Tag: Travel

Our Trip to Live in the Vineyard Goes Country

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Country music is all about place. Songs and locale, joined together. It’s a relationship so ubiquitous within the music we often lose sight of it, forest for the trees. But there would be no country music without… well, the country – or without rural places and their communities; without farms and ranches; without Texas or California; without Appalachia or the Southeast. Country also wouldn’t exist without urban centers, and the country folks who migrated to cities to find work, or reunite with their families, or build a better life. Even in concrete jungles seemingly divorced from country ideals, whether drawn by homesickness or nostalgia or longing for home – real or imagined or aspirational – country music and place always go hand-in-hand.

Lucky for all of us, this is a genre well-suited for a variety of places, from honky-tonks to front porches to internationally appealing festivals. Or even Napa Valley, California, vineyards.

Last month, we attended Live in the Vineyard Goes Country, a production of Austin, Texas’s Forefront Networks, an intimate three-day event that effortlessly denoted and celebrated that relationship between country and place. Guests, industry professionals, and country artists – from festival headliners to fresh discoveries – gathered at gorgeous locations on April 21, 22, and 23, throughout Napa and Napa Valley to enjoy stripped-down and essential performances, gourmet farm-to-table meals, delicious organic and biodynamic wines, and the lovely weather, views, and settings of California’s wine country. The eighth installment of the country edition of Live in the Vineyard, it showcased the genre with an elite yet still approachable level of quality, care, and intention.

Guests enjoyed a welcome reception featuring Jackson Dean, Lauren Watkins, and Chandler Walters on day one, sipping bubbles at Chandon in Yountville during golden hour. From there, separate groups of attendees were sorted into waiting coaches to be swept off to dinner for delicious food paired exquisitely with local wines – and still more small, up-close-and-personal musical performances. Our green group dinner, for instance, were treated to hilarious and touching stories and songs shared by Lauren Watkins and her husband, hit songwriter Will Bundy, at Cakebread Cellars over jaw-droppingly delicious chardonnay and perfectly lacquered short ribs.

 

The sun shines on Raymond Vineyards on day three of Live in the Vineyard Goes Country.

Though days one and two were punctuated with bursts of spring rain, throwing a logistical wrench into the works, the Forefront and LITV teams reacted with grace and ease, allowing attendees to relish the rarity of rainfall in Napa Valley without a second thought, and increasing the magical feeling of country music and country people basking in such a space. Day two began with the Texas Music Scene Tailgate, featuring performances by Sunny Sweeney, the Braun Brothers, and a songwriter round including Wade Bowen, Shelby Stone, and Cody Canada. During the live taping for Texas Music Scene’s long-running TV series, guests relaxed between sets by strolling the grounds, eating fresh Napa-grown produce, enjoying complimentary wines and sweets, and ducking in and out of the Frog’s Leap Winery barn to catch country songs sung amid the bright brass vats.

The Braun Brothers (L to R: Micky, Gary, Willy, and Cody)– known from Micky & the Motorcars and Reckless Kelly – swap songs and stories while performing at Frog’s Leap Winery for the ‘Texas Music Scene’ Tailgate.

On the evening of day two, the entire Live in the Vineyard Goes Country entourage traveled together to the Uptown Theatre in gorgeous downtown Napa for the headline show of the event, featuring sets by Abbie Callahan, Alex Lambert, and Marcus King. Once again performing in pared-down, intimate setups for the around 800-seat venue, the crowd was nevertheless animated and engaged, hooting and hollering as if they were polishing the floorboards for rowdy, full-band sets on a stage wrapped in chicken wire, rather than a gilded theatre in wine country. Even in as manicured and lovely a location as Napa Valley, the old saying holds: You can take the folks out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the folks!

Marcus King performs for the Uptown Theatre audience at Live in the Vineyard Goes Country.

On day three, already feeling like Live in the Vineyard was much too short, attendees gathered at Raymond Vineyards in St. Helena, California, for one final hoorah, a lovely send-off brunch featuring a mimosa bar, lemon-blueberry pancakes, JCB Wines, and performances by Frankie Ballard and Zach John King. In the shade of palm trees and snacking on scratch-made frittatas, it was clear – from start to finish – that Live in the Vineyard Goes Country gives this genre, the folks who make it, and the fans who love it the treatment they all deserve. Yes, country is made for barn dances and radio shows and flatbed trailers in pastures, but isn’t it made for Napa Valley, too? For barns aging fine wine, for farms growing gourmet salads, luxurious wines, and handmade breads?

Country is a music for everyone, for every setting, and for every place imaginable. The GC team was excited to be on hand for Live in the Vineyard Goes Country 2026, capturing lo-fi photos with our trusty Camp Snap camera and reflecting on how delicious country music can be when it’s made with this level of intention and care in a beautiful setting such as this. Scroll to enjoy even more photos and dispatch notes from our trip with LITV to Napa Valley.

If you missed Live in the Vineyard Goes Country, don’t worry, Forefront Networks have more music and roots music events on the docket so you, too, can experience country in gorgeous places like this. For a near-immediate fix, Hill Country Reserve will take place in November 2026 in Fredericksburg, Texas. And stay tuned for future editions of LITV, Elevation Bear Creek, and more from Forefront.

All photos by Justin Hiltner, shot on Camp Snap.

Check Out Lucinda’s, a Bustlin’ NYC Honky Tonk

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

(Editor’s Note: Enjoy our tour of New York City honky-tonk, juke joint, and cocktail lounge Lucinda’s as a special postlogue to our Artist of the Month coverage of Lucinda Williams during March 2026.)

It’s the first springtime Sunday in Manhattan and after a bitter winter, the East Village is humming with human activity. Around the corner from the throng of Tompkins Square Park, where Girl Scouts hawk cookies and roller hockey players clatter their sticks and skates, tumbles of acoustic guitar spill from a storefront, attracting curious passers-by. Some folks pause and lean toward the open windows, and a few cross the threshold to meet wafts of fresh popcorn. Welcome to Lucinda’s.

The bar’s tin ceiling interior is catnip to music history aficionados and Americana-kitsch collectors alike, the walls hung with poster prints, vintage memorabilia, and velvet paintings (among them Kitty Wells, Robert Johnson, and Elvis Presley shaking hands with Jesus Christ). There’s a jukebox ready to sling beloved feels-good-to-feel-bad hits, and peanut figurines with Jimmy Carter grinning and holding court over the liquor. These accoutrements all play second fiddle to the spot’s main attraction: live music meant for casual socializing every day of the week.

This robust programming – along with some of the bar’s most prized decorative items – is the work of Kelley Swindall, a musician and New Yorker of 20 years who grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia. She takes pride in a large round aluminum Coca-Cola sign, an item on “permanent loan” from her family and one of several wall-hung nods to Georgia’s most lucrative liquid export. She’s more proud of filling a void in New York City nightlife. “There’s a lot of Southern people in the city that went to SEC schools that want to have some Southern culture again, like college football, or listening to music that they love and don’t normally hear in New York,” Swindall says.

Though the city has a handful of country-themed, sometimes Western-leaning bars – Williamsburg’s hootin-hollerin Skinny Dennis, the self-explanatory Honky Tonkin’ in Queens, the West Village’s Tex-Mex-y Cowgirl – Swindall wanted to develop a place to celebrate the early country, blues, folk, and other vernacular music that shaped generations of American song. She yearned for the sort of places she knew growing up and got to know as a touring musician, rooms where casual live music fosters socializing instead of hampering it. “That’s what the juke joints and honky-tonks were back in the day – it was live music as the soundtrack of the evening, but you were hanging out, drinking, dancing, and socializing,” Swindall says.

Swindall found a business partner in Laura McCarthy, who has a storied history of her own at 169 Avenue A running prior venues Brownies and Coney Island Baby. The pair found a namesake and patron saint of sorts in Lucinda Williams, with whom they connected through mutual friends. Williams agreed to endorse the place, her multi-stranded artistry anchoring the team’s vision for honoring the deep musical roots of the American South. She christened the stage with a set as part of the bar’s opening-night festivities last July.

On a Saturday night, Lucinda’s is rollicking, packed front to back with revelers before some New Yorkers have even gone to dinner. There’s college basketball on one TV, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas on the other. I want to mill around and make conversation, but the bar is thick with boisterous, overlapping shouts converging with mid-1990s Tim McGraw and Shania Twain songs that radiate in my bones.

The mission of Lucinda’s is evidently working. With my elbows pinned to my sides, I chat with Emily from Texas and two girls who rolled up for one of several birthday gatherings in progress. After his friend paws at my unattended leftover garlic knots, Gavin, an Irish ex-pat and country music fan, tells me it’s his first time at Lucinda’s after hearing about it on TikTok. “We were in the neighborhood, and we wanted to come in. We already had plans somewhere else, and we made it our business to come back here,” he says, enthralled with the room’s unique decor. I don’t get a chance to ask his thoughts on the Dolly Parton or Johnny Cash bathrooms before he peels off with drinks in each hand.

Spirits are high, but by Lucinda’s standards, the fun has barely started: a few musicians are shouldering their way through to the corner stage. Nightly music programming is a staple at Lucinda’s, which Swindall accomplishes with standing residencies and open mics alongside other ticketed events. There’s a loose structure week to week; weekends are for the big sing-along bands, Sunday evenings are for classic country, and bluegrass and some old-time are on Tuesdays. “I was an artist first, and I still am, so I wanted to focus on the kind of music that I’m into,” Swindall says, adding that Thursday night is for two-stepping.

The Sunday open mics are a binding force to Lucinda’s operating concepts. Sign-ups start at 1 p.m. every Sunday, running through the afternoon until another outfit takes the stage for the evening. There are some gentle guidelines (no covers, no backing tracks), aimed toward bringing a pleasant and equitable atmosphere to the gatherings. Swindall prioritizes the artists’ experiences at these weekly forays, remembering open mics as essential to her relationship-building and development as a young musician.

“It’s more important to have people able to come in and play their songs, everyone listen, rather than have a thriving bar culture that day,” she says. Drawing further on her artist’s perspective, Swindall fosters the open mic knowing the challenges of getting a foothold in bigger booking circuits. “A lot of places, they don’t want to book you unless you can bring a crowd or you can show them live footage. It’s really great to give people an avenue to get comfortable on stage and get feedback for their songs,” Swindall says.

Moreover, the shindigs help Swindall expand her pool for her month-to-month bookings, strengthening the network of relationships that are essential to the arts-forward community that McCarthy and Swindall hope to nourish.

Almost a full year in, Swindall is eyeing a steady growth pattern. She worked her way up to music every night of the week and now sometimes has two shows a night; she’s starting to entertain ideas for a small festival. “From a bar point of view, there’s so much to do,” she says.

The space isn’t zoned for a kitchen, but Swindall wants to figure out some kind of food element; in the meantime, patrons can bring in takeout or ask a bartender nicely for a Moon Pie, a bag of Zapp’s chips, or a bowl of popcorn. Swindall will stay busy as she aims to make Lucinda’s even more of a place for the “all” in “y’all.”

Stop in, sit down, shake loose. Connect with a song, or maybe a stranger.

All photos by BGS Staff.

Explore our Artist of the Month coverage of Lucinda Williams here.

