2025 Mountain Shadow Music Festival

 Laura Boosinger with Josh Goforth will be our guests at 10am on Sunday morning, August 3rd. 

 “Laura Boosinger’s concert performances and recordings have earned for her a well-deserved reputation as one of North Carolina’s most talented singers and interpreters of the music of the Southern mountains.  Conventions, festivals, workshops and family concerts each provide a unique opportunity to showcase Laura’s talents as she features a variety of traditional stringed instruments, including old-time banjo, guitar, Appalachian dulcimer and fingerstyle Autoharp.” '

 She will be joined by Josh Goforth.  

 “Josh Goforth is a highly accomplished storyteller and acoustic musician playing close to 20 different instruments. After high school he went to East Tennessee State University to study music education with a Euphonium concentration, and to be a part of ETSU's famous Bluegrass and Country Music Program.” 

 This will be a very special performance and we are honored to have them at our festival!

Hailing from the Piedmont region of North Carolina, Stepside Deluxe has forged a creative path in music stemming from their influences of Roots, Rockabilly and the Honky-Tonk twang of Bakersfield, California, also known as Nashville West. Comprised of frontman Bil Jones, multi-

instrumentalist Randy Saxon, bassist Chris Rogers and percussionist Rick Cutshaw, these musicians are at the core of the talented band of brothers who are dedicated to the traditions of honest country music. Rounding out the troupe is steel guitarist Jim Ashton and lead guitarist Gary Fletcher who bring their seasoned craft and experience to the stage. Performing continuously since their formation in 2011, Stepside Deluxe has developed a sound that has been affectionately dubbed by their fans as ