One of the most inspiring and exciting things FreshGrass has done in recent years is implement the friendly competition of the FreshGrass awards. More often than not if you attend one of the battle showcases you end up seeing a band or musician you fall in love with and will be front and center for the following festival year. This year with the line up they have chosen for the award finalists it seems to be no different.
Check out the finalists below and be sure to swing by the competition sets during the festival September 20-22. Tickets are still available.
FreshGrass Band Award FinalistsThe Trailblazers (above): An award-winning band from North Carolina, carrying tradition and pursuing progression, The Trailblazers’ sound was created by friendship and love of music — it continues to evolve as they traverse new trails of sound.
Meadow Mountain: These five close friends have logged thousands of hours playing together. Meadow Mountain has given a TEDx talk on the history of bluegrass, opened for Del McCoury and Sam Bush, and worked as the house band on a cruise ship. Now that’s a resume! Blue Summit: Blue Summit is a genre-fluid band formed in 2016 — a remarkable group of young musicians who all grew up performing in the California bluegrass community. This foursome has been gaining traction with their smooth, earthy sound, sharing their music all over the west coast No Depression Singer-Songwriter Award FinalistsAnna Tivel (above): Anna Tivel reaches for that thread of understanding with her music. There are hundreds of thousands of miles on her touring odometer, each town a tangled web of both heartache and small reasons to believe. Raye Zaragoza: Award-winning singer-songwriter Raye Zaragoza carries an acoustic guitar and a message. You’ll love her quiet yet powerful song, In the River, written in response to the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Abigail Lapell: Call it prairie noir or Canadiana desert rock — Toronto songwriter Abigail Lapell sings haunting, gorgeous modern folk songs. Her sophomore album, Hide Nor Hair, might just knock your socks off.
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