Headed to Earl Scruggs Music Festival? Here’s What to See and Do

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

On March 4, 2026, the team behind Earl Scruggs Music Festival announced the lineup for the 5th annual edition of their event, which was recently honored with the 2025 IBMA Award for Event of the Year. Held each year in Mill Spring, North Carolina, at the Tryon International Equestrian Center, the festival will take place September 4 through September 6 with performances from headlining acts Béla Fleck: My Bluegrass Heart, Greensky Bluegrass, and the Avett Brothers as well as many, many more artists and bands. Tickets are on sale now; see the full lineup below.

BGS has been proud to partner with ESMF since the very first year of the festival, presenting special sets of music, doing on-site coverage, and bringing the unique setting and community of the weekend to our audience. This year we’ll be back again for still more of our partnership – and to enjoy some of the best bluegrass, Americana, country, and roots music on offer anywhere in the country.

Get a sampling of Earl Scruggs Music Festival with our photo stories, previews, and recaps from previous years: 2025; 2024; 2023; 2022.

The most striking feature of ESMF each year – besides their superlative lineups, of course – is the grounds and festival footprint. Tryon International is a luxurious, resplendent location for a music festival, featuring brick-and-mortar restaurants (we love Campagna – scratch made Italian and wood-fired pizzas at a bluegrass festival? Yes.), adorable boutiques, horse riding and jumping demonstrations, a shaded grandstand, multiple bars, a general store, posh VIP areas, and much more. There are campsites for RVs and tents, glamping options and tiny homes, and even a just-opened on-site lodge. Tryon International may just be the most amenity-rich site for a bluegrass festival we’ve ever encountered.

Still, it’s worth getting off-site when you can and exploring the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the many adorable, vibrant communities surrounding Mill Spring and Tryon International. We’ve attended ESMF for five years now and each time we uncover new (to us) hidden gems, restaurants, activities, shops, and highlights around every corner. In 2025, we decided to take our audience – and any potential ESMF attendees who may need extra convincing – along with us for a Camp Snap photo journey as we adventured down the mountains from Asheville, North Carolina, to the festival and beyond. We stopped in Saluda, Tryon, Shelby, and Boiling Springs, North Carolina, getting lunch, shopping for antiques, stopping in adorable boutiques, and visiting the homeplaces of two local legends: Nina Simone (in Tryon) and Earl Scruggs himself (in Boiling Springs). We also hopped just across the border to Landrum and Gaffney, South Carolina, for more markets, horses, and trains – and live music, too.

We’ve only just scratched the surface but if, like us, you’re looking forward to getting back to Earl Scruggs Music Festival this year, we’ve got the list of things to do and see outside of the festival grounds while you’re there. Make your plans to attend ESMF in 2026 here and scroll for more of our tips, tricks, and local favorites.

Saluda, North Carolina

If you’re headed across the Blue Ridge Mountains to ESMF from Asheville, the Asheville Airport, Johnson City, Bristol, TN/VA – or even as far as Knoxville, Nashville, Lexington, or Louisville – a stop in Saluda, North Carolina, is in order before taking on the grade down the mountains to Mill Spring. Here, the United States’ steepest standard gauge railway grade crests in an adorable little music-steeped and outdoor activity-obsessed community.

Stop by the Saluda Historic Depot & Museum and the Saluda Visitor’s Center next door – and snack on some delicious ice cream while you’re there.

Picturesque and adorable downtown Saluda on a bright late summer day.

Stop inside a classic, time capsule of a shop, the M.A. Pace Co. General Store, open and in operation since 1899. Refreshing drinks, sundries, souvenirs, local produce, and an array of jams, preserves, sauces, salsas, honey, syrups, and more from local vendors are on sale.

A mural depicting downtown Saluda and the iconic rail lines as seen on side of the building of K’s NY Pizza.

The Purple Onion is an excellent restaurant and cafe and an important community music venue at the heart of Saluda on Main Street. Bluegrass, folk, and Americana artists, bands, and songwriters perform on Thursday and Saturday nights – and select Sundays for their special Sunday Evenings Concert series. It’s intimate, the food is delicious, and the musicians they feature are incredibly talented whether local, regional, or nationally touring acts.

A view of the crest of the now out-of-service rail line topping the Saluda grade.

The railroad is clearly an important keystone of the Saluda community, even in the 2020s.

Perhaps stop in for a meal at Ward’s Grill for excellent, down-home Southern cooking and American classics. Wherever you end up in Saluda, there’s plenty to enjoy – and many fine food options for fueling up before heading down the mountains and toward Mill Spring for the festival.

Tryon, North Carolina

Maybe you’re coming down the grade from Saluda or perhaps you’re driving in from Charlotte, North Carolina, or from Greenville, South Carolina – or beyond! Wherever you’re coming from, Tryon is just a hop, skip, and a jump from the festival grounds at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring. Nestled into a holler in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, it’s a town full of art, music, culture, and heritage. You’ll find that horses and the railroad are important here, too. Stroll down the main drag and enjoy cute shops, tasty food offerings, and more.

Sometimes it gets hot during the late-August/early-September festival, especially at the lower elevation of the Tryon International grounds, so why not cool off Tryon proper in the cozy dark and air conditioning watching a film at the Tryon Theatre?

There are plenty of independent shops, boutiques, and retailers in the adorable downtown area offering local and far-flung products.

American musical icon Nina Simone was born in Tryon and her presence is felt throughout the little town. Nina Simone Plaza is conveniently located downtown and features a sculpture of Simone by Zenos Frudakis that contains a portion of Simone’s ashes enclosed inside a bronze heart within the gorgeous work of art.

