This past weekend marked the 7th Annual Spring Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance (they also hold one in the fall).
The Shakori family was kind enough to throw some press passes at WKNC so that we could do a little exploring, and we had a great time!
It’s four days of camping and music in a very laid back, family atmosphere. When the MC took the stage he made a short announcement to the effect of “We don’t care what you drink, just put it in a cup so the kids can’t see. Also, we don’t care what you smoke, just please don’t do it within 25ft of the stage, we have a lot of children up here”. Good enough for me!
There were some incredible acts, including the legendary Dr. Ralph Stanley and his Clinch Mountain Boys. The good doctor has been touring since 1946 and won three Grammys for his contributions to the soundtrack to “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”. I was lucky enough to meet the Father of Mountain Soul at a filming of PBS’s Mountain Stage in Bristol, TN/VA in 2006 and seeing him again in this personal setting was the highlight of my weekend!
Other acts included folk artist Des Ark, ambient world-grass The Overtakers (another highlight for me), The New Familiars, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Big Fat Gap and of course the festival-founders themselves, Donna the Buffalo. Music of all types was present; folk, bluegrass, jazz, soul, reggae and hip-hop.
The festival had plenty of other activities aside from the concerts as well. A poetry slam, morning yoga classes, and an African drum workshop entertained fans of all ages. Stella and I even got our grooves back at the Elikem African Dance Worshop, (I was definitely the least rythymic person out there).
Overall, a fun time for anyone who had the chance to come out. The perfect weather didn’t hurt either.
To learn more, peep the site.. http://www.shakorihills.org/
Ol’ River Haynes – The Hippie Hour Sundays 2-4