Tug Hill Bluegrass Festival - June 12 - 14 in Lowville, NY: Preview

The Tug Hill Plateau lies just west of the Adirondack Park, separated by the Black River. This beautiful region is renowned for the impressive depths of its winter snow, which has turned it into a popular destination for snow mobilers in the winter. The Tug Valley Bluegrass Festival has been held in Lowville for eight years, and will boast a solid lineup of national and regional bands for this year's event. We will drive over from the eastern Adirondacks for Friday to see our friends Darin & Brooke Aldridge, but this surely looks like a good way to celebrate Father's Day weekend.  Host band, The Atkinson Family, is quite familiar to us, as we've seen them in various New York and New England events. I'm certain they'll show you a good time. 

The Lineup

The Grascals (Th)

Award winning and highly entertaining, the Grascals are sure to light up Thursday evening at Tug Hill. Be sure to catch their show and the excitement they bring with them. The addition of Adam Haynes to this already fine band has brightened up the left side of the stage.

Darin & Brooke Aldridge (Fri)

Darin & Brooke Aldridge originated as a largely gospel band in North Carolina, and have broadened their repertoire, extending their musical range. Adding Becky Buller to the band has brought a whirlwind of creative energy, lifting them still further. Brooke Aldridge has one of the finest voices in bluegrass music, while Darin's mandolin and guitar work is much in demand.

Becky Buller

Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers (Fri)

Joe Mullins (shown here with Mike Kelly and Dwayne Sparks) is an experienced radio broadcaster whose station in Dayton, Ohio has featured bluegrass and country music for two generations. A member of the original Longview, he is well-recognized as a master of Scruggs style banjo. They were named IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year in 2012.

Audie Blaylock & Redline (Fri)

Audie Blaylock & Redline are noted for their high energy, hard core bluegrass strongly influenced by Jimmy Martin, with whom Audie did a significant stint. No one works harder than Blaylock, who can be counted on for a first rate performance. Patrick McAvinue on fiddle has been a significant part of this band for seven years. 

Mike Compton (Fri & Sat)

Mike Compton is renowned as one of the foremost practitioners and teachers of Monroe Style mandolin in the world. A look at his schedule indicates his value to continuing Bill Monroe's legacy. He will present solo performances on Friday and Saturday and conduct a workshop on Saturday. If you're a mandolin player, don't miss the opportunity to learn from a master teacher and performer.

The Crowe Brothers (Sat)

Featuring their unique sounding mountain style bluegrass, The Crowe Brothers have emerged from North Carolina's Maggie Valley, becoming an entertaining national band. Steve Sutton on banjo is a standout.

Jeanette & Johnny Williams (Sat)
Jeanette Williams

Johnny & Jeanette Williams are seasoned entertainers. Coming from southwestern Virginia, they sing and play with a distinctive style. Jeanette has one of the finest singing voices around, while Johnny's rhythm guitar is much sought after. He's also well known as a record producer. They're musically high quality and personally delightful.

Johnny Williams

Bob Amos & Catamount Crossing (Sat)

Bob Amos, formerly lead singer with Front Range in the nineties and early 21st century, is back on the national stage. Last year's new CD is excellent, and he will be campaigning in support of his new CD, released last week, mostly in New England and New York. I expect this band to have a wider audience soon.

The Atkinson Family (All Three Days)

Host band The Atkinson Family will be present on the stage and around the grounds all weekend. Make sure to say hello to them and thank them for this high level event in northern New York.

Other bands include Lake Effect Bluegrass, Lost Time, Ethan Bates, and The Lindsey Family.

The Details

Festival tickets cost $65 per person with free rough camping. For further ticketing information, look here. The grounds open for camping at 9:00 A.M. on Thursday morning. See the camping policy here. 

How to Get to Tug Hill

click on the o in the map and place your location

We're looking forward to driving over to Tug Hill to visit it for the first time. The location is convenient to much of central and western New York as well as the Adirondack region. Hope to see you there.