Always a good sign! Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina is such a great resource and community builder in the region, highlighting art and music born in the mountains and made by mountain folk. In 2025, we partnered with Blue Ridge Music Trails, ESMF, and local partners on a special set of music at the festival called “Healing the Hollers,” which raised funds and awareness for the ongoing relief efforts after Hurricane Helene tore through and devastated the area in 2024.

There’s so much more to do, see, and explore via Blue Ridge Music Trails.

Horses show up in a variety of ways in Tryon – and not just at the equestrian center!

The Nina Simone Childhood Home stands on top of a hill in the middle of Tryon overlooking the village – and with gorgeous views of the surrounding ridge tops. Last year, while traveling to the festival, the humble home was in the final stages of its renovation and preservation by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and many other local, regional, and national partners.

Simone’s impact on American roots music and popular music – nationally and globally – cannot be overstated. Still, she’s rarely placed, understood, or honored as an Appalachian musician, despite where she grew up. A visit to Simone’s homeplace in Tryon is essential for all music fans, especially now that the renovations were completed in fall 2025, just after the festival.

The view of the ridge line of the stunning Blue Ridge Mountains behind St. Luke Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, as seen from the property of Nina Simone’s childhood home.

You can learn more about Tryon and Nina Simone in a bonus episode of our podcast, Carolina Calling, made with Come Hear NC.

Downtown Tryon is full of adorable sights and diverting activities.

Put “Molly & Tenbrooks” or “Goodbye Old Pal” on the speakers and get into the bluegrass and equestrian mindset. No judgment if your horse is on wheels!

Team BGS always brakes for antique stores, and this area is dripping with excellent shops, flea markets, and antique vendors offering wares at remarkably reasonable prices. On our journey, we traveled from Tryon to Landrum, South Carolina – passing the Antique Emporium & American Vintage, Old Mill Market Square, Tryon Antique Mall & Marketplace, and Dark Horse Antique Market in one fell swoop; all are within a quarter mile of each other and are worth stopping to peruse. Plus, many more antique shops and stands and vintage stores are in the area. Keep your eyes peeled, there are plenty of treasures to find.

Landrum, South Carolina

Some of the best little shops and stores we found nearby Earl Scruggs Music Festival, though, were the little holes-in-the-wall or mom-and-pop shops. Our favorite doesn’t have a name, doesn’t have posted hours, doesn’t have a website – or any kind of point on Google Maps at all. Heading out of Tryon toward Landrum, you’ll just cross over the state line on US Highway 176, Asheville Highway, when you come across a couple of small buildings covered in antiques. Stop at the intersection of US 176 and State Rd S-42-183.

Run by a pair of sisters, the shop is only open Thursday through the weekend and takes only cash, but you will find an inventory unlike any other. Sure, they may package your local North Carolina pottery finds in a (clean) reused Burger King bag. It only adds to the charm! The sisters will be happy to give you a tour and show you the historic property. We return every year and strolling through the crowded, historic house full of their collection of finds is a highlight of attending ESMF.

You may even find a bluegrass belt buckle along the way! While we can’t tell you the name of the business or really any more information than what’s included here, we cannot recommend a stop at 21919 Asheville Highway in Landrum enough. It is truly a hidden gem.

When you get to Landrum, you’ll notice we’ve rolled entirely out of the Appalachian foothills, topographically. Still, horses abound and there’s plenty to do, see, and enjoy. Stop first at the Landrum Depot, a rail and history museum, event venue, and community gathering place – including a refurbished Pullman sleeper car.

Beautiful and quaint downtown Landrum also includes many restaurants and stores ready for visitors.

Stop and peruse antiques and goodies at stores like The Yankee Peach (above) or Expressions Antiques (below), just across the street from each other.

We always enjoy stopping for a drink, lunch, or dinner at The Hare & the Hound in Landrum. They often feature live music and whether you’re sitting in the cozy indoors or outside on the shady street, the vibe is perfect. Need to park your horse trailer? They’ve got that covered in Landrum, too!

The Peachoid, Gaffney, South Carolina

Just around the corner from Landrum and mere minutes from Earl Scruggs’ childhood home near Boiling Springs, North Carolina, is Gaffney, South Carolina, home of the infamous Peachoid. There are lots of prime roadside attractions worth a visit in the area surrounding Earl Scruggs Music Festival, but the Peachoid may top the list.

If you’re heading to or from Scruggs’ homeplace or the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, North Carolina, as we were, stop by for a photo opp – and put Netflix’s House of Cards theme song on full blast.

Boiling Springs, North Carolina

Why not take a tour of historic homeplaces while attending ESMF? The musical dichotomy of Nina Simone and Earl Scruggs is perceived as incredibly distant or far-fetched, yet the two were born and raised barely 40 miles from each other. Why do we perceive one of these megaliths of American music as Appalachian, but not the other? (Meanwhile, Scruggs was raised decidedly outside of the mountains in southern Cleveland County, while Simone was raised nestled within them.)

Scruggs’ childhood home was recently purchased by the Earl Scruggs Center and during our visit last year at the time of the festival, preservation and renovation activities had just begun at the property.

Like Simone’s homeplace, the Scruggs property on Riverside Road in the Flint Hill community of Boiling Springs feels sacred, immediately grounding fans, visitors, and passersby while reminding of the humanity of these larger than life musical figures. Hit play on “Reuben” or “Shuckin’ the Corn” and revel in being in the exact place where Scruggs first unlocked three-finger style himself and started a century-long banjo craze that’s still going today, at ESMF and beyond.

Learn more about the Earl Scruggs Center’s plans for Earl’s childhood home here.

