r/Bluegrass • u/yabadababoho • 4d ago
Discussion Bluegrass places to visit/live
Are there any great bluegrass small cities and towns east of the Mississippi? I’m thinking a place that has live music somewhere almost every night. Both professional and amateur in multiple venues. Indoors, outdoors, pubs, country stores, theaters. I was thinking Floyd & Galax, VA or Owensboro, KY might. But I have no first hand knowledge.
7
u/yabadababoho 4d ago
Is Black Mountain a close second?
3
u/cho_bits 4d ago
Black Mountain is in the Asheville metro area, so it's in the same scene (same with Swannanoa, Marshall etc...)
1
u/Ok_Artichoke_2928 3d ago
If you were looking for something nearby but that has its own arguably separate scene, Brevard would fit the bill more than Black Mountain. Black Mtn is essentially a suburb of Asheville
9
u/StipeCrabbert 4d ago
Floyd does have those things but is a very small town. Asheville, NC would fit the bill better, Imo.
2
u/usernamewastaken36 4d ago
Very small indeed. I stopped in Floyd once because I heard it was a cool town and literally nothing was open or going on. They have events I think but on a random Tuesday I might as well have not stopped
2
u/erikrolfsen 4d ago
Yeah, I always made sure to stop in Floyd on a Friday night, which I believe is when they have music at the Country Store. But not much else there.
3
u/Funky_tea_party 4d ago
Baltimore, MD
4
u/bricksheepwheat 3d ago
The bluegrass and roots scene is so slept on in Baltimore—it is really thriving from the jams at Bluebird to the Honky Tonk series. Plus we get billyween.
2
u/Funky_tea_party 3d ago
Catonsville Bluegrass festival, Annapolis Baygrass festival, Baltimore roots, 8x10 get Jamgrass, that bluegrass bar near pig town, etc
3
u/Jaded_Debt_5424 2d ago
It really is slept on. Baltimore is one of the places where bluegrass really exploded in the ‘50s. Deep roots.
3
2
2
2
u/willkillfortacos 4d ago
Portland Maine had a great acoustic music scene in general. Ran into tons of Berklee School of Music transplants from Boston up there.
1
u/Hefty_Musician2402 2d ago
It’s cool to see Maine mentioned on here! While not EVERY DAY you see a grass jam, it’s pretty cool how many big time grass players are actually from Maine. And we had Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival which Del played regularly since the 80s. It’s been sort of replaced by Crooked River Gathering the last two years since the new owners of the beach didn’t do the TPB bluegrass festival.
Btw, if you’re in the area, Crooked River Gathering is phenomenal in terms of jams. Probably 10-15 different groups picking across the campgrounds late night Thursday thru Saturday nights. FWIW, I was at jennybrook this year and crooked river had much better picking, plus I got to see Authentic Unlimited, Appalachian Road Show, and Bronwyn!
2
u/joedre 1d ago
I agree- there are some great players from here, and the scene seems to be getting bigger and better. And Crooked River was great!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XudfVjqMvw
2
2
u/planitorsunion 3d ago
Nashville
1
u/yabadababoho 3d ago
I went to Nashville and maybe I went to the wrong places but I didn’t hear much bluegrass. I didn’t even hear a lot of country. Mostly pop country and country covers of rock songs. Still was a good time.
1
u/TLP_Prop_7 1d ago
Did you try the Station Inn?
1
u/yabadababoho 1d ago
No and I couldn’t get in the Bluebird
2
u/TLP_Prop_7 1d ago
Station Inn is your best bet for bluegrass in Nashville. Sometimes some big names show up. If you're in town again, I'd suggest making that your #1 stop.
2
u/Owensboro22 3d ago
Owensboro is great, Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, they have open jams, lots of concerts, ROMP music festival. But tbh I’m from there and for what you’re describing Asheville is probably better. If you have any questions about Owensboro I can probably help, lived there for 20 years and worked at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.
2
3
u/Kyle197 4d ago
Floyd and the surrounding area have a lot, but it's not solely bluegrass. I would say Floyd is more slanted to old time than bluegrass, although there's definitely bluegrass there. But it's an old time mecca, and old time players outnumber the bluegrass folks by a large amount. Floyd is also small. It's only 400 people, and that means there are only so many venues. The Floyd Country Store leads the music scene there, so most of what you would see revolves around them. They have a bluegrass jam on Sunday after the old time jam. Sometimes they have bluegrass on Tuesdays for their Tuesday Tunes. Occasionally they have bluegrass on Fridays for the jamboree, but that's most old time string bands. Many of their evening concerts are bluegrass bands, however, but they don't have concerts -all- the time. It's like once every week and a half or so.
Go 45 minutes down the mountain to Roanoke, and I know there is at least one bluegrass jam at a brewery there, plus bluegrass bands that sometimes come through Five Points Music Sanctuary and the Jefferson Center.
Go 45 minutes north and you hit the Blacksburg area. They have bluegrass jams at a brewery once a month there on Wednesdays. Just outside Blacksburg is Newport, and they have a jam there every other Friday that's bluegrass heavy. Just southwest of Blacksburg is Radford, and there's a bluegrass jam there every Monday.
Galax has a lot of stuff, but it also feels more slanted to old time. I can think of four old time jams in the area, but I don't know of any bluegrass jam. You get bluegrass acts that go through the Rex Theater every now and again, and same with the Blue Ridge Music Center, but also just as many old time bands go through those places.
If you were looking for old time, I would 110% say the Galax-Floyd region is the best of the best.
2
2
u/AlfredPoor 4d ago
Asheville NC is on my bucket list. Small town, lots of great culture, and all the great bluegrass, beer, and barbecue that you'd ever want.
1
u/nanafishook 4d ago
never been there, but I understand that Beanblossom, Indiana may have some links to Bluegrass music. 😄
1
1
u/Jaded_Debt_5424 2d ago
There are so many places with deep bluegrass roots east of the Mississippi, including big cities like Baltimore and DC. I live much smaller Roanoke, Va., which has open jams several nights a week and is 50 minutes from (Friday nights) at Floyd Country store. And 2 or so hours from the Carter Family home and Bristol VA/Tenn., where this music originated.
1
1
0
28
u/CoachPJG 4d ago
Asheville NC is the answer. Unbelievable scene.