Darin & Brooke Aldridge Music Festival - Cherryville, NC April 13 & 14

The Darin & Brooke Aldridge Music Festival opens on the festival grounds at Coot Williams Road in Cherryville, NC with a beans and cornbread supper and jam on Thursday evening with music beginning with an open stage on Friday at 3:00 PM and continuing through Saturday. Featured bands will be The Grascals, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, and the Harris Brothers. In line with the promoter's goals, other bands selected from the surrounding region will also perform.  The Schdule and Ticket information can be found here. The Coot Williams Road site is set in a pleasant bowl deep in the country outside Cherryville, NC, just west of Gastonia and Charlotte, NC.  Local churches and organizations provide a variety of well-prepared foods at the Food Shed and a range of vendors is available. 

The Schedule

Friday
3:00 PM 4:00 PM 5:00 PM 6:00 PM 7:00 PM 8:00 PM	Open Stage Dixie Moon Mountain Faith Carolia Foxfire Darin and Brooke Aldridge The Grascals
Saturday
11:00 AM 12:30 PM 1:30 PM 2:30 PM 3:30 PM 4:30 PM 5:30 PM 6:30 PM 7:30 PM 8:30 PM	Darin Aldridge Student Showcases Mirror Image The Hurleys The WBT Briarhoppers The Harris Brothers Unspoken Tradition The Hurleys The WBT Briarhoppers The Harris Brothers Darin and Brooke Aldridge

The Grascals

In only seven years The Grascals have established an enviable record of popularity with their high energy presentation of classic bluegrass and new material written by band members and carefully chosen from contemporary song writers to complement their sound and vibe. They recently performed for the 115th time at the Grand Old Opry and have won most of the major awards offered by IBMA. Kristin Scott Benson was named Banjo Player of the Year for the third consecutive time last September.  Their new CD "Life Finds a Way" has recently been released.

Darin & Brooke with The Grascals

Darin & Brooke Aldridge

The Darin & Brooke Aldridge band has spread its beautiful music across the country in a rapid rise from the obscurity of rural North Carolina.  Maintaining high standards of content while enlarging the scope of their sound, this band has consistently improved as it has widened its appeal. Brooke's soaring voice along with Darin's harmonies and excellent instrumental work are complemented by Rachel Johnson Boyd on fiddle and vocal harmonies, Chris Bryant on banjo and Dwayne Anderson on bass.  Their most recent CD has been on the bluegrass charts for months.  As hosts of this festival, Darin & Brooke will be performing twice as a band while Darin will be presenting his students in recital on Saturday morning.  If you don't already know this delightful couple and their band, come out to meet and greet them in their home territory.

Chris Bryant

 Darin, Brooke, & Rachel

  

Brooke & Rachel

  

Dwayne Anderson

The WBT Briarhoppers

WBT is a news-talk radio station in Charlotte, NC, but it hasn't always had that format. Back in the 1930's, while looking for a hillbilly band to support station programming, the Briarhoppers were formed to provide a band station manager Charles Crutchfield needed.  Since then, literally dozens of musicians have played in this band as it has grown, changed, aged, and renewed itself over the years. The current group will be playing at Darin & Brooke's festival on Saturday. Look for an interesting show as they re-create the sounds, right down to the advertisements, of a radio age long gone, but, for many, not forgotten. See more about the Briarhoppers interesting history here. The Briarhoppers will appear at the Darin & Brooke Festival on Saturday.

The Harris Brothers

Reggie

 Ryan

The Harris Brothers, from nearby Lenoir, NC, always bring a refreshing and interesting twist to music festivals where they appear.  With music ranging from Django Rhinehart to Johnny Cash, bluegrass to jazz to country, they can be counted on for musical excellence and versatility. When Darin Aldridge joins them on stage, magic often happens. 

Mountain Faith

Dixie Moon

We've seen Mountain Faith and Dixie Moon compete in the band contest at RenoFest. While neither won, each acquitted itself well and has moved forward to continue growing and developing.  Enjoy these emerging bands, a specialty of this festival.

Carolina Foxfire

 Unspoken Tradition

Both Carolina Foxfire and Unspoken Tradition are young bands nurtured in the environment of the Catawba Valley Bluegrass Revival and the Bomb Shelter, a local spot where weekly jams occur. Many of the musicians have been or are Darin Aldridge's  students. They play traditional and more contemporary music, covering some of the best new bands, as well as doing some writing, too.  It's fun to watch bands like these develop, spread their wings, and begin to compete in the competitive world of bluegrass music.

The Food Shed

 The Main Tent

 Vendors' Row

How to Get To Coot Williams Road

View Larger Map 

 The Darin & Brooke Aldridge is a relaxed, small festival where attendees can spend a couple of days in a family friendly environment hearing good bluegrass music.  The site has flush toilets and hot showers, but no hookups for campers.  Hope to see you there.