Shelby, North Carolina

Of course, no visit to Earl Scruggs Music Festival is complete without visiting the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, the county seat of Cleveland County, where Scruggs was born and raised. The Center is a host and presenter of ESMF and they offer special events and ticket discounts to ticketholders during the festival.

Over the winter, the Earl Scruggs Center closed for renovations, updates, and new and revitalized exhibits, so it’s worth another visit if you haven’t been in a while. An easy 30 mile drive from the festival grounds, during ESMF there’s plenty of special programming, music, and events worth the field trip. Plus, Shelby boasts great restaurants, breweries, shops, and – of course – antique stores, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

We particularly recommend Newgrass Brewing Co., where the beer is just as good as the name – and the food is excellent, too. Especially the homemade chicken tenders. It’s just around the corner from the Center. Don’t forget to step outside and take a turn into the alley, though, for a superlative mural photo opportunity of the man himself, two stories tall.

Just across the street from the Earl Scruggs Center on the square you’ll find the Antique Market of Shelby. Because we know, like us, you won’t be sick of antiques yet.

While Scruggs hailed from just down the road in Flint Hill, country star and singer-songwriter Don Gibson was born in Shelby proper. A hitmaker and stalwart of country from the late ’50s through the early ’80s, Gibson’s legacy is on display in Shelby in a variety of ways, chief among them the Don Gibson Theatre. Catch movies, live music, and special events throughout the year – including an incredible slate of bluegrass and country shows. The Don Gibson Theatre is also a stop on Blue Ridge Music Trails.

Learn more about Don Gibson and Shelby in our Carolina Calling episode about the city, featuring Gibson, Scruggs, and more.

A visit to Cleveland County wouldn’t be complete without a plate of livermush, so head over to the Shelby Cafe for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and a sampling of this local delicacy. Just like Earl would have enjoyed it? Certainly!

There’s so much to see, do, and enjoy at Earl Scruggs Music Festival and the surrounding territory, we know we barely scratched the surface. Hendersonville, Chimney Rock, Gastonia, and Rutherfordton are just up or down the road; so many nature preserves, parks, and trails are nearby; Spartanburg, South Carolina, is a stone’s throw away. While Tryon International is a lush, hospitable location for the festival, we encourage all attendees to get out and enjoy the places that birthed these musical forms we all hold so dear.

We’ll see you in Mill Spring, North Carolina, for Earl Scruggs Music Festival September 4-6, 2026! Tickets are available now. And we hope we run into you out adventuring and antiquing, too. Do you have a favorite local haunt in the area? Let us know on social media.

All photos by Justin Hiltner, shot on Camp Snap. Poster art courtesy of Earl Scruggs Music Festival.

This content brought to you in partnership with Earl Scruggs Music Festival.

Drew Kennedy’s “Head Out West” Playlist

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

I’ve been enamored by the West since I first set a dusty boot down in Marathon, Texas – a town that would be my spiritual hometown, if such things existed.

I made my last record, Marathon, with my incredibly talented friend Davis Naish in a tiny adobe house in that little town. For the new record, we camped out in his Los Angeles studio, so I figured, “Hey, let me put together a playlist that I think captures the way I feel about the vast stretch of land that lies between Marathon and LA.” Road trip! – Drew Kennedy

“Desperados Waiting For A Train” – Guy Clark

Guy was born in Monahans, Texas, not too far from Marathon, so this feels like a natural starting point. To me, there are few artists who are able to capture the spirit of Far West Texas like Guy Clark. With equal parts romance, unflinching honesty, and those trademark turns of phrase that make him a hero to songwriters who know, Guy can always make me feel like I’m standing beside him in the little movies that are his songs.

“Levelland” – James McMurtry

If you trekked due north and just a little east out of Monahans, eventually those sand hills and mesas play out into plains so flat and wide open it can make the uninitiated feel uncomfortable. A friend once told me a buddy of his said he didn’t like it because “there was no place to hide.” From what or whom didn’t matter. You’re just out there, totally exposed–the only thing breaking the perfect line between land and sky. Those McMurtrys sure know how to tell a good story. Anyway, if we kept going north we’d be getting farther away from California, so let’s hang a left.

“Watch It Shine” – Walt Wilkins

Walt Wilkins is another songwriting hero and I’m lucky to call him a friend, as well. The Poet Laureate of the Hill Country teams up with Owen Temple to take you on a ride following the Rio Grande as it snakes south from Taos towards Santa Fe. It also features one of my favorite lines I’ve ever heard in a song: “They say there’s iron in these mountains, and in bone and skin and mud/ They say that iron only comes from stars, so stars are in my blood.” Goosebumps every time.

“Low Sun” – Hermanos Gutiérrez

Put a ranch water in my hand, fire up this album, and cue a good sunset. The only three ingredients I need to find my favorite places inside my mind no matter where on earth I am. Doubly effective if I’m already in one of my favorite places.

“Don’t Worry” – Marty Robbins (single, 1961)

We’re getting out into the type of landscape most people who’ve never visited the desert picture in their heads when someone mentions it. Saguaros, red rocks. We’re well beyond El Paso now, so we’ll go with this beauty from Marty Robbins. Yes, that is the coolest guitar solo of all time. I’ve heard several different stories about how they got that sound, but however they came by that tone, hell yeah.

“Willin'” – Little Feat

We’ve covered a lot of ground… maybe we’re dragging a little bit after all of those miles. The boys in Little Feat know how we feel, and they’ve got our back.

“Queen of California” – John Mayer

Now that we’re pulling into town we need something we can nod along to with our Wayfarers on and our hair blowing in the sweet California breeze, as we take in the sights. This song is a badass way to kick off a record, too.

“Beautiful World” – Colin Hay

I mean, when we get there one of the first things we’re gonna do is jump into the Pacific, right? I love that Colin Hay sounds like Colin Hay and nobody else and man, do I love the way he writes a song.

