 in economic activity is generated within communities on restaurants, hotels, taxis, and retail establishments.” Local business and culture would lose a sizable source of revenue without our businesses bringing in patrons.
And without independent clubs and the independent grassroots community, how would artists truly get discovered, or cut their teeth becoming the next star? Without independent clubs and the independent grassroots community, there would be no truth in music. Plus, local culture would suffer for the loss of it. We would lose so much of what makes music so special. We’d lose that soul connection.
How many shows did you have to cancel / postpone in the wake of COVID restrictions?
Canceling or postponing shows also means canceling and postponing work for our employees, as well as for our vast network of session musicians. For us — we’ve had to cancel hundreds of shows, and counting. We book up to ten acts per night, split between both of our stages, and we’ve been closed for over two months now. Not to mention, we can’t book moving forward since we don’t know when or how we’ll be able to reopen.
For Los Angeles, thousands of shows have already been cancelled between venues like us, The Troubadour, The Bootleg, The Echo, The Satellite, and others. There’s no end in sight.
What can fans of live music do to help (outside of filling out the petition)?
The best thing fans of live music can do right now for independent venues is support them directly by contributing to their GoFundMe or benefit pages, buying tickets to future shows, and buying merch if it’s available. And make some noise via www.saveourstages.com, and share this information with your friends. The more eyes that are on this pressing issue, the more likely independent venues will be to get the support they need from the federal and state government.
Operating a local music club is no small feat. What has kept you invested in the live music scene for all these years?
There is nothing like live music — nothing. When you see those rare shows with artists who you know have that something special, there is just nothing more wonderful than that. And when you get to advocate for them, and make sure their voices are heard, there are few things more gratifying.
The Hotel Café is also a rare anomaly in Los Angeles. We are the home of an actual community of artists and music fans. We’re a safe haven where people can connect with music, yes, but also with each other. Often times, people come by just to hang out with staff, or with fellow musicians, even if they don’t know who’s playing or who’s there; they know they’ll run into someone they know. Or they’ll come by to discover a new artist, because they know they’ll see an act no one knows yet, but will soon become a household name. Not to mention, you never know who might pop up on stage and surprise you. Our community and scene are so special, and I’m grateful to be a part of it, and I’m grateful to be able to champion the next great artists.
Ray LaMontagne // The Greek Theatre // September 11
Brandy Clark // Hotel Café // September 12
Joseph Arthur // The Troubadour // September 12
Joseph // The Troubadour // September 13
Nikki Lane, Brett Dennen, & Cory Chisel // The Fonda // September 13
Wilco // The Theatre at Ace Hotel // September 13-15
The Dustbowl Revival // The Roxy // September 15
Colvin & Earle // Luckman Fine Arts Complex // September 16
Tedeschi Trucks Band & Nicki Bluhm // Orpheum Theatre // September 17
St. Paul & the Broken Bones // Wiltern Theatre // September 20
Elizabeth Cook // The Mint // September 27
Nathan Bowles // Echo // September 30
Nikki Lane & Josh Farrow // Public Square Park // September 2
Ben Harper, Judah & the Lion, Elizabeth Cook, & Aubrie Sellers // Public Square Park // September 3
Jeffrey Foucault // City Winery // September 9
Sean Hayes // 12 & Porter // September 10
Elise Davis // 3rd & Lindsley // September 11
Ryley Walker // The East Room // September 15
Joan Shelley // The Bluebird Café // September 15
Jim Lauderdale // Station Inn // September 17
AmericanaFest // Various Venues // September 20-25
Pilgrimage Fest // Harlinsdale Farm // September 24-25
Mary Gauthier // City Winery // September 29
John Prine & Amanda Shires // Ryman Auditorium // September 30
Kelsey Waldon // Hill Country Barbecue // September 2
Chely Wright // City Winery // September 6
Parsonsfield // Mercury Lounge // September 7
The Felice Brothers // Bowery Ballroom // September 8
The Stray Birds // The Cutting Room // September 9
Amanda Shires // City Winery // September 13
Glen Hansard // Carnegie Hall // September 14
John Gorka // Rubin Museum of Art // September 16
Chris Pureka // Rough Trade – Brooklyn // September 21
Whitey Morgan & Cody Jinks // The Gramercy Theatre // September 23
Kacy & Clayton // City Winery // September 29
The Handsome Family // Mercury Lounge // September 30
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