Oak Hill, NY – Upstate New York might be knee-deep in snow right now, but plans are already in place for this summer's world famous Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival held each year in the Catskill Mountains. This event is widely known as a Who's Who of Bluegrass Music. Music seekers come from all over the United States and several countries to experience the annual gathering of music, learning, family & friends. Many personal reunions for artists, fans and pickers happen at the beloved and historic event. This year's four-day festival takes place July 16 through 19, 2015 on the picturesque Walsh Farm in Oak Hill, New York. Early camping opens on Wednesday, July 15, with special events for those with full festival camping tickets.
When Grey Fox is fully booked, more than 40 extraordinary bands will perform at this year’s festival. Artists scheduled to appear include multi-Grammy recipients, the Del McCoury Band; Sam Bush; Hot Rize; Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn; The Infamous Stringdusters; Greensky Bluegrass; Steep Canyon Rangers; reigning IBMA Entertainers of the Year, Balsam Range; The SteelDrivers; two-time IBMA Entertainers of the Year, the Gibson Brothers; and many more.
Attendees will also get to experience 2013 IBMA Emerging Artists of the Year, the all-female Della Mae; Peter Rowan’s Bluegrass Band; 2014 Grammy nominee Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen; Chatham County Line; Mike Compton & Joe Newberry; The HillBenders, and the west coast’s favorite multi-instrumentalist, Joe Craven.
And the all-star lineup doesn’t stop there. The festival also features a wide range of intriguing talent including Michael Daves & Friends (Noam Pikelny, Brittany Haas, Mike Bub and others); Mr Sun with Darol Anger, Grant Gordy, Joe Walsh and Ethan Jodziewicz; red hot guitar and mandolin duo, Billy Strings & Don Julin; I Draw Slow from Ireland; California’s Front Country; Wood&Wire from Austin, Texas; Boston’s Lonely Heartstring Band; DC’s Love Canon; the Celtic dervish-like Scythian; Albany’s own Jim Gaudet & The Railroad Boys; Americana artists, The Stray Birds; Twisted Pine; dance instructors John Kirk and Trish Miller; and the youngest band to play Grey Fox, The Zolla Boys, along with long-time host band Dry Branch Fire Squad. Still more bands will be announced as they are confirmed, including several Grey Fox Emerging Artist Showcase bands from around the country.
Grey Fox is a homecoming festival. Many friends get together and see each other only at this event. The rest of the year, they are miles, even oceans, apart. Month after month, season after season, they look forward to this special meeting of a family of fans in a special place. That's part of the magic of Grey Fox,"
-- Bob Cherry of Cybergrass.com
There is more than enough fine entertainment to keep festival-goers satisfied all weekend, along with plenty of educational opportunities. Grey Fox is very much about learning: learning to play better, learning to sing harmony, learning to jam, learning to dance, learning yoga and meditation. The Grey Fox Bluegrass Academy for Kids is a free music camp of about 120 youth who learn to play, sing and perform bluegrass during the festival. The academy culminates in a main stage performance on Sunday afternoon. Enriching learning activities abound from opening day through the weekend at multiple tents and stages around the grounds.
Music, hands-on workshops, dance classes, jamming lessons, kids activities, and more can be enjoyed all weekend long at the festival’s many venues—High Meadow, Catskill, Creekside, Family, Slow Jam, and Grass Roots stages. There truly is something for everyone, young and old, musician and non-musician alike. An extensive array of high quality crafts, clothing, imports, artwork, instruments, recordings, services, supplies, sponsor products, festive and ethnic foods, and beverages are for sale in two vendor areas.
New this year on Sunday will be a special benefit concert to help feed hungry families in Greene County. The benefit, called A Taste of Grey Fox, will feature several artists, many collaborations and musical surprises. There will be no tickets sold on Sunday. Instead, admission for A Taste of Grey Fox will be a donation of non-perishable pantry items that will be collected at the gate. Grey Fox is pleased to be partnering with Community Action of Greene County, Inc., the anti-poverty agency that distributes food and supplies to food banks in several communities. Grey Fox invites residents and visitors alike to enjoy Sunday’s musical performances and help feed needy families. Suggested non-perishable pantry items are listed at http://cagcny.org/food-donations/
Grey Fox sells only 4000 full festival tickets, with camping included. ‘Streets’ in the temporary campground are named for Bluegrass Hall of Famers such as Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, Earl Scruggs, Lester Flatt, Doc Watson, and many others. To add excitement, all campers are in the running for the Best Campsite Award, given to the most creative, greenest campsite with the smallest footprint. The prize? A pair of tickets to next year’s festival. Around the grounds, spirited jam sessions happen spontaneously at all hours, day and night, with many of the festival’s performers often joining in.
Mary Tyler Doub has produced Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival (and its predecessor, Winterhawk) since 1985. When asked what keeps her excited about the show year after year, she explains, ”I have two children and Grey Fox is my third. As with my sons, I have watched the festival develop into an event that I’m very, very proud of.” She continues, “It’s thrilling to see bluegrass evolve as it has and to see artists of each generation get better and better. Presenting fresh new talent along with bluegrass music’s top stars to our enthusiastic fans is truly rewarding. I can’t wait to do it again!”
Kimber Ludiker, founder of Grammy-nominated all-female Della Mae says of Grey Fox, “Although the lineup alone WOULD be enough to make it a favorite festival for any music seeker, Grey Fox is more than that. It is the ultimate festival experience—the bluegrass heaven of a campground, the all-night pickin', the inspiring staff, the special musical collaborations, and the general magical atmosphere that is a result of all of these things. For Della Mae, it's like coming home to a family. You have to experience it to know, and once you know, you won't want to miss it.”
Full festival and day tickets, artist bios and videos, what to bring, directions, and more are available at office@GreyFoxBluegrass.com; www.GreyFoxBluegrass.com; 888.946.8495; 315.404.5738; http://www.facebook.com/greyfoxbluegrass