The Birthplace of Country Music

SOLD OUT: Farm & Fun Time ft. Willie Watson, Larry Sigmon & Martha Spencer
2018-02-08 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | VA
SORRY! TICKETS FOR THIS SHOW ARE NOW SOLD OUT!
Radio Bristol presents the Farm & Fun Time variety show, live from the Birthplace of Country Music Museum with modern folk artist Willie Watson and the unique mountain sound of Larry Sigmon & Martha Spencer.
Date: Thursday, February 8, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m.
(Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Must be in your seat by 6:50 p.m.)
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Farm & Fun Time, the historic Radio Program broadcasting from Downtown Bristol, was a staple to listeners across the Southeast during the 1940s and 1950s on the former WCYB Radio. Radio Bristol breathes new life into the classic program with a fun, energetic show broadcasting live from the Birthplace of Country Music Museum and features music by house band Bill & the Belles. Hosted by Radio Bristol producer and house band-leader Kris Truelsen, Farm & Fun Time is an event the whole family can enjoy live, in the studio or when gathered around their radios.

About Willie Watson
For nearly two decades, Willie Watson has made modern folk music rooted in older traditions. He’s a folksinger in the classic sense: a singer, storyteller, and traveller, with a catalog of songs that bridge the gap between the past and present. On Folksinger Vol. 2, he acts as a modern interpreter of older songs, passing along his own version of the music that came long before him. Read more…

About Larry Sigmon & Martha Spencer
Larry and Martha have combined to bring new life to the soulful sound of old time Appalachian music. In recent months they have performed at the Ferrum Folklife Festival and the Carter Family Fold.

SOLD OUT! Farm & Fun Time ft. Bumper Jacksons, Roochie Toochie & the Ragtime Shepherd Kings
2018-03-08 19:00 - 21:00
SORRY, TICKETS TO THIS SHOW ARE NOW SOLD OUT. BE SURE AND WATCH THE EVENT ON RADIO BRISTOL’S FACEBOOK LIVE.
Radio Bristol presents the Farm and Fun Time variety show, live from the Birthplace of Country Music Museum with the rootsy jazz of Bumper Jacksons and the tin pan alley sound of Roochie Toochie & the Shepherd Kings.
Date: Thursday, March 8, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m.
(Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Must be in your seat by 6:50 p.m.)
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
About Farm and Fun Time
Farm and Fun Time the historic Radio Program broadcasting from Downtown Bristol, was a staple to listeners across the Southeast during the 1940s and 1950s on the former WCYB Radio. Radio Bristol breathes new life into the classic program with a fun, energetic show broadcasting live from the Birthplace of Country Music Museum and features music by house band Bill & the Belles. Hosted by Radio Bristol producer and house band-leader Kris Truelsen, Farm & Fun Time is an event the whole family can enjoy live, in the studio or when gathered around their radios.
about the talent

Bumper Jacksons
Bumper Jacksons are hot and sweet, painting America’s story from the streets of New Orleans to Appalachian hollers. Unafraid to scrap together new sounds from forgotten 78’s, the Bumper Jacksons elegantly balance paying homage to the traditions while fashioning their own unique, playful style. The group began as a duo, a city-meets-country experiment between songstress Jess Eliot Myhre and banjo player Chris Ousley. They hopped on bicycles, touring the country, instruments on their backs, seeking to reimagine roots music. In five short years, Bumper Jacksons grew to a brassy seven-piece, with horns and pedal steel. They’ve been honored multiple times as the Mid-Atlantic’s “Artist of the Year” & “Best Traditional Band” at the Washington Area Music Awards. Bursting at the seams with some of the richest threads of old America, Bumper Jacksons bring you into the center of a party where everyone’s invited and the dance floor never sleeps.

Roochie Toochie & the Ragtime Shepherd Kings
“Our mission is to perform the weirdest songs from the early days of tin pan alley on the format on which they were first recorded—wax cylinder.
We all share a love of antiquated pop tunes, and we recently took on the challenge of recording them in the only medium that does them justice. These old songs give a voice to a bygone era and reflect the attitudes of their time, and no matter how silly they seem they are historical documents of their time.
We aim to mine the zaniest and most obscure songs from the early 20th century and record them for a new audience to underscore both the absurdity and importance of popular music in American history.” – Roochie Toochie & the Ragtime Shepherd Kings.

Bill & the Belles
What began as a project to explore the space created between hillbilly and urban, between vaudeville
and down home, has arrived somewhere entirely new. Bill and the Belles offers a contemporary
reimagining of a bygone era, a vocal-centric performance that breathes new life into the sounds of
early country music. At the foothills of the Blue Ridge and the forefront of old-time music, Bill and the
Belles continue to further the music traditions of their region. From sentimental Southern ballads to the
popular songs of Tin Pan Alley to regional fiddle breakdowns, a Bill and the Belles show is a celebration
of the diversity country music once represented.
Bill and the Belles play alongside America’s top country and roots music artists as the house band for
the historic radio program Farm and Fun Time presented by Radio Bristol and the Birthplace of Country
Music. Lifelong musicians Kris Truelsen, Grace Van’t Hof, Kalia Yeagle, and Karl Zerfas bring to the stage
an uplifting show unlike any other, full of humor, high spirits, and all-around revelry. It’s clear this group
shares a rare musical connection and deep love for the music, and their excitement is contagious.

Farm & Fun Time
2018-04-12 19:00 - 21:00
Radio Bristol presents the Farm and Fun Time variety show, live from the Birthplace of Country Music Museum with Ralph Stanley II & the Clinch Mountain Boys and David Davis & the Warrior River Boys.
Date: Thursday, April 12, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m.
(Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Must be in your seat by 6:50 p.m.)
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
BUY TICKETS
About Farm and Fun Time
Farm and Fun Time the historic Radio Program broadcasting from Downtown Bristol, was a staple to listeners across the Southeast during the 1940s and 1950s on the former WCYB Radio. Radio Bristol breathes new life into the classic program with a fun, energetic show broadcasting live from the Birthplace of Country Music Museum and features music by house band Bill & the Belles. Hosted by Radio Bristol producer and house band-leader Kris Truelsen, Farm & Fun Time is an event the whole family can enjoy live, in the studio or when gathered around their radios.
ABOUT THE TALENT

Ralph Stanley II & The Clinch Mountain Boys
If you were to gather together an average cross-section of people and ask them if they thought it would be an advantage for a performer to be the child of a legend, most would probably conclude that it would have to be a definite plus. After all, the doors of opportunity would be quicker to open, and the spotlight of public attention that so many artists spend years trying to cultivate would be yours because…well…just because. Famous by default, so to speak and doubtless those are real, tangible advantages. But then there’s the downside- pressure. The learning curve, the whole growth process with all its potential missteps and pitfalls, is a public document. Most artists get to take those perilous first steps of their careers in relative anonymity, a nameless face in the crowd.
As one might expect for the son of a renowned banjo player, the first instrument Ralph II ever held was a banjo. At the ripe old age of three, Ralph (or simply “Two” as he is called by his family and friends), had his first lesson from the elder Stanley, learning a simple finger roll. It turned out, however, that he would not be following in his father’s footsteps, when it came to choice of instrument. He soon fell under the spell of the undisputed king of boyhood musical desires, the guitar. He spotted one under his sister’s bed, and according to Ralph, “I wanted to play it. When I was five years old, I started with the guitar and I’ve been playing it ever since”.
But despite his interest in the guitar, and the fact that he was occasionally traveling with the Clinch Mountain Boys on the road, he had not yet developed an ambition to play professionally. It took until age twelve and an old 1977 video of the late Keith Whitley during his tenure as lead singer for the Clinch Mountain Boys, to inspire him to become a professional musician. After seeing Whitley with the elder Stanley, he was hooked and spent hours in the family basement honing his skills, and weathering the comparisons to his late Uncle Carter. His persistence paid off, and he took the stage as lead singer with Ralph Sr. and the Clinch Mountain Boys in June of 1995. Since then, he has earned the respect of Stanley fans everywhere, and has garnered praise as a strong new artist in his own right.
On May 26, 2017, Stanley Family Records released the self-titled album by Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys. This is the first recording released since Ralph II honored his father’s wishes by taking over the Clinch Mountain boys name. These big shoes are being filled by the talents of previous Clinch Mountain Boy John Rigsby on fiddle and mandolin, Alex Leach on banjo, Noah Brown on the upright bass, and Ralph II on guitar.
Ralph II has had 2 Grammy nominations on previous albums he recorded with Rebel Records. In 2002 he earned his first Grammy along with his father. Dr. Ralph Stanley for their collaboration with Jim Lauderdale on “Lost in the Lonesome Pines.” Ralph II has proven to be an accomplished songwriter and has 6 solo albums under his belt, along with the highly acclaimed duet album with his father titled “Side by Side.” When not traveling, Ralph II enjoys his time at home with his wife Kristi and their children Taylor and Ralph III.

