First Ever Woolly Music Fest October 21st
Benefit Concert To Raise Money For Local VFDs




The Lonesome River Band



John Cowan

By Jeff Eason
The Heart Rock Amphitheatre in Banner Elk is preparing for the biggest event in its short history. The luxury venue, located three miles south of downtown Banner Elk, will host a benefit concert in conjunction with the 29th Annual Woolly Worm Festival on Saturday, October 21st from noon to 9 p.m.

The first Woolly Music Fest at Heart Rock Amphitheatre will feature the John Cowan Band, the Lonesome River Band, Laura Blackley and the Love Handles, Lance Mills and the Hillbilly Angels, The Carburetors and several local musical acts.

Tickets for the event are $10 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under. Proceeds from the event will help raise funds for a new fire engine for the Banner Elk Volunteer Fire Department. Funds from the event will also be used to continue a scholarship established in the name of four firefighters who lost their lives in a boating accident off the southern coast of North Carolina earlier this year, and to raise money for the Beech Mountain and Fall Creek Volunteer Fire Departments, as well as several other local charities.

According to Ashley Turchin, an organizer for the Woolly Music Fest and other Heart Rock Amphitheatre events, the new venue held its first concert on July 1, 2006. The amphitheatre seats approximately 1,500 people and features both open and sheltered seating.

“There is a covered pavilion with dueling smokers, bar, food service area, restrooms, tables and fireplace,” said Turchin. “There is also a Cliff Edge Library where you can also see the stage and hear the performers.”

Turchin stated that the four annual events are planned for the new venue: An annual “Red, White and Blue Celebration” on the 4th of July, an August show, a Labor Day Concert and the Woolly Music Fest.

“In addition to the big shows, every Saturday during the summer we have a barbecue with local bands playing,” said Turchin.

The Music Lineup

The John Cowan Band has been a favorite of MerleFest in Wilkesboro since the early days of the festival. Cowan himself was the lead vocalist and bassist of the innovative band New Grass Revival, along with Sam Bush and Bela Fleck.

The current lineup of the John Cowan Band features guitarist Jeff Autry, mandolin player Wayne Benson, fiddler Shad Cobb, and banjo player Noam Pikelny. They play a mixture of new compositions and favorites from Cowan’s vast repertoire.

“For me it’s coming back to something I know really well,” said Cowan. “It’s been a coming home of sorts. We’ve had this lineup of the band for over a year now and the response from the crowds has been overwhelming.”

One of the reasons for that response is that the JCB is first acoustic outfit to fill the void left by the breakup of New Grass Revival.

“It’s pretty darned difficult what we were up to back then,” said Cowan of his former group. “We weren’t really playing bluegrass. We were playing contemporary music on traditional instruments. Our vision was to take acoustic music somewhere new. This incarnation of my band is the first time since New Grass that I’ve felt we could get back to that special place and make magic happen.”

The band’s latest album, New Tattoo, was produced by Jay Joyce and has enjoyed strong radio play since it was released in June. The JCB also recently contributed a track to the new bluegrass tribute to Van Halen called Strummin’ with the Devil.

For the past 15 years the Lonesome River Band has been one of the most popular and influential acts on the bluegrass festival circuit. The original lineup featured Sammy Shelor, Dan Tyminski (now with Alison Krauss & Union Station), Ronnie Bowman and Tim Austin. After many personnel changes and IBMA awards, the current lineup includes Shelor, Barry Berrier, Shannon Slaughter and Jeff Parker. Although the quartet has only been together since the beginning of 2006, it retains many of the essential ingredients of the original combo.

“These guys have the same muscular sort of rhythm we had back then, and our trio singing is just as strong,” said Shelor. “Like the early days, we fit together well from the start, and each player quickly finds what needs to be played on every song.”

The Laura Blackley Band has been cranking out bluesy rock for the better part of the last decade. This western North Carolina act’s latest album, Liquid Courage, has been described as “like a rock tumbled by a cool Appalachian stream, honed smooth, but with enough rough edges to give it character.”

“This record is based on the songs, stories, and way of life of the people I grew up with in the rural Northern Neck Peninsula of eastern Virginia—with a few sketches of folks I’ve met since I left home,” said Blackley. Citing writing influences as disparate as Barbara Kingsolver and Hank Williams, Blackley has become a storytelling songwriter with a unique and strong voice.

The Carburetors formed in early 2002 and the quartet features Jay Goree, Mark Warwick, Bill Munoz and Duke Domingue. The band blends western swing, rockabilly, Latin rhythms and sweet three-part harmony singing. The band started out playing in clubs around their Asheville home but has now widened their circle of touring to include the entire Southeast. The Carburetors recently released their debut album, Tell My Mama I Was Here, on the Chicken Fried Music Label.

Lance Mills and the Hillbilly Angels is a new western North Carolina band featuring former members of the bands the Greasy Beans, High Windy and the Emma Gibbs Band.

Woolly Music Fest

The Woolly Music Fest is part of a series of weekly barbecues John and Susan Turchin have been hosting at The Lodges of Eagles Nest every Saturday throughout the summer. The festival is open to the public and folks are encouraged to “bring family and friends to explore the charming town of Banner Elk, attend the 29th Annual Woolly Worm Festival, and to enjoy the majestic beauty of The Lodges at Eagles Nest where the mountains will come alive with live music, featured artists, and lots of fall surprises and fun.”

For more information, visit www.eaglesnestbe.com, or call (828) 898-8645 ext. 245.