“It Never Rains In Southern California” – Trent Summar & The New Row Mob

I love their version of this song. It’s not all sunshine and roses out there, you know.

“California Poppy” – Theo Lawrence

I was shocked when I found out this guy was from France. Sometimes people in Texas are shocked when they find out I’m from Pennsylvania. Point is, if it’s in you, it’s in you. I would believe it if you told me the ghosts of Buck Owens and Don Rich were sprinkling a little of that Bakersfield dust around the studio the day they laid this one down.

“Mama Told Me Not To Come” – Randy Newman

I’ve aged out of today’s version of this kind of party, but that doesn’t mean I don’t expect to see some unexpected things whenever I’m out in LA. Another one-of-one, Randy Newman.

“Texas Time” – Explorer Tapes

And with that, let’s turn this big baby blue Cadillac convertible around and head back home. I assume that’s the kind of ride we’d want for this road trip. Thanks for tagging along.

Photo Credit: Sarah Barlow

Dream Date with JOHNNYSWIM

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Last week, JOHNNYSWIM – husband-and-wife indie-folk duo of Amanda Sudano Ramirez and Abner Ramirez – released their highly-anticipated new album, When the War Is Over. A stand out track, “Los Feliz,” can be found second-to-last in the sequence.

“Los Feliz” was written by Ramirezes and songwriter-producer Britten Newbill. It kicks in with grooving, pocketed drums and warm electric guitar, loping as if up and down the southern California hills.

“Somethin’ ‘bout LA/ Golden hour getaway/ Oh… I want you close,” Amanda sings the opening lines. Abner picks up where she leaves off, creating another musical dialogue – a common facet of the pair’s music across their twenty-year-plus catalog. Their songs feel like intimate vignettes, a window into their lives, their relationship, their family, and their creative processes.

“Los Feliz” is a love song– to each other, to Los Angeles, and to their favorite neighborhood, of course. The lyrics and message feel especially apropos since the devastating LA wildfires, as we all feel heartbroken seeing these neighborhoods we hold dear forever altered. But, like in the track, there’s plenty of redemption to be found in this beautiful city and this sweet corner of the City of Angels.

To celebrate When The War Is Over, JOHNNYSWIM brought Good Country along on an adorable Los Feliz date, taking us and our readers to a few of their favorite spots, captured by their longtime friend and photographer Amy Waters.

Below, Amanda describes their date for each of us as we all get the unlikely treat of third wheeling with JOHNNYSWIM.

Little Dom’s

One of our favorite date activities is to go to Little Dom’s in Los Feliz. It’s an old school Italian restaurant with delicious food, a cozy vibe, and it just makes you feel like you’re in a movie.

Reckless Unicorn

After that, we walk right across the street to an adorable toy shop called The Reckless Unicorn. Because we’re parents (and every parent knows that you can’t go on a date night without talking about your kids), we end up buying our kids presents so they get excited when we go on date nights knowing they’ll usually get a treat when we come home.

Vermont Ave. x Melbourne Ave.

From there, we’ll take a stroll around the neighborhood. There’s a beautiful florist on the corner of Vermont and Melbourne where we’ll pick up some flowers or a plant, or even just smell some roses.

Maru

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All photos by Amy Waters.

Photographer Mario Alcauter’s Beautiful Portraits From Park City Song Summit

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

In August earlier this year, BGS was on hand for the latest edition of Park City Song Summit in Park City, Utah. An intentional and unique event focusing on songwriting, songcraft, singer-songwriters, and more – like mental health, community, wellness, and thought leadership from a musical and artistic perspective – PCSS is a premier event. It’s certainly one-of-a-kind, and in so many ways.

This year, the lineup included artists like Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Mavis Staples, Larkin Poe, Tank and the Bangas, Steve Poltz, Duane Betts, and many more, as well as programming like song summits, sound baths, and panels, conversations, and dialogues.

Beautiful Park City is the perfect home for such a festival, with stunning natural surroundings, an excellent art scene, incredible food and restaurants, but a relatively cozy and small-town feel.

This year at PCSS, photographer Mario Alcauter shot a series of gorgeous portraits of many artists on the PCSS lineup. For BGS, Alcauter collects a handful of his favorite shots and subjects, sharing his thoughts on each.

Check out the photographs below – featuring artists and songwriters Cimafunk, Primera Linea, Sean Marshall, and Jobi Riccio – and make plans to join us in Utah for Park City Song Summit next year, August 14 to 16, 2025.

Cimafunk

Mario Alcauter: “Channeling Cimafunk’s vibe – bold, soulful, and effortlessly cool, just like those iconic shades. This is something I wanted to capture with the short time I had with him. His music isn’t just sound; it’s a whole aesthetic.”

Primera Linea




Mario Alcauter: “Photographing Primera Linea, I wanted to capture their raw, collective energy – young, grounded, and proud of their AfroCuban roots, fused with New Orleans funk. Each member brings their own style, yet together they stand as a united ‘First Line’ from Havana, ready to share their vibrant sound with the world. This shot shows their casual confidence and the pride they carry as they redefine tradition.”

Sean Marshall

Mario Alcauter: “Shot Sean Marshall by an ice machine – low-key and real, just like his blend of folk, indie, and country. His music is as honest and I wanted to capture that in this environment.”

Jobi Riccio

Mario Alcauter: “Capturing Jobi Riccio – authentic, grounded, and a bit rebellious, just like her music. Her songs weave together folk and Americana with a fresh, honest voice, and this outfit – bold stripes, red boots, and all – perfectly reflects that. I wanted this shot to feel like her sound: down-to-earth yet striking, with a personality all its own.”

Mario Alcauter is a Mexican photographer based in Utah who focuses on combining fashion and documentary-style images.

All photos: Mario Alcauter

ANNOUNCING: Sixthman Soundcheck – Your Act Could Join the Cayamo 2025 Lineup

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

The 17th Edition of Cayamo’s Journey Through Song – the premier roots music cruise experience – has announced the “second wave” of their 2025 lineup. With it, they’ve also unveiled Sixthman Soundcheck presented by BGS. It’s the chance of a lifetime for 3 awesome acts to join Sixthman and BGS when we set sail on Cayamo from February 28 to March 7, 2025! Do you have what it takes? You can read all the rules and find out how to submit your band, duo, group, or act here. We are so excited to introduce three emerging acts to the Cayamo family.

How it Works

Artists and bands must complete the submission form for Sixthman Soundcheck by June 4 at 11:59PM EDT. By June 14, just ten days later, all Soundcheck semi-finalists will be chosen by a panel of Cayamo experts and will be notified they are moving on to the voting round, Round 1

In Round 1, the Top 10 semi-finalists will be voted on by guests booked on Cayamo, as well as your fans, to determine the Top 5 acts. Voting will take place in July & August and will be hosted here on Cayamo’s Soundcheck page. Booked guest votes will be weighted during the first round decisions, regardless of the overall total number of voters.

In Round 2, the Top 5 acts will be narrowed down to three Soundcheck winners by our booked guests.

You and your band could set sail on Cayamo 2025 and perform alongside Emmylou Harris, Nickel Creek, Grace Potter, and so many more. (Check out the current announced lineup below.)

Experience the magic of Cayamo’s 17th Journey Through Song— a seven-day celebration of musical creativity, collaboration, and discovery sailing February 28 – March 7, 2025, from Miami to St. Croix, USVI and St. John’s, Antigua aboard the beautiful Norwegian Gem.

Prepare to embark on an incredible journey where each day promises an enchanting blend of eclectic performances and unique collaborations in intimate settings, the discovery of emerging talent, and soulful renditions from artists you love like Nickel Creek, Emmylou Harris, Grace Potter, and so many more! The world-class lineup of performers is just the beginning aboard this vibrant floating haven. The guest jams, specially curated activities – like late night karaoke, super jams, live podcast recording sessions, and intimate artist gatherings curated by BGS – and beautiful destinations shared with your fellow music lovers make this trip one not to miss. Experience the raw beauty of music like never before on this unforgettable journey.

Find more information on sailing aboard Cayamo 2025 here and find a contest timeline and all of the rules and guidelines for Sixthman Soundcheck presented by BGS here.

Art courtesy of Cayamo and Sixthman.

Cayamo 2024: A Behind the Scenes BGS Photo Diary

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

BGS’s third year on board Cayamo’s Journey Through Song brought no shortage of familiar faces and “fun in the sun” vibes.

From a jam-tastic BGS Nightcap set lead by our pals Mipso – which included appearances from Hiss Golden Messenger, Dom Flemons, Lizzie No, Rachael Price of Lake Street Dive, and Taylor Ashton – to live podcast tapings with Basic Folk hosts Cindy Howes and Lizzie No. There was our exclusive wine tasting experience hosted by myself and Mipso’s Jacob Sharp (who moonlights as a wine rep for Terrestrial Wines). There were stopovers in Aruba and the Dominican Republic and countless musical sets from the likes of Lyle Lovett, Lake Street Dive, Rodney Crowell, Shawn Colvin, the Black Opry, Waxahatchee, and so many more! Our eight days on the high seas went by way too fast.

Our team documented the whole thing (on our new Camp Snap screen-free digital camera!) so you, too, can soak up the sunshine and memories. Will you join us on board next year? The 2025 lineup was just announced and suffice to say we’ve already got some great things cooking for Cayamoans. But hurry, because this is one fest that sells out faster than you can say piña colada… – Amy Reitnouer Jacobs, BGS executive director

Booking information and more details available at Cayamo.com

All photos by Amy Reitnouer Jacobs shot on Camp Snap.

BGS Returns to Cayamo: Our Tips and Event Highlights for the Voyage

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

In a mere 10 days, Cayamo’s 16th edition will set sail from Miami for a week of Americana and roots music afloat on the beautiful Caribbean. Fans will spend the intimate week enjoying shows, collaborations, activities, and special events featuring the best musicians and artists in the roots music scene, all while porting in the Dominican Republic and Aruba. The voyage has been long sold out, but for the lucky folks who will be on board the Norwegian Pearl, BGS has a few tips, tricks, and event highlights you won’t want to miss from the jam packed Cayamo schedule.

If you aren’t a ticket holder for Cayamo 2024, join the waiting list – and it’s never too early to start planning next year! This one-of-a-kind roots music event is a truly special experience. Check out the list below for just a few reasons why Cayamo is such a hot ticket and why we’re so looking forward to being back on board with all of you in a few short days.

Buddy Miller’s Port Show Send-Off

Guitarist, producer, and Music City renaissance man Buddy Miller is no stranger to Cayamo, but this year he’s doing a very special port show to kick-off the entire voyage. Directly after the welcome toast on the pool deck on Friday, March 1, Miller will give the Norwegian Pearl a proper send off with the very first performance of the cruise. Catch his set from 3:45 to 5:00pm, with the all aboard call following at 5:30pm, then it’s bon voyage and goodbye to Miami!

As you can tell from this video shot from the audience on Cayamo 2019, you never know who is going to get up on stage with whom – we’re excited to see what special collaborations Miller puts on with other artists and pickers on the lineup.