David Davis & the Warrior River Boys
Alabama native and member of The Alabama Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, David Davis has traveled and preformed as frontman for the bluegrass group, David Davis and the Warrior River Boys since 1984. He is recognized as one of the foremost practitioners of the Monroe mandolin techinique. His interest in old-time and bluegrass music grew organically from a musical family, both his father and grandfather were players and singers. His uncle, Cleo Davis, was Bill Monroe’s original Blue Grass Boy. His Warrior River Boys band consists of Robert Montgomery (banjo), Marty Hays (bass), Stan Wilemon (guitar), and Phillip James (fiddle).

Bill and the Belles
What began as a project to explore the space created between hillbilly and urban, between vaudeville
and down home, has arrived somewhere entirely new. Bill and the Belles offers a contemporary
reimagining of a bygone era, a vocal-centric performance that breathes new life into the sounds of
early country music. At the foothills of the Blue Ridge and the forefront of old-time music, Bill and the
Belles continue to further the music traditions of their region. From sentimental Southern ballads to the
popular songs of Tin Pan Alley to regional fiddle breakdowns, a Bill and the Belles show is a celebration
of the diversity country music once represented.
Bill and the Belles play alongside America’s top country and roots music artists as the house band for
the historic radio program Farm and Fun Time presented by Radio Bristol and the Birthplace of Country
Music. Lifelong musicians Kris Truelsen, Grace Van’t Hof, Kalia Yeagle, and Karl Zerfas bring to the stage
an uplifting show unlike any other, full of humor, high spirits, and all-around revelry. It’s clear this group
shares a rare musical connection and deep love for the music, and their excitement is contagious.

Farm & Fun Time
2018-05-10 19:00 - 21:00
Radio Bristol presents the Farm and Fun Time variety show, live from the Birthplace of Country Music Museum with Traveller and Roy Book Binder.
Date: Thursday, May 10, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m.
(Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Must be in your seat by 6:50 p.m.)
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
BUY TICKETS
ABOUT FARM AND FUN TIME
Farm and Fun Time the historic Radio Program broadcasting from Downtown Bristol, was a staple to listeners across the Southeast during the 1940s and 1950s on the former WCYB Radio. Radio Bristol breathes new life into the classic program with a fun, energetic show broadcasting live from the Birthplace of Country Music Museum and features music by house band Bill & the Belles. Hosted by Radio Bristol producer and house band-leader Kris Truelsen, Farm & Fun Time is an event the whole family can enjoy live, in the studio or when gathered around their radios.
ABOUT THE TALENT

Traveller
Named after Robert E. Lee’s horse, Traveller is an alt-country “supergroup” featuring the talents of Robert Ellis, Cory Chisel, and Jonny Fritz. Formed in 2015, the band performs a mix of songs written by the band as well as tunes released individually. The band’s debut album Western Movies was independently released last year.

Roy Book Binder
Singer-songwriter-storytelling-bluesman Roy Book Binder has been rambling around the world for the past 45 years. He gave up his Greenwich Village “pad” in the early 1970’s and lived in his tour bus for the next 15 years criss-crossing the US and appearing at festivals throughout Canada & Europe.
Book Binder, traveled with the legendary Rev. Gary Davis in the late 60’s. “The Book” recorded his first solo acoustic Blues album in the 1970’s, which was the first to receive 5 stars in Downbeat magazine. In the late 1980’s he was part of Bonnie Raitt’s East Coast Tour, which included an appearance on The Grand Old Opry, and led to almost 30 appearances on Nashville Now’s Ralph Emory Show. In the 1990’s he often appeared with Jorma Kaukonen, who recorded 2 of Roy’s songs. The Good Book, Roy’s latest release of all original songs, reached #3 on AirPlayDirect’s Americana charts.

Radio Bristol Session
2018-05-24 14:00 - 15:00
Radio Bristol Sessions can happen at any time, so check in to our website often!
Be part of the live audience for Radio Bristol Sessions at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. It’s free! Can’t attend the show? Listen live on the air at WBCM 100.1 FM in the Bristol area, at ListenRadioBristol.org, or our on our mobile app for iPhone or Android.
This session will feature:
A Jay Wade
Where: Performance Theater | Birthplace of Country Music Museum

Date and Time: Thursday, May 24, 2018 – 2:00 p.m.

Radio Bristol Session
2018-06-14 14:00 - 15:00
Radio Bristol Sessions can happen at any time, so check in to our website often!
Be part of the live audience for Radio Bristol Sessions at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. It’s free! Can’t attend the show? Listen live on the air at WBCM 100.1 FM in the Bristol area, at ListenRadioBristol.org, or our on our mobile app for iPhone or Android.
This session will feature:
TIM EASTON
Where: Performance Theater | Birthplace of Country Music Museum

Date and Time: Thursday, June 14, 2018 at 2:00 p.m.

Radio Bristol Session
2018-07-05 14:00 - 15:00
Radio Bristol Sessions can happen at any time, so check in to our website often!
Be part of the live audience for Radio Bristol Sessions at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. It’s free! Can’t attend the show? Listen live on the air at WBCM 100.1 FM in the Bristol area, at ListenRadioBristol.org, or our on our mobile app for iPhone or Android.
This session will feature:
Esther Rose
Where: Performance Theater | Birthplace of Country Music Museum

Date and Time: Thursday, July 5, 2018 at 2:00 p.m.

SOLD OUT! Farm & Fun Time
2018-07-12 19:00 - 20:30
Sorry, tickets to this performance at now sold out. Join us on Radio Bristol’s Facebook Live to view the show in its entirety online or tune in to ListenRadioBristol.org!
Radio Bristol presents the fabulously vintage Farm and Fun Time variety show, live from the Birthplace of Country Music Museum featuring live, musical guests Carson Peters & Iron Mountain and The Brother Brothers.
Date: Thursday, July 12, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m. (Doors Open at 6:30 p.m. Audience must be seated by 6:50 p.m.)
Location: Performance Theater at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum

About Carson Peters & Iron Mountain
Carson Peters started playing the fiddle at the ripe old age of 3 when his parents bought him a 1/8 size fiddle. By age 4, he was playing in fiddle competitions and jamming at musical festivals. Carson has continued to hone his talents, winning many competitions along the way. At 13 years old, Carson is a seasoned performer playing numerous venues with his band throughout the region including Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, Dollywood’s Bluegrass and BBQ, Asheville’s Bluegrass First Class, Song of the Mountains, Carter Family Fold and WDVX’s World Class Bluegrass concert series to name a few. Carson has also had the honor of playing on national TV as a guest on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Little Big Shots with Steve Harvey, as well as play with Jimmy Fortune on the floor of the Tennessee State Senate. On March 28, 2014, Carson’s dream of playing on the Grand Ole Opry stage was realized when he was invited by Ricky Skaggs to come perform with him and his band, Kentucky Thunder. In May of the same year, Carson was asked to make a reappearance at the Opry, but this time with his own band. On July 31, 2014, Carson made his Ryman Auditorium debut playing again with Ricky Skaggs during the 2014 Bluegrass Nights series. Since these appearances, Carson and his band have performed numerous occasions on the Opry Show.

About The Brother Brothers
Their sound is striking and undeniably captivating. Often leaning towards the darker, moody elements of Appalachian folk, and bluegrass traditions, their songs are laden with near perfect sibling harmonies or unison singing, compelling writing, and imaginative arrangements. They tour as an acoustic duo: David on cello and guitar, and Adam on the 5-string fiddle. With individual storied music careers under their belts, the brothers have finally teamed up to bring their experiences together.

Radio Bristol Fund Drive
2018-07-19 - 2018-07-20
We are kicking off the first Radio Bristol Fund Drive.
Radio Bristol is committed to celebrating the roots of our great region’s music heritage with original programming you won’t find anywhere else. From our wildly successful revival of WCYB’s Farm and Fun Time live variety show to our weekday morning program “On the Sunnyside,” your support helps us grow our reach and keep our message of music alive for generations to come.
Radio Bristol’s fund drive takes place on air July 19-20, 2018.

Visit ListenRadioBristol.org to learn more.

Radio Bristol Fund Drive Sessions
2018-07-20 14:00 - 18:00
Join us in celebrating Radio Bristol’s Fund Drive with a special event on Friday, July 20 at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.
Be part of the live audience for the Radio Bristol Fund Drive Sessions taking place in the Performance Theater at the Museum. This is a free event, and its going to be a fun afternoon of music, programming, and celebration for our first annual fund drive for Radio Bristol.
Sessions will feature:

Scott Miller
Time: 2:00 p.m.

John Hatchett Band
Time: 2:30 p.m.

Justin Fedor & Frank Bronson
Time: 3:00 p.m.

Bill and the Belles
Time: 3:30 p.m.

Ancient Cities
Time: 4:30 p.m.

Can’t attend the show? Listen live on the air at WBCM 100.1 FM in the Bristol area, at ListenRadioBristol.org, or our on our mobile app for iPhone or Android. Also, tune watch a live feed on Radio Bristol’s Facebook.

Farm & Fun Time
2018-08-09 19:00 - 21:00
Radio Bristol presents the ever-so-entertaining Farm and Fun Time variety show, live from the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, featuring musical guests Che Apalaché and Jesse Lege and the Old Fashioned Aces plus Farm and Fun Time house band Bill & the Belles.
Date: Thursday, August 9, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Audience must be seated by 6:50 p.m.)
Location: Performance Theater at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: $30
BUY TICKETS

About Che Apalache
Che Apalache is a four-man string band based in Buenos Aires with members from Argentina, Mexico and the United States. The group’s founder is Joe Troop (fiddle), a North Carolinian multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and composer who moved to Argentina in 2010. While patiently carving out a niche in the local music scene, Joe taught bluegrass and old-time music for a living. That’s how he met Pau Barjau (banjo), Franco Martino (guitar) and Martin Bobrik (mandolin), his most dedicated students. They quickly became picking buddies and in 2013 decided to hit the stage.
Che Apalache began as a bluegrass band, but eventually incorporated Latin American styles into their repetoire. Combining instrumental prowess with tight vocal harmonies, they have created an authentic blend of genres to reflect the nature of their lives. Evoking images from Appalachia to the Andes, their debut album Latingrass is a testament to a powerful cultural and musical exchange.
In 2017 the band received grants from the North Carolina Humanities Council and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities to tour the United States. Everywhere they went on their five-week ramble, they were met with enthusiasm and praise. At the prestigious Appalachian String Band Music Festival in Clifftop, WV they were awarded first place in the Neo-Traditional band competition. The momentum is growing for Che Apalache, and the future looks promising in both South and North America.

About Jesse Lége and the Old Fashioned Aces
One dance hall at a time…That is the life work of Jesse Lége: to bring traditional, foot-stompin’ Cajun dance hall music from the dusty back roads of southwest Louisiana, coast to coast and around the world.
Jesse Lége defines traditional Louisiana dance hall music. His unmistakable, hard driving style of accordion play and his powerful voice will get even the most staid listener up on the dance floor. Whether he is performing with Bayou Brew or his many friends, Jesse can crank up any old tune to something new and very different than you have ever heard before.
Vocalist of the Year, Band of the Year, Song of the Year (for “Mémoires Dans Mon Coeur”); in nearly 40 years of playing, singing and living Cajun music, Jesse Lege has seen and done it all. In 1998 Jesse was inducted into the Cajun Music Hall of Fame. His performances include Festival Acadiens, the prestigious University of Chicago Folk Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, major festivals in California and Florida, and the Bury, England, Cajun Festival. Recently, Jesse toured France and England with Joel Savoy and Bobby Michot, with their new CD. Jesse also recently played the Strawberry Park Cajun Festival in Connecticut; the Cajun festival in Wakefield, Canada; the Dance Flurry in Saratoga Springs, New York; the Mardi Gras Ball, in Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, Rhode Island; the Grey Fox Festival, in New York; and the Newport Folk Festival, in Newport, Rhode Island.

About Bill and the Belles
What began as a project to explore the space created between hillbilly and urban, between vaudeville
and down home, has arrived somewhere entirely new. Bill and the Belles offers a contemporary
reimagining of a bygone era, a vocal-centric performance that breathes new life into the sounds of
early country music. At the foothills of the Blue Ridge and the forefront of old-time music, Bill and the
Belles continue to further the music traditions of their region. From sentimental Southern ballads to the
popular songs of Tin Pan Alley to regional fiddle breakdowns, a Bill and the Belles show is a celebration
of the diversity country music once represented.
Bill and the Belles play alongside America’s top country and roots music artists as the house band for
the historic radio program Farm and Fun Time presented by Radio Bristol and the Birthplace of Country
Music. Lifelong musicians Kris Truelsen, Grace Van’t Hof, Kalia Yeagle, and Karl Zerfas bring to the stage
an uplifting show unlike any other, full of humor, high spirits, and all-around revelry. It’s clear this group
shares a rare musical connection and deep love for the music, and their excitement is contagious.

Radio Bristol Session
2018-08-28 14:00 - 15:00
Tune in or turn up to be part of the live studio audience for this Radio Bristol Session with The Slocan Ramblers!
Date: Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Performance Theater at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Radio Bristol Sessions are free an open to the public!

About The Slocan Ramblers
The Slocan Ramblers are Canada’s bluegrass band to watch. Rooted in tradition, fearlessly creative and possessing a bold, dynamic sound, The Slocans have become a leading light of today’s acoustic music scene. With a reputation for energetic live shows, impeccable musicianship and an uncanny ability to convert anyone within earshot into a lifelong fan, The Slocans have been winning over audiences from Merlefest to RockyGrass and everywhere in between.

Facebook Live! Radio Bristol Premieres
2018-08-31 19:00 - 20:30
Sorry, tickets to this event are now sold out. Watch it on Radio Bristol’s Facebook Live!
Radio Bristol Premieres Folk Soul Revival’s new album with an intimate album release concert.
Date: Friday, August 31, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
About Folk Soul Revival
A modern band rooted in old-school southern sounds, Folk Soul Revival whips up its own version of amplified Americana on the band’s self-titled fourth record.
The name says it all. Folk Soul Revival, like the band that created it, is an album that celebrates the sounds, stories, and small-town values of an earlier era, modernizing their approach with sharp songwriting and electrifying instrumental work. There’s country twang, bluegrass bounce, hillbilly hell-raising, chicken-pickin’ guitar, and roadhouse roots-rock, all sandwiched into a tracklist that mixes heartbreak, honesty, and humor in equal doses. Recorded in Nashville and road-tested on stages across the country, this is Folk Soul Revival’s finest work — an album that nods to the glory days of the past while still pushing the band forward.

Radio Bristol Session
2018-09-07 14:00 - 15:00
Tune in or turn up to be part of the live studio audience for this amazing Radio Bristol Session with Mountain Heart!
Date: Friday, September 7, 2018
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Radio Bristol Sessions are free and open to the public!
About Mountain Heart
Mountain Heart’s new configuration is allowing the band to breathe and focus on their four core members: Josh Shilling (piano, guitar), Seth Taylor (guitar), Aaron Ramsey (mandolin, bass) and Jeff Partin (dobro, bass). They recorded all of the songs on the new album live with organic emotion and energy, shining a spotlight on each individual, while also highlighting the strong bond that connects them together.
With the support of Garry West, the album’s co-producer, Mountain Heart has created a genre-bending album true to their roots, yet dynamic as the band continues to develop and grow into their voice. With rich acoustic sounds and a contemporary twist to traditional bluegrass music, Soul Searching will have you lost in its lyrics and searching for your soul.
Fearlessly revolutionizing the way acoustic music can be presented, Mountain Heart is widely known throughout the industry for continuing to redefine the boundaries of the genre. They have gained legions of loyal fans both as a result of their superlative musicianship and just as notably, their jaw dropping live performances.
“Mountain Heart manages to straddle the line between complete reinvention and staying true to their roots – There’s a palpable electric current running through ‘Blue Sky,’ while stay maintaining the relaxed, festival-ready pulse they’ve become known for over the course of more than a decade.”
~Rolling Stone Country
“What makes ‘Blues Skies’ so different from the competition is their willingness to share the spotlight and free dabble in the kind of material that suits their individual voice.”
~No Depression
“Progressive bluegrass band Mountain Heart rove way beyond the confines of the bluegrass genre, adding a bit of soul ala The Steeldrivers and a bit of pure-bred country ala Chris Stapleton. In other words, we are talking about great southern music here, underpinned with virtuous musicianship full of heart and soul.”
~Pop Matters

SOLD OUT! Farm & Fun Time
2018-10-18 19:00 - 21:00
Unfortunately, tickets to this event are now SOLD OUT. Didn’t get tickets? Tune in to Radio Bristol’s Farm & Fun Time on the station’s Facebook Live!
Radio Bristol presents everyone’s favorite throwback variety show, Farm and Fun Time! October’s music guests include the fabulous Quebe Sisters and The Barefoot Movement—plus the unforgettable Farm and Fun Time house band Bill & the Belles!
Date: Thursday, October 18, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Audience must be seated by 6:50 p.m.)
Location: Performance Theater at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum

About The Quebe Sisters
When the Quebe Sisters from Texas take a stage, and the triple-threat fiddle champions start playing and singing in multi-part close harmony, audiences are usually transfixed, then blown away.
It’s partly because the trio’s vocal and instrumental performances are authentic all-Americana, all the time, respectful of the artists that inspired them the most.
And whether the Quebes (rhymes with “maybe”) are decked out in denims and boots or fashionably dressed to the nines in makeup, skirts and heels, the fresh-faced, clean-cut sisters, all in their 20s, look as good as they sound.
Not surprisingly, the Quebe Sisters win standing ovations at just about every show. It’s been that way since 2000, when they started fiddling together as pre-teens.
The sisters’ past is as colorful and eventful as their future is bright. Growing up in Burleson, a southern suburb of Fort Worth, Hulda, Sophia and Grace were ages 7, 10 and 12 in 1998 when they attended their first local fiddle competition in nearby Denton, and decided fiddling was what they wanted to do.
The girls earned solo and group accolades early on, winning state and national championships in their respective age groups in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.
The Quebes’ evolution from the whiz-kid Western swing fiddlers they were back then to the smokin’-hot young adult Americana band they are today is a remarkable story, by any measure.
Along with headlining their own shows to ever-growing audiences, they’ve shared stages with American music legends like Willie Nelson, George Strait, Merle Haggard, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Ray Price, Connie Smith, Marty Stuart, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel, Riders in the Sky and many others.
Today, after more than a decade of travelling the U.S. and the world, and recording three acclaimed albums, Grace, Sophia and Hulda Quebe are pros in a variety of genres, and count many famous musicians among their biggest boosters.
The Quebes’ unbridled passion for American music, along with their talent, skills and a lot of hard work, have taken them far beyond their wildest early aspirations.
“One thing is for sure, you don’t see a group like The Quebe Sisters come along every day,” famed Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs told listeners on his own show on Nashville’s WSM. “Give them your undivided attention, and if you’re not already, you too, will become a fan.”

About The Barefoot Movement
Heartfelt, energetic,and down home. Heralded by CMT Edge as “one of the most promising bands on the bluegrass scene,” the music of the Nashville-based group The Barefoot Movement is as down to earth as their intention for members of their audience: sit back, relax, take your shoes off, and stay a while.
All the worries and frustrations of the world melt away as this charming, acoustic band takes listeners back to a simpler place and time. Whether you’re seeking emotional ballads or rip-roaring barn-burners, you can expect a collection of music that offers something for everyone.
With two full length albums, an EP of traditional music, several cross-country tours, and appearances at some of the top bluegrass festivals in the United States already under their belt, the possibilities for this act are endless. The group has enjoyed almost non-stop touring including a trip to Burkina Faso, Africa where they were guests of the American Embassy, and in September of 2014, they received a Momentum Award, naming them “Band of the Year” by the International Bluegrass Music Association.

Radio Bristol Session
2018-10-26 14:00 - 15:00
Tune in to ListenRadioBristol.org or turn up to be part of the studio audience for a pop-up Radio Bristol Session with Sideline, “the embodiment of the North Carolina bluegrass sound.”
Date: Friday, October 26, 2018
Time: 2:00 p.m. EST
Location: Performance Theater, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: Free Admission
Radio Bristol Sessions can happen at any time, and often at the last minute. Artists traveling from one gig to another often drop in for a quick live radio show, and you can be part of the studio audience for free.

About Sideline
Sideline is a pedigreed six-piece powerhouse with style that has set the pace in bluegrass for over two decades. Founders Steve Dilling, Skip Cherryholmes, and Jason Moore can all claim their own historical significance to the genre as members of highly awarded groups, multiple Grand Ole Opry appearances and years of national and international touring.
What started as a side project for the seasoned players soon moved to the front and center as the three were joined by talents of Bailey Coe; guitar, Troy Boone; mandolin, and Daniel Greeson; fiddle, and began to record and release albums in earnest.
To listen to Sideline reminds the fan of why so many people fall in love with bluegrass in the first place; pulse-pounding drive, songs sung from the heart, perfected timing and dynamics as well as a visceral emotion in the rendering. A band that was started as an off-season fun experiment has become a full-time dream team of players and singers.
The band, recorded or live, move dynamically from well chosen, hard-hitting neo-traditional covers of classic songs to new material curated by a band with a perfect sense of who they are and what they have to say. Combine all this with their on-stage energy and finesse as well as their powerful and affecting harmonies, and you have the embodiment of the North Carolina Bluegrass sound. Sideline has released three national projects and currently records for the highly awarded Mountain Home Music Company based near Asheville, NC.

SOLD OUT! Farm & Fun Time
2018-11-08 19:00 - 21:00
Unfortunately, tickets to this show are now SOLD OUT, but you don’t have to miss a note! Watch the program on Radio Bristol’s Facebook Live, or tune in to 100.1 FM in the Bristol area, ListenRadioBristol.org, or the Radio Bristol mobile app!
Radio Bristol presents Farm and Fun Time with special guests, the award- winning Blue Highway and Five Mile Mountain Road.
Date: Thursday, November 8, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Audience must be seated by 6:50 p.m.)
Location: Performance Theater at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum

About Blue Highway
Highly esteemed bluegrass band Blue Highway has earned a collective 27 IBMA Awards, 6 SPBGMA Awards, one Dove Award, plus three Grammy nominations as a band, in addition to two prestigious Grammy Awards among its current members.
Blue Highway’s newly released album “Original Traditional” is nominated for a 2017 GRAMMY Award for Best Bluegrass Album.
Blue Highway was voted the Favorite Bluegrass Artist of All Time by the readers of Bluegrass Today in April 2016.
Wayne Taylor was the 2016 Inductee into the Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame, alongside legends like Patsy Cline, the Statler Brothers, Jimmy Dean, Mother Maybelle Carter, and Roy Clark.
Tim Stafford received honors as 2015 SPBGMA Guitar Player of the Year and 2014 IBMA Songwriter of the Year. Shawn Lanewas nominated as 2015 IBMA Songwriter of the Year, while new young Dobro phenom Gaven Largent was nominated as 2016 SPBGMA Dobro Player of the Year.
Blue Highway charted the Most Radio Airplay of any Bluegrass Artist in 2014, per the 2014 Bluegrass Radio Airplay Chart, storming national airplay charts with their heralded album The Game.
The Game topped multiple charts at #1 including reigning at #1 for 7 consecutive months on the Bluegrass Unlimited Album Chart, and was named the # 1 Bluegrass Album of the Year by critic Daniel Mullins in his end of the year Top 20 Albums of 2014 list in Bluegrass Today.
The 2012 IBMA Vocal Group of the Year also sent the title track of The Game to #1 on multiple charts including Bluegrass Todayand Roots Music Report, as well as holding at #1 for three consecutive months on the national Bluegrass Unlimited Song Chart (Aug-Oct 2014).
Blue Highway has been praised by peers, fans, and media alike, with one of the most powerful descriptions of the Bluegrass super group.

About Five Mile Mountain Road
Five Mile Mountain Road is a Franklin County, VA-based Old Time, Blue Grass, and classic Country band with an emphasis on music for dancing.

Radio Bristol Session
2018-11-15 14:00 - 15:00
Tune in or turn up to be part of the studio audience for this free Radio Bristol Session with Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen!
Date: Thursday, November 15, 2018
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Performance Theater, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: Free Admission
Radio Bristol Sessions can happen at any time, and often at the last minute. Artists traveling from one gig to another often drop in for a quick live radio show, and you can be part of the studio audience for free.

About Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen
With their last album earning Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen a GRAMMY Nomination for Best Bluegrass Album in 2015, the eagerly anticipated Family, Friends & Heroes was released earlier this year to great critical acclaim. This genre-stretching album provides a generous glimpse into Solivan’s work that pays homage to his family members and features the pristine playing of his closest musical heroes, including Del McCoury, Rob Ickes, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Ronnie McCoury, John Cowan, Mike Bub, Shawn Camp and Megan McCormick.
Since Frank Solivan left the cold climes of Alaska for the bluegrass hotbed of Washington, D.C., he’s built a reputation as a monster mandolinist — and become a major festival attraction with his band, Dirty Kitchen. Solivan, with banjoist Mike Munford, 2013 IBMA Banjo Player of the Year, award winning guitarist Chris Luquette and bassist Jeremy Middleton, simmer a bluegrass/newgrass stew from instrumental, vocal and songwriting skills so hot, they’ve been named Washington Area Music Association’s Best Bluegrass Band of the Year for four consecutive years.

SOLD OUT! Farm & Fun Time
2018-12-20 19:00 - 21:00
Unfortunately, tickets to this show are now SOLD OUT, but you don’t have to miss a note! Watch the program on Radio Bristol’s Facebook Live, or tune in to 100.1 FM in the Bristol area, ListenRadioBristol.org, or the Radio Bristol mobile app!
It’s a Farm & Fun Time Christmas Spectacular variety show with The Church Sisters, Carolina Blue, Sally & George, plus house band Bill & the Belles, at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum!
Date: Thursday, December 20, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST (Doors open at 6:30 p.m., attendees must be seated by 6:50 p.m.)
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Join us for an annual Christmas celebration like no other, Radio Bristol’s Farm & Fun Time live radio show! Though the best way to experience the show is live and in person, the program will broadcast in its entirety on Radio Bristol’s Facebook Live!

About The Church Sisters
Originally from the coal mining district of Dickinson County, Virginia and then Danville, The Church Sisters’ mesmerizing music chronicles their childhood with a haunting sound and bluegrass twist. Their roots extend through Bluegrass and Gospel, performing alongside legendary acts from a young age. The duo is featured on Orthophonic Joy: The 1927 Bristol Sessions Revisited, produced by Grammy® Award-winner and mentor, Carl Jackson. The Church Sisters delivered with “Where We’ll Never Grow Old,” one of the tracks on the two-disc project that also features legendary artists Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton. They recently released a moving cover of Lukas Graham’s megahit “7 Years.” The song continues to see airplay at SiriusXM and comes to life in the girls’ first music video. Sarah and Savannah are currently in the studio with Grammy Award-winning producer Julian Raymond working on their debut project for The Valory Music Co.

About Carolina Blue
Carolina Blue is a Brevard, North Carolina-based band with roots that run deep in the tradition of Bill Monroe. The group was formed in 2007 after the release of the album Nothing So Blue by Bobby Powell and Tim Jones. Carolina Blue won the South Carolina state bluegrass championship at RenoFest in 2011. They also received their first Vocal Group of The Year Nomination at the 2018 SPBGMA Awards Show. They have appeared on the hit TV show “Song Of The Mountains” as well as “The Bluegrass Trail” series on RFDTV. The band’s repertoire consists of original songs (including Tim Jones’ “Spring Will Bring Flowers”, which was recorded by 2014 IBMA entertainers of the year Balsam Range), many bluegrass favorites, and gospel too, all done in the traditional style.

About Sally & George
In the town where country music was born—where two states come together on one street—a spark lit and a duo was ignited. At the 2012 Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion, on the way to take the stage with his band Sol Driven Train, guitarist-singer Joel Timmons found himself sidetracked by Della Mae, an all-female, GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass band. It was that group’s bass player, Shelby Means, who most captivated his attention. After a conversation at the merchandise table about their shared love of travel and music, two-years passed before Means and Timmons would reconnect. A bold love song led the way, and eventually a growing romance turned into the Nashville-based duo Sally & George and their debut album tip my heart.

About Bill & the Belles
The band takes its name Bill & the Belles from Bill and Belle Reed, performers from the 1920s who recorded the songs “Old Lady and the Devil” and “You Shall Be Free” in Johnson City, Tennessee. The band’s fun, vaudevillian style makes them the perfect house band for Farm & Fun Time; the group writes and performs snappy, comical jingles for the program’s sponsors in addition to providing musical segways between acts. Bill & the Belles is a national touring act with a busy schedule. Catch them on the road in your town soon!

SOLD OUT! Farm and Fun Time
2019-01-10 19:00 - 21:00
Sorry, tickets to this event are now sold out. Tune in to WBCM Radio Bristol’s Facebook Live to watch the show in its entirety for free!
Radio Bristol presents another exciting Farm and Fun Time variety show, live from the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, featuring a special Celebration of Appalachian Balladry, highlighting the release of “Big Bend Killing.” Amythyst Kiah, Elizabeth LaPrelle, John Lilly, ETSU Old Time Ramblers, and house band Bill and the Belles perform.
Date: Thursday, January 10, 2019
Time: 7:00 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Audience must be seated by 6:50 p.m.)
Location: Performance Theater at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum

About Big Bend Killing
Big Bend Killing: An Appalachian Ballad Tradition CD project is a 32-track album divided into two parts: old world ballads from the British Isles with origins dating back centuries, and ballads from the new world, specifically Appalachia, that originated in the last 250 years. The project was released by The Great Smoky Mountains Assocation (GSMA) as a fundraiser for the organization in 2017.
Radio Bristol’s January edition of the Farm and Fun Time variety show is a celebration of the album’s Appalachian Balladry, and will feature a number of artists who performed on the Big Bend Killing release including Amythyst Kiah, Elizabeth LaPrelle, John Lilly, and Farm and Fun Time house band Bill and the Belles. East Tennessee State University’s Old Time Ramblers will also perform on the program, led by Associate Professor Roy Andrade; Andrade performed with Amythyst Kiah on the album.
About Amythyst Kiah
Based in Johnson City, Tennessee, professed Southern Gothic folk singer-songwriter Amythyst Kiah contributed her renditions of “Pretty Polly” and “John Henry” for Big Bend Killing. Kiah’s commanding stage presence is only matched by her raw and powerful vocals—a deeply moving, hypnotic sound that stirs echoes of a distant and restless past. Accoutered interchangeably with acoustic guitar, banjo, or a full band (Her Chest of Glass), this powerhouse vocalist and instrumentalist is inspired by her scholarship of American roots music and contemporary alternative music.
About Elizabeth LaPrelle
Appalachian balladeer Elizabeth LaPrelle performed “West Virginia Mine Disaster” on the Big Bend Killing project. LaPrelle has been performing Appalachian ballads and old-time songs since she was eleven. Her magnificent voice, her respect for the songs, and her authentic mountain sound and style brought her to the attention of first Ginny Hawker and then Sheila Kay Adams. Raised in Rural Retreat, Virginia, Elizabeth attended old time fiddlers’ conventions and sang harmonies with her family, who taught her traditional singing styles and encouraged her to sing their own favorite American folk music. She received her undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary with a major in Southern Appalachian Traditional Performance, and now tours the US regularly both performing and teaching.
About John Lilly
Chicago, Illinois native John Lilly contributed two tracks for Big Bend Killing: “Explosion in the Fairmount Mines” and “I’ve Always Been a Rambler.” The multi-faceted performer and songwriter now resides in Charleston, West Virginia and is known for his mastery of the early country music styles of Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams. Lilly is considered a fine yodeler and frequently teaches workshops in yodeling, as well as workshops in the songs of Rodgers and Williams.
About ETSU Old Time Ramblers
The ETSU Old Time Ramblers is a five-piece stringband of students from the Bluegrass, Old-Time and Country Music Studies program at East Tennessee State University. The band focuses on songs and tunes from the early period of country music, a time when fiddles and banjos and a good song were to be found in just about every nook and holler of the Appalachian Mountains.
About Bill and the Belles
In addition to being the highly entertaining house band for Farm and Fun Time, Bill and the Belles contributed a live recording of “Mr. Frog Went a-Courtin'” for Big Bend Killing. What began as a project to explore the space created between hillbilly and urban, between vaudeville and down home, Bill and the Belles have arrived somewhere new. The quartet brings to the stage an uplifting show unlike any other, full of humor, high spirits, and all-around revelry. Nominated for four 2017 IBMA awards, it’s clear this group shares a rare musical connection and deep love for the music, and their excitement is contagious.

Radio Bristol Session
2019-01-25 14:00 - 15:00
Be part of the live studio audience for a free Radio Bristol Session with Drew & Ellie Holcomb at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum!
Date: Friday, January 25, 2019
Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Location: Performance Theater, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Radio Bristol Sessions showcase the very best in today’s roots music artists from our region and around the world. Recorded live in the intimate Performance Theater at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, everyone is invited to be part of the studio audience for free. Can’t make the show? Tune in to 100.1 FM in the Bristol area, online at ListenRadioBristol.org, or on the station’s free mobile app.

About Drew and Ellie Holcomb
Nashville native Ellie Holcomb began her musical career by touring the country with her husband in Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors. After 8 years and the birth of the couple’s daughter, Ellie opted to step out of the role of heavy touring. Her album As Sure As The Sun charted at #1 on the iTunes Christian chart and helped deem Holcomb the “Best New Artist” at the 2014 Dove Awards.
Drew and his band have been road warriors for more than a decade, traveling from place to place with a catalog of vibrant, honest songs that explore a full range of American Roots music.
The couple has embarked on The You And Me Tour, which has them traveling from Abingdon’s January Jams at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia on Jan. 25, then across the country. Drew and Ellie will make a stop at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum for a preview of what folks can expect on their upcoming tour.

