Tag: upstate New York

BGS to Join Country Living Fair in Hudson Valley This October

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

If there’s one thing we’ve always thought pairs perfectly with guitar pickin’, it’s antique pickin’. Which is why it’s such an honor for BGS to be partnering with Country Living Magazine at their reimagined Country Living Fair, taking place October 2-4, 2026 in Rhinebeck, New York.

The BGS team is proud to bring you a carefully curated lineup of artists at our “Folk at the Fair” stage, featuring an array of styles ranging from Americana to Celtic to bluegrass and country.

“I’ve admired The Bluegrass Situation from afar for a while now, which is why I’m thrilled to be collaborating on the new ‘Folk at the Fair’ stage. Everything BGS champions–craft, storytelling, authenticity–intersects so well with the broader spirit of this event. It’s such a no-brainer partnership and feels like just the beginning in all the best ways,” says Rachel Barrett, editor of Country Living magazine.

Alongside the music stage, the Fair brings together over 300 antiques vendors and craftspeople, a stacked lineup of some of today’s best design talent, plus an array of book signings, local food and drink, and much more. What better setting for a festival than New York’s Hudson Valley in the autumn (and only a 90-minute train ride from NYC)?

Tickets and more information can be found at www.CountryLivingFairs.com

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Photo Credit: The Secret Sisters by David McClister; The Gibson Brothers courtesy of the artist; Kaïa Kater by Janice Reid

Amy Helm: Letters to Women and the Legacy of The Barn

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

Amy Helm has had one of the most fascinating lives that any person can have. As you might have guessed from her famous last name, she comes from roots music royalty. Amy is the daughter of Levon Helm, the beloved late drummer for the incredible groundbreaking Canadian-American group The Band. She also continues to run The Barn, a music venue and recording studio built by her dad and Garth Hudson, which served as Levon Helm Studios.

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In her own career, she has created a new lineage of musical tradition, family, great songwriting, poetry, and a feminine power that emanates off of her. We’re talking about her new album, Silver City, but we’re also talking about songwriting. We’re talking about grief. We’re talking about single parenthood. We’re talking about family. We’re talking about being on the road. We’re talking about how our bodies change over time and how that changes us as a vocalist and as an artist.

Photo Credit: Ebru Yildiz

LISTEN: Zack Joseph, “Keeping Me Sane”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Zack Joseph
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee (via upstate New York)
Song: “Keeping Me Sane”
Album: Keeping Me Sane
Release Date: April 16, 2021

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Keeping Me Sane’ while I was in the midst of a serious long-distance relationship. When loneliness and uncertainty would take hold, I’d turned to my vices to cope (whiskey & Coke, beverage of choice) and to serve as a distraction from my overactive imagination. It would feel like I was going insane — something I think most of us can relate to in navigating new relationships. In this instance though, the knowledge that my partner was out there thinking about me was enough to pull me through and keep the crazy at bay… or, ‘keeping me sane,’ if you will. While this song was recorded well before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, its meaning has only been amplified. Every person on this planet has now experienced the loneliness and struggles of being separated from a loved one. Let this song serve as a reminder that someone out there is thinking of you — a little something to carry you through these tough moments until you’re reunited.” — Zack Joseph

Photo credit: Ali Miller