The BGS Nightcap Hosted by Mipso

One of the reasons we love Cayamo is getting to hang with and reconnect with so many of our friends! On Tuesday, March 5, at 11:00pm in the ship’s Stardust Theater we’ll reprise our popular Nightcap super jam show from last year, this time with our old pals Mipso as hosts. Speaking of special collaborations, there are bound to be many, many such collaborations at our Nightcap, so don’t miss it if you’ll be on board.

Cayamo Wine Tasting 

Let’s continue with “hangs with friends” for another moment, because a bit earlier in the week, before our BGS Nightcap, Jacob Sharp of Mipso and our own executive director, Amy Reitnouer Jacobs, will be hosting a casual and friendly Cayamo Wine Tasting on Monday, March 4 from 1:00pm to 2:00pm in the ship’s Summer Palace. Sharp moonlights as a wine connoisseur and distributor when not making/playing music and our own Reitnouer Jacobs is known to love a good bottle, too. So if you’d like to sip and “nerd out” a bit about wine, soil, grapes, and winemaking, don’t miss the Cayamo Wine Tasting! It’s a perfect example of the unique types of events available to attendees. As the event description puts it, “Amy and Jacob’s friendship is based around sharing food, wine, and music that they see as emotionally poignant – and they’re excited to share that connection with you.”

BGS / Black Opry Artist Karaoke

Everyone loves karaoke and the teams at BGS and Black Opry certainly agree on that point! We couldn’t imagine a more fun cruise ship activity than getting together a bunch of the amazing artists on the Cayamo lineup to sing karaoke songs with the Black Opry house band backing them up. It’s sure to be a wild, hilarious, and enormously fun time. Catch the action in the Atrium on deck 7 on Wednesday, March 6 at 11:30pm. You never know who might show up to holler your favorite karaoke track!

Coffee & Conversation

Join the hosts of BGS’s podcast Basic Folk, Lizzie No and Cindy Howes, for a live-taped podcast conversation over coffee on Monday, March 4, at 9:00am. Their discussion, entitled, “Community/Commodity: Supporting and Sustaining Artists, Orgs, and Fans in the 21st Century,” will explore how the music industry, its artists, musicians, fans, and listeners can be active participants in creating a world where art isn’t just about consumption – and where music isn’t just a commodity. Bring your morning coffee or tea and enjoy a stimulating conversation that asks how events and organizations like Cayamo can be a model for more community-supported and community-engaging music in the future.

In today’s day and age, it seems like one must choose between capitalism or community… or is that really the case? Is there a way that these two can live side by side in the music industry? We’ll discuss all that and more in this very special live recording of FOLK DEBATE CLUB AT SEA! by Basic Folk.

Shows, Shows, Shows!

Of course, let’s not lose the forest for the trees, here. The most tantalizing part of Cayamo is indeed the limitless live shows, special concerts, and on-stage collaborations that the cruise is known for the world over. Boasting over 100 scheduled shows, there’s music for all tastes and from across the American roots spectrum. Below we’ll collect a handful we’re especially excited to catch on the ship.

We can’t wait to set sail with all of you on Cayamo 2024!

SistaStrings

You know them from their work with Peter Mulvey, Allison Russell, Brandi Carlile, Brandy Clark, and many more, but SistaStrings aren’t just a premier string duo working as side musicians with all your favs in Americana – they’re impeccable as a stand-alone group, too. We’ll be catching their set on Saturday, March 2, but we’ll also be keeping an eye out for them to pop up with many other performers on the lineup throughout the voyage.

Sunny War

Sunny War has long been a BGS favorite and she’s certainly one not-to-miss during Cayamo 2024. Her music is often touted for its combination of blues and punk, but even a fleeting exposure to her particular musical stylings reveals she is an artist all her own. There’s nobody out there who quite sounds like Sunny War.

Gabe Lee

If you’re looking for Good Country while on board Cayamo, look no further than Gabe Lee. A Nashville native, Lee offers a forward-looking, gritty, and real take on Music Row’s particular brand of country music. He’s an excellent songwriter and frontman who’s opened for most of your favorite roots artists and we can’t wait to see him shine on the ship.

Black Opry

OF COURSE we’re so excited Black Opry is on board Cayamo 2024. You won’t want to miss our karaoke event, but even more important is that you don’t miss their marquee event, the Black Opry Writer’s Round, which has been a tent pole of this collective’s work for the past several years. (That show is Monday, March 4, at 11:00am in the Stardust Theater.)

There’s a reason why Black Opry is showing up just about everywhere these days – and it’s not just Beyoncé going country. This collective centers the art and experiences of a group of folks who remain underserved and underrepresented in Nashville, on Music Row, and at events like these. And the artists they showcase are always of the highest quality.

In whatever iteration Black Opry will take during their many events on Cayamo, they will demonstrate yet again that these musicians, pickers, and singer-songwriters making American Roots music are joyfully carrying on an age-old tradition – while reminding all of us how none of these genres would exist without the vital contributions of Black folks and Black creators.

 

LISTEN: Read Southall Band, “Here We Are (There We Went)”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Read Southall Band
Hometown: Stillwater, Oklahoma
Song: “Here We Are (There We Went)”
Album: For the Birds
Release Date: October 22, 2021
Label: Thirty Tigers

In Their Words: “Being in a touring band, we pack up and leave just as quickly as we set up shop, because a warm welcome in a new place is always worth the distance. The opportunity to get eye-to-eye with a crowd of new faces in a new place is the reason we arrive, as well as the reason we depart. It’s the driving force behind the whole machine. This song is a fun way to celebrate the opportunities music has given us to explore this world and its people. We look forward to all of the new places it takes us.” — Read Southall

Photo credit: Jonathan Burkhart