Even as it shifts online this fall, annual bluegrass festival retains its Raleigh roots

While the International Bluegrass Music Association’s annual gathering won’t span the length of Fayetteville Street and fill Red Hat Amphitheater and downtown hotels this year, Raleigh will still play a major role as the event shifts online.

The Friday and Saturday street festival, renamed this year to IBMA Bluegrass Live!, will feature free online programming Oct. 2-3, the same dates it had been scheduled to take place before coronavirus precautions wiped large in-person gatherings off the calendar.

Last year’s World of Bluegrass — the event that includes the street festival as well as the music association’s business conference, awards show and industry showcases — attracted more than 218,000 people, according to Visit Raleigh.

This week, IBMA announced the initial list of performers who will play sets on video as part of the virtual Bluegrass Live! It includes several North Carolina acts, including Steep Canyon Rangers, Chatham County Line, Chatham Rabbits, the Kruger Brothers and Tommy Edwards with Andrew Marlin (Mandolin Orange).

Many of those bands are filming their Bluegrass Live! performances in front of local landmarks like Union Station, the rooftop at The Dillon and World of Bluegrass’ home base for the past seven years, the Raleigh Convention Center.

Performing from their own home bases outside of North Carolina will be The Travelin’ McCourys with Del McCoury, Jerry Douglas and Odessa Settles, and, performing together, Molly Tuttle and Sierra Hull. Lindsay Lou, Phoebe Hunt and Mimi Naja will be performing a set of “songs by bluegrass women,” and members of jam bands Yonder Mountain Stringband, Leftover Salmon and the Infamous Stringdusters will come together for a set as Mountains of Infamous Leftovers.

More performers and a detailed schedule will be announced in the coming weeks on social media and at worldofbluegrass.org. The performances will be aired free on the virtual event platform Swapcard as well as via websites and apps for WRAL and local roots music radio station That Station.

IBMA Bluegrass Live! is produced by Raleigh-based traditional music nonprofit PineCone, and PNC Bank is the event’s presenting sponsor.

This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 2:19 PM with the headline "Even as it shifts online this fall, annual bluegrass festival retains its Raleigh roots."