Hidden Gem: Music Venues Among Region's Attractions

RHYTHM & ROOTS REUNION

It’s amazing what a little pickin’ and grinnin’ can lead to.
For the past six years, Bristol’ Rhythm & Roots Reunion has successfully anchored its annual three-day street music fest on its country and bluegrass traditions.
During two hot weeks in the summer of 1927, the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers and 17 other artists came together in Bristol to record what is now known as the “Big Bang of
Country Music.” Today, the influence of “Mountain Music” can be heard each September through the eclectic mix of rock n’ roll, blues and gospel artists who hit the stages during the festival. Vendors line both sides of State Street, receiving increasing exposure and tourism dollars from visitors as far away as Australia and Japan.
For more details, call (423) 573-4898 or go to www.reunion@ bristolrhythm.com.

RALPH STANLEY MUSEUM

The Ralph Stanley Museum and Traditional Mountain Music Center is in a century-old, four-story home in Clintwood, Va. Its mission is to preserve and promote bluegrass and mountain music.
An interactive musical journey devised by curators allows visitors to see and hear this particular style of American music in one of its original settings – the mountains of Southwest
Virginia.
Stanley was born in Dickenson County, Va., where he still resides when he’s not on the road. After 55 years in the business, he’s still the best banjo picker and tenor singer in bluegrass music. His band, The Clinch Mountain Boys, currently live in scattered communities in the mountains of Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky.
For information, call (276) 926-8550 or (276) 926-5591 or go to www.ralphstanleymuseum.com.

DOWN HOME

Where else but at Johnson City’s Down Home can you find an “open hoot” every Wednesday?
Since it opened in 1976, Down Home has become a mecca for music lovers in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Of course, the “hoot” is the Down Home description
of an audience-participation show.
The 150-seat establishment offers an eclectic mix of acoustic, bluegrass, blues, jazz, rock and folk music, as well as poetry readings and films.
The venue places an emphasis on quality music and an atmosphere that promotes listening rather than socializing. There is plenty of time for friendly conversation before the show and between sets. With an excellent sound system suspended from the ceiling, the club is a favorite of performers as well as listeners.
The Down Home is an East Tennessee institution, having served the Tri-Cities for going on 30 years as the premier venue for all things acoustic.
For information, call (423) 929-9822 or go to
www.downhome.com.

THE COUNTRY CABIN IN NORTON, VA.

It all started in a cabin one Saturday night in 1937 as a small gathering of bluegrass and country pickers. The Country Cabin, with its descendant Country Cabin II, is the oldest mountain music/cultural venue currently operating along The Crooked Road, Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail.
The popularity of the weekly event soon outgrew the log cabin and in 2002, a new and larger facility was built in nearby Appalachian Traditions Village. In addition to clogging classes and a Saturday night show, the Cabin hosts the Dock Boggs Memorial Festival, held annually the second Saturday in September.
A new building aimed at accommodating larger music events, is coming soon. A small mountain church will be used as a wedding chapel, a museum will tell the Country Cabin story, and there will be an outdoor
amphitheater.
For information, call (276) 679-2632 or go to www.appalachiantraditions.net.

THE PICKIN’ PORCH

The Pickin’ Porch Show is a weekly two-hour Bluegrass and Old-Time music show hosted by “Your Bluegrass Buddy” Tim White. Every Thursday night at 7, between 250 to 400 people gather at the Comfort Systems USA Performance Center in the Bristol Mall in the Pledge of Allegiance. While there, they get to see and hear some of the very best singers, musicians and groups to be found anywhere.
Most musicians hail from the Bristol area. The mission of the Pickin’ Porch is to honor the region’s deep musical roots and to promote bluegrass and “old-time” music. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. The Pickin’ Porch Show
is taped and broadcast in areas of Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee courtesy of HTV Network.
For more information, go to www.pickinporch.org. or e-mail questions and comments to contact@pickinpo rch.org.

SONG OF THE MOUNTAINS

“Song of the Mountains,” an award-winning bluegrass concert series, makes its home at The Lincoln Theatre in Marion, Va.
“Song of the Mountains” incorporates both traditional and contemporary performance styles in featuring old-time and bluegrass music from the region’s brightest stars. All shows are staged at the restored 1929 Mayan Revival-style theater with seating for 500 and state-ofthe- art computerized sound and lighting systems.
The concert series showcases the best talents in bluegrass and old-time music from the heart of the region. Public Television affiliates throughout the country air the performances.
The Lincoln Theatre features a year-round program of performing arts events, and is also available as a rental venue to professional touring companies, individual artists and regional groups.
For more information, call The Lincoln Theatre box offi ce at (276) 783-6093 or visit www.thelincoln.org.