On this shortest day of the year, the eve of the Winter Solstice, and the midpoint between our gatherings of Festivarian Nation in Telluride, we thought we’d (officially) share the beginning of our 41st Telluride Bluegrass Festival lineup…
Sam Bush Band
Bela Fleck and the Colorado Symphony
Brandi Carlile
Yonder Mountain String Band
Andrew Bird & The Hands of Glory featuring Tift Merritt
The Del McCoury Band
Leftover Salmon with Bill Payne of Little Feat
Tim O’Brien & Darrell Scott
Peter Rowan
Keller Williams & the Travelin’ McCourys
John Cowan, John McFee and Friends
Greensky Bluegrass
Aoife O’Donovan
The Lone Bellow
Front Country
Telluride Troubadour
many, many more to be announced…
(And this list is still less than half of the artists who will share the Shellman Stage this June…)
Love that Greenksy has been promoted to an every year talent! This makes it three in a row for them! Now we just need to get the Dusters back every year and we’ll have the two best things in Bluegrass music today! (And that doesn’t even go into the fact that I firmly believe the Dusters are the best string band in the world today, rivaled only by Salmon)
I also love that Billy Payne will be there. His surprise guest spot with Salmon in 2012 is one of my fondest memories and the nightgrass they played together at the Palm is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Now we just need to get the rest of Little Feet there!
Having Mr Cowan back will be fantastic. I like the “friends” spot as that leaves the door wide open for Darrell Scott to join him. Their set together in 2008 is one of the reasons I fell in love with this festival.
And while I absolutely adore the Del McCoury Band, I really like getting to see his boys let loose and forget the rules of traditional bluegrass for a while. Keller will help them do just that!
WOW! great initial lineup! Bela with the Orchestra! Greesnky is back (yessssssss)! Salmon with some Little Feat thrown in! Tim and Darrell! Del! i could just go on and on, which is a great thing… super excited! well done Planet Bluegrass!
Wow! Getting very excited now!! That is quite the initial lineup there!
Railroad Earth has played live sets with Billy Payne last weekend and Peter Rowan a few weeks ago…I’m thinking they should come along to the party to spice up all of the sit-in potential!!..my $0.02!
I wouldn’t be too surprised if they weren’t on the lineup this year. Especially if I’m correct in one of my predictions for a future lineup announcement.
Yes, Punches are notable in their absence, as is Nickel Creek reunion and Thile with ANYBODY. I’m thinkin’ a NC show would be a HUGE addition to the existing lineup
Also missing is that Saturday night “outside the box” headliner. You know, like David Byrne, Dispatch, New Orleans Social Club, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Edward Sharpe, etc. It’s always TOTALLY unexpected and always interesting!