Farm & Fun Time
2019-02-14 19:00 - 21:00
Radio Bristol presents the Farm and Fun Time variety show, live from the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, featuring special guests Rachel Baiman and Beth Snapp.
Date: Thursday, February 14, 2019
Time: 7:00 p.m. (Doors 6:30 p.m., we ask that all patrons please be seated by 6:50 p.m.)
Location: Performance Theater, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: $30
BUY TICKETS

About Rachel Baiman
Raised in Chicago by a radical economist and a social worker, Baiman was surrounded by social justice issues her entire life. “If I wanted to rebel against my parents I could have become a finance banker or a corporate lawyer” she says of her childhood. As a teenager, Baiman found music to be a welcome escape from worrying about global politics. “I often found the constant discussion of seemingly unsolvable problems to be intense and overwhelming, and when I moved to Nashville to pursue music it felt like something positive, beautiful and productive that I could put into the world.”
Baiman has been recording and touring internationally for the past 4 years with 10 String Symphony, and has played fiddle for numerous other artists including Kacey Musgraves and Winnipeg folk band Oh My Darling—“I find it hard to escape from the values that I grew up with, and I feel compelled to write politically, to speak out about things that I’ve experienced or seen. Songwriting is a unique opportunity to do that, because it avails a more emotional vehicle for discussion. I love the political tradition of folk music, from Woody Guthrie to Tupac, and my hope is that this record adds another voice to it.”

About Beth Snapp
Beth Snapp’s egress into one of East Tennessee’s most gifted and respected singer-songwriters is a metamorphosis of triumph, played out over a trifecta of pristine, confessional studio releases that chronicle her journey of self-actualization with the warm reassurance of a wise confidante.
Her latest, an EP entitled Don’t Apologize, is the culmination of years of growth both personally and as an artist. As the title would suggest, it’s about picking up the mess, cutting losses, and living life on her own terms. The EP has risen to #9 on the Folk Alliance charts within the first weeks of play, and her single “Easy to Love” was featured on Sirius XM’s Bluegrass Junction. Beth has also been featured on No Depression as well as DittyTV.

“To me, this EP is a continuation of a journey. My second project was largely an account of just coming out of a storm. I had survived, I knew things were going to get better, but there was some healing and processing to be done. As time passed, and I did the work to heal, I emerged into a new place. I realized that surviving the storm wasn’t enough. I realized I was put on this Earth to do more than survive.”
Beth’s “Pop-Alachian” sound is a cross-over blend of country, bluegrass, pop and folk, a colorful variance where each element shines. Her silken, jazzy vocals are as delicate as a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, softly lilting over lush, acoustic instrumentation and stirring echoes of Southern hills into the smooth, caramel creamer of an uptown latte.

Radio Bristol Session
2019-02-28 15:00 - 16:00
Date: Thursday, February 28, 2019
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Performance Theater, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
FREE SHOW!
Tune in to ListenRadioBristol.org or show up for a free Radio Bristol Session featuring Elizabeth Cook at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum!

About Elizabeth Cook
Elizabeth Cook is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter from Wildwood, Florida. As a critically acclaimed live act and recording artist, the New York Times lauds her “a sharp and surprising country singer.” A veteran SiriusXM Outlaw Country Radio DJ hosting her own show, Apron Strings, nationwide for the last 10 years, she is also a favorite of David Letterman, a regular performer on the Grand Ole Opry, and a frequent guest star on Adult Swim’s long-running hit cartoon series “Squidbillies” on Cartoon Network.
In the words of the Drivin’ and Cryin’s legendary Kevn Kinney, “Elizabeth is so far ahead and under the radar you better have a supercharger for that fastback if you’re going to catch up! Enjoy the ride…”

SOLD OUT! Farm & Fun Time
2019-03-07 19:00 - 21:00
SORRY! Tickets to this event are now SOLD OUT but you may watch the show live, in its entirety, on Radio Bristol’s Facebook page live!
Radio Bristol presents the Farm and Fun Time variety show, live from the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, featuring special guests Bruce Molsky & Mountain Drifters, Kaia Kater.
Date: Thursday, March 7, 2019
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum

About Bruce Molsky & Mountain Drifters
Bruce Molsky, “one of America’s premier fiddling talents” (Mother Jones) and Grammy-nominated artist on fiddle, banjo, guitar and song is delighted to present his new group already on tour in the US. Bruce’s previous collaborations, with Anonymous 4, 1865 – Songs of Hope and Home from the American Civil War, was released to rave reviews and was on the top 10 Billboard charts for weeks. He is also a special guest on legendary guitarist Mark Knopfler’s latest CD, Tracker and is working on his 3rd album with Andy Irvine & Donal Lunny’s supergroup Mozaik. You can also hear Bruce on BBC TV Transatlantic Sessions singing with Joan Osborne, Julie Fowlis and fiddling with Scottish legend Aly Bain and America’s great dobroist Jerry Douglas. Bruce is also Berklee College of Music’s Visiting Scholar in the American Roots Program.
Allison de Groot combines wide ranging virtuosity and passion for old-time music. With her own bands The Goodbye Girls and Oh My Darling, she has played Trafalgar Square in London, Newport Folk Festival, Stockholm Folk Festival, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, and Tønder Festival in Denmark. Like Bruce, Allison loves collaborating and bringing new ideas to old music, and brings a fresh approach to the trio.
Boston-based Stash Wyslouch is one of bluegrass’s great young genre-bending pioneers. He got his start as a guitarist in metal bands before immersing himself in roots music as a member of The Deadly Gentlemen. Stash is a veteran festival performer, having played at Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Rockygrass, Merlefest, Savannah Music Festival and others. Coming over from the punk-metal world, Stash brings great sensitivity and real emotion to the trio, plus some superb guitar and vocal chops.

About Kaia Kater
A Montreal-born Grenadian-Canadian, Kaia Kater grew up between two worlds: her family’s deep ties to folk music and the years she spent soaking up Appalachian music in West Virginia. Her old-time banjo-picking skills, deft arrangements, and songwriting abilities have landed her in the spotlight in North America and the UK, garnering critical acclaim from outlets such as NPR, CBC Radio, Rolling Stone, BBC Music, and No Depression
Kaia started her career early, crafting her first EP Old Soul (2013) when she was just out of high school. Since then, she’s gone on to release two more albums, Sorrow Bound (2015) and Nine Pin (2016). Her second album wove between hard-hitting songs touching on social issues like the Black Lives Matter movement (“Rising Down”) and more personal narratives speaking to life and love in the digital age (“Saint Elizabeth”). Nine Pin won a Canadian Folk Music Award, a Stingray Rising Star Award and sent Kaia on an 18-month touring journey from Ireland to Iowa, including stops at The Kennedy Center, Hillside Festival and London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush. For her third album, Grenades (October 2018, Folkways/acronym Records), she took a decidedly different direction, choosing to lean into a wider array of sounds and styles, in order to convey a wider array of emotions and topics, most notably her paternal ancestry.

Radio Bristol Session
2019-03-27 13:00 - 14:00
Date: Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Time: 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
Location: Performance Theater, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
FREE SHOW!
Tune in to ListenRadioBristol.org or show up for a free Radio Bristol Session featuring Parker Millsap at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum!

About Parker Millsap
At 25 years of age, Oklahoma native Parker Millsap is quickly making a name for himself with his captivating live performances, soulful sound, and character-driven narratives. He’s had a string of highlights in recent years including his network television debut on CONAN, a performance with Elton John at the Apple Music Festival in London, an Austin City Limits taping and an Americana Music Association nomination for Album of the Year. He has also received praise from The New York Times, The Boston Globe, LA Times, Austin Chronicle and Rolling Stone to name a few.
He first picked up an acoustic guitar at nine, then plugged in and went electric after getting into Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan, eventually starting a cover band with classmate, Michael Rose who still plays bass with him today. Over the years he recruited musicians Daniel Foulks (fiddle) and Andrew Bones (Drums) to join his band.
Parker’s first three full-length releases – 2012’s Palisade, 2014’s self-titled LP, and 2016’s The Very Last Day – showcased a primal mastery of acoustic folk rock, with their flourish for revelation and fiery dynamics, all recorded with extreme precision, purpose and efficiency.
Parker’s newest album, Other Arrangements, (released 5/4/18 via Thirty Tigers) finds him taking bold steps in new directions. Associated Press says “Parker Millsap rocks harder than ever on his fourth album.” And Rolling Stone calls Other Arrangements Parker’s “tightest, sharpest and most infectious set of songs to date.”

SOLD OUT! Farm and Fun Time
2019-04-11 19:00 - 21:00
Sorry! Tickets to this event are now SOLD OUT. If you are interested in purchasing tickets to May’s Farm and Fun Time ft. Davina & The Vagabonds and Hoot & Holler, click here.
Radio Bristol’s Farm and Fun Time live variety show featuring special music guests the Becky Buller Band, The Matchsellers, and Chatham Rabbits, plus house band Bill & the Belles.
Date: Thursday, April 11, 2019
Time: 7:00 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; attendees are asked to be seated by 6:50 p.m.)
Location: Performance Theater, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Farm and Fun Time hearkens back to the days of classic live radio and features today’s top traditional country, bluegrass and old-time artists. We’re proud to bring back this classic program from the 1940s and 1950s to a new generation of listeners!
Hosted by Kris Truelsen and featuring house band Bill and the Belles, Farm and Fun Time is a celebration of Appalachian music and culture with various segments jingles and featured artists. You can enjoy the show every month, live in person, at the museum by purchasing a ticket, or you can listen online at listenradiobristol.org or through our mobile App for iOS and Android. Farm and Fun Time is proudly supported by Eastman Credit Union, Window World of Tri-Cities, and HVAC Bristol.
About Becky Buller
Becky Buller is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer from St. James, Minnesota, who has traversed the globe performing bluegrass music to underwrite her insatiable songwriting habit. Her compositions can be heard on records by Ricky Skaggs, Rhonda Vincent, and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, to name just a few.
Becky is a 2-time Grammy award-winning songwriter; she co-wrote “Freedom,” the lead-off track of The Infamous Stringdusters 2018 Grammy-winning album Laws of Gravity as well as “The Shaker” on The Travelin’ McCoury’s self-titled release that just brought home the 2019 Best Bluegrass Grammy.
Touring extensively with the Becky Buller Band, she recently released Crêpe Paper Heart, her 4th solo album, and her second recording on the Dark Shadow Recording label. It reached #1 on the August 2018 Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine Top 15 Bluegrass Albums chart.
Becky is the recipient of 8 IBMA awards, including the 2016 Fiddler and Female Vocalist Of and the 2018 Gospel Recorded Performance for the song “Speakin’ To That Mountain”.
Equally passionate about bluegrass music education, Becky has 20 years experience teaching fiddle, singing, and songwriting at workshops and camps around the world.
She currently serves of the board of the IBMA Foundation.
About The Matchsellers
As featured on NPR’s Mountain Stage Radio Show, The Bluegrass Situation and Bluegrass Today, the Matchsellers are Warsaw, Indiana native Andrew Morris and Julie Bates of Kansas City, Missouri. Their exciting, gritty, and often hilarious stage show has been developed over 6 years of touring across the US and Europe. The two met while working as American Cultural Ambassadors in Germany via the Fulbright Program and began exploring traditional American music from abroad. Since then, they have collected influences from various regional styles of American folk music including Bluegrass, Old-Time Fiddle, Hambone, Fiddlesticks, Cajun, Gospel and others. Their work has delved into subjects as academic as “German-American Musical Exchange” and as wild as “Science Fiction Bluegrass”. While a focus on humor and absurdity permeates their show, they are dedicated interpreters of tradition whose excellent musicianship, songwriting and taste are never overshadowed.
About Chatham Rabbits
It’s been about music from the get go. Austin McCombie and Sarah Osborne McCombie crossed paths in 2013 when he spotted her onstage at the Cat’s Cradle opening for Mandolin Orange. He didn’t know much about old-time music and she didn’t know much about him, but they figured it out. Music is the reason they met. It’s their past time and gift to others. Together they’ve played smokey bars, summer festivals, busked on the streets of Nashville, put a tune to the love at their best friends’ wedding, and led churches in old-time hymns way past it was time for Sunday lunch.
This past summer, the duo decided to leave their corporate careers to take Chatham Rabbits full-time. The two tours full-time in a van with their hound dog Ruby.

NEW TIME! Radio Bristol Premieres
2019-04-27 16:00 - 17:00
NOTE: The start time for this show has changed!
Date: Saturday, April 27, 2019
Time: 4:00 p.m. (Doors open at 3:00 p.m.; audience must be seated by 3:55 p.m.)
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum Performance Theatre
Tickets: $15
BUY TICKETS
Radio Bristol Premieres focuses on new recordings and projects from nationally recognized artists debuted before a live audience. Premieres are also broadcast live on WBCM-LP and webcast at listenradiobristol.org.
About Merle Monroe
Combining the musical styles of the Father of Bluegrass with the Okie from Muskogee is an exciting proposition. Feeling that “Bluegrass and Traditional Country music is America’s music, the stories of the common man and the sounds of the mountains,” Tim Raybon and Daniel Grindstaff have formed the new band Merle Monroe. With the goal of choosing songs that relate to everyday life and go “back to the country,” they, along with
bandmates Jayd Raines and Josh Doss, hope to take your mind away from today’s current distractions on their new self-titled project for Pinecastle Records. They have
worked extremely hard looking for and writing songs they feel will be different, yet still reflect their heroes’ music from years past.
Tim and Daniel first met in the mid 2000’s when Daniel was performing with Marty Raybon at IBMA Fan Fest. They had only a short time to rehearse before they performed their set, but Tim will always remember his first impression of Daniel: ”He was the best banjo player I had ever heard and an adamant professional.” Daniel recalls that since first hearing Tim Raybon, “I have held his vocal abilities as being one of the best-kept secrets in the music business.” From the beginning they held a common bond in their love of the Osborne Brothers, Jim and Jesse, and Bill Monroe; they hit it off and have remained friends ever since.
Tim Raybon has a natural vocal ability that has been described as “real” – so real that it needs no electronic masking of any sort. His musical trek began with his dad and brothers in the family band The American Bluegrass Express when Tim was only eleven. Based in Florida, the band met with great success throughout the South and afforded Tim the opportunity to sharpen his skills by playing festivals and concerts that were shared by some of the greatest legends in Bluegrass music. Tim will forever be grateful for the opportunity to have played with the likes of Bill Monroe, the McReynolds, and the
Osbornes.
Tim’s talent would soon be recognized far beyond his Florida home as the lead singer for one of the hottest nightclubs in the country, The Barn. Tim fronted many shows that featured the premier acts in Country music. From there he moved on to Nashville and began a career as a demo singer singing newly written songs many of which would eventually become the latest hit for the biggest stars in Nashville. 1997 brought a musical
reunion to Tim and his brother Marty that produced the certified gold hit “Butterfly Kisses.” That same year the Raybon Brothers were nominated for the CMA Duo of the Year.
Daniel Grindstaff, born and raised in Elizabethton, Tennessee, is considered to be among the elite of banjo players. Beginning his musical career at the age of 18, he played the Grand Ole Opry with Jim and Jesse McReynolds; by the time he was 21, he was also joining the Osborne brothers on stage. In the fall of 2006, Daniel was touring with Marty Raybon and remained a significant contributor to Raybon’s studio recordings and
concerts for the next five years. “April’s Fool,” released in 2007, was a well-received studio album from Grindstaff that included a plethora of well-respected contributing
musicians.
Supported by career experiences that range from various TV and festival appearances to studio recordings to the stage of the Opry, Daniel Grindstaff and Tim Raybon have
teamed up to create one of the best sounds to emerge on the bluegrass and country scene in years as the band Merle Monroe. Watch for their self-titled recording,
“Merle Monroe,” on Pinecastle Records.

Farm and Fun Time
2019-05-09 19:00 - 21:00
Radio Bristol’s Farm and Fun Time live variety show featuring special music guests Davina & The Vagabonds and Hoot & Holler, plus house band Bill & the Belles.
Date: Thursday, May 9, 2019
Time: 7:00 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; attendees are asked to be seated by 6:50 p.m.)
Location: Performance Theater, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: $30
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Farm and Fun Time hearkens back to the days of classic live radio and features today’s top traditional country, bluegrass and old-time artists. We’re proud to bring back this classic program from the 1940s and 1950s to a new generation of listeners!
Hosted by Kris Truelsen and featuring house band Bill and the Belles, Farm and Fun Time is a celebration of Appalachian music and culture with various segments jingles and featured artists. You can enjoy the show every month, live in person, at the museum by purchasing a ticket, or you can listen online at listenradiobristol.org or through our mobile App for iOS and Android. Farm and Fun Time is proudly supported by Eastman Credit Union, Window World of Tri-Cities, and HVAC Bristol.

About Davina & The Vagabonds
Since exploding onto the scene in 2005, Davina and the Vagabonds have grown from a down-and-dirty blues band into one of the most exciting acoustic ensembles on the international stage. This high-energy quintet has established itself with a stellar live show, a professional look, and good old-fashioned hard work. In recent years they have performed in 45 states, 2 Canadian provinces and 12 European countries.
With influences ranging from Fats Domino and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits, the band draws from the last 100 years of American music, and is converting audiences one show at a time. So much more than just a blues act, DATV’s shows are filled with New Orleans charm, Memphis soul swagger, dark theatrical moments that evoke Kurt Weill, and tender gospel passages. Davina’s voice and stage presence defy category in a different way. Davina has been compared to Etta James, Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday and Betty Boop, but comparisons don’t suffice. Sowers is a true original.
For several years the band has been on the road more than they are home in the Twin Cities, but when they are home, they can be found at the Dakota! One of the keys to Davina’s success is the band’s irresistible live show; when the idea for a live record was presented, the Dakota became the obvious choice to do it at. Davina and the Vagabonds’ latest record, Nicollet and 10th, was recorded over two nights in early 2015 at the Dakota. Like its predecessors, 2014’s Sunshine and 2011’s Black Cloud, Nicollet and 10th is the latest chapter in Davina and the Vagabonds’ New Spin on an Old Sound mission!

About Hoot & Holler
Hoot & Holler are the sum of two parts: guitarist Mark Kilianski and fiddler Amy Alvey. Each are songwriters dedicated to honing their craft, both equally influenced by wordsmiths like Gillian Welch and Townes Van Zandt as they are to authentic mountain musicians like Roscoe Holcomb and Ola Belle Reed. After spending the better part of 2016 living in a camper van playing shows across the country, they now call Asheville, North Carolina their home.
Instrument swapping is common during a performance. Sometimes they don two guitars, other times switching to fiddle and banjo, all the while seamlessly blending their vocals as they sing songs infused with the vitality of the landscapes which they have traveled.
They have received scholarships to the Blackpot Camp as well as Augusta Heritage Center to study the stylistic nuance of Cajun and Appalachian music. In 2018 they won third place in the Traditional Band category at the Appalachian String Band Festival (Clifftop), and first place at South Carolina’s State Fiddler’s Championship. When performing or teaching workshops, they strive to honor the ancient sounds of those who came before while bringing their own voice to the stage.

SOLD OUT! Farm and Fun Time
2019-06-13 19:00 - 21:00
Sorry, tickets to be part of the studio audience for this event are now SOLD OUT! However, you don’t have to miss the show! Join us on Radio Bristol’s Facebook Live and watch the show from home!
Radio Bristol’s Farm and Fun Time live variety show featuring special guests Sierra Ferrell, Steel City Jug Slammers plus host band Bill & The Belles.
Date: Thursday, June 13, 2019
Time: 7:00 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; attendees must be seated by 6:50 p.m.)
Location: Performance Theater, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Farm and Fun Time hearkens back to the days of classic live radio and features today’s top traditional country, bluegrass and old-time artists. We’re proud to bring back this classic program from the 1940s and 1950s to a new generation of listeners!
Hosted by Kris Truelsen and featuring house band Bill and the Belles, Farm and Fun Time is a celebration of Appalachian music and culture with various segments jingles and featured artists. You can enjoy the show every month, live in person, at the museum by purchasing a ticket, or you can listen online at listenradiobristol.org or through our mobile App for iOS and Android. Farm and Fun Time is proudly supported by Eastman Credit Union, Window World of Tri-Cities, and HVAC Bristol.

About Sierra Ferrell
Wicked and wild, her sirens call an oil spill, floating atop thee languid waves of torment, a nanny-nanny-bew-bew to the ocean beneath, she caresses thee buoying masses, holding them aloft with thee effortless grace of a branch-bearing dove. Born from the dark, rich soil of West Virginia, raised in the clear, hop-scented country air, Sierra Ferrell cut her teeth on the rail lines, truck stops, street corners, and dingy, dimly lit listening rooms all across the land, belting out her old-time melodies, a sorcery, drawing her patrons, ever more deeply, into her animated tapestry of forlorn, star-crossed love, of longing, poverty, of suffering and triumph, encompassing that irreconcilable thrum of the human spirit and all the complexities of emotion that come with it.
One moment, with startling clarity, she calls to bear the opium opulence, that seductively solemn soujorn of the 1920s jazz club stage, the next, she’ll have you taking to your toes, dancing in careless merriment, whirling, winking, and carrying on with all the confidence of a honky tonk king or queen, while she plays, sings, stomps, and yodels out the utter essence of the honky tonk country blues. You turn to your partner, peer into their eyes with the recognition of a perfect moment, and plant a kiss firmly upon their lips. They smile as your lips meet, pull you in tighter, romance…is born anew! Catch her now, folx, in this most intimate of settings, for her Star is ever on the rise!

About Steel City Jug Slammers
“It may be a lost art, or a piece of music history that has been forgotten over decades of technological advancement in the music industry, but the old fashioned jug band is still alive and well in Birmingham – at least with one particular group of local musicians. The Steel City Jug Slammers made a name for themselves locally about four years ago, hitting the lively Birmingham music scene with a splash, but now, with a new album, extensive touring and the band’s recent induction into the Jug Band Hall of Fame, the local band is making a national name for themselves.
​
The Steel City Jug Slammers are Ramblin’ Ricky Tate (Mandolin/ Banjitar), Washtub Jay (Bass), G.W. Henderson (Guitar/ Fiddle), Anthony Suttonwood (Banjo/ Harmonica), and A.B. Glubrecht (Fiddle). The band has toured the United States and Canada over the last two years and been able to delight audiences with original music from an era mostly forgotten in today’s music scene.” ~ Patch.com

Farm and Fun Time
2019-07-11 19:00 - 21:00
BCM presents Radio Bristol’s Farm & Fun Time live variety show featuring musical guests Chuck Mead & His Grassy Knoll Boys and Kelsey Rae.
Date: Thursday, July 11, 2019
Time: 7:00 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: $30
BUY TICKETS
Radio Bristol brings back appointment programming with Farm &Fun Time, a throwback to the golden era of radio when families crowded around their consoles to enjoy live variety shows filled with music and laughter. Farm & Fun Time pays homage to the classic WCYB Radio program that broadcasted from Bristol in the 1940s and 1950s. The show helped launch the careers of Curly King, The Stanley Brothers, and Jim & Jesse McReynolds.
Farm & Fun Time features live musical guests and a Farm Report segment highlighted regional farmers working to preserve their way of life. Friends share recipes and great stories from their Southern tables in the Heirloom Recipe segment, and house band Bill & the Belles delights audiences with their vintage radio sponsor jingles.
Listeners are invited to be part of the studio audience for Farm & Fun Time, recorded live from the “acoustically perfect” Performance Theater at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Historic Downtown Bristol, VA-TN, tune in online at ListenRadioBristol.org, or view the show on Radio Bristol’s Facebook Live.

About Chuck Mead:
Chuck Mead is a Country singer with a rock ‘n’ roll heart. He’s also a renowned songwriter, producer, music director, musicologist and architect behind the rebirth of Lower Broadway and the global neo-traditional country music movement.
A Kansas native, Chuck has been at the forefront of Americana music for the better part of 25 years. Perhaps best known for co-founding the famed ‘90s alternative country quintet, BR5-49, who’s 7 albums garnered a CMA Award for Best International Touring Act and three Grammy nominations, helped build an indelible bridge between authentic American Roots music and millions of fans worldwide.
Since then he’s toured the globe, entertained thousands on the high seas, released 3 solo albums, made 137 appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, co-produced critically acclaimed tribute albums to Johnny Cash & Waylon Jennings, acted as Musical Director/Supervisor/Producer of the Broadway hit musical Million Dollar Quartet AND the companion CMT television show Sun Records.
About Kelsey Rae:
Southwest Virginia native singer-songwriter Kelsey Rae Copeland calls Nashville home these days, and she’s been heard around Music City during her residency at The Nashville Palace, a spot known for featuring deep cuts of traditional country, on Broadway at Layla’s and Robert’s Western World, and on Honky Tonk Tuesday Nights at American Legion Post 82, one of the latest venues featuring traditional country music.
Kelsey Rae is creating a buzz in the Music City with her choices of what she sings and who she sings with. She says it’s her heart talking and what she loves as she’s writing and singing 1950s pop country.
She performed in a Patsy Cline tribute event in Nashville the first year living there, and The Bluebird Café shortly before she moved to Music City featuring her 2015 Richard Leigh Songwriting Festival contest winner, “This Old Town.”
Her love of the mountains, Southwest Virginia, and the influences of the Carter family and Dr. Ralph Stanley stay dear and close and are heard in FORTUNE TELLER, her album of original songs that showcases a distinct voice and lyrics that speak to those inspirations and love for the sounds of the music of Patsy Cline, Connie Smith, Anita Carter and Kitty Wells. Included on the album is “Social Media,” her tribute to Dolly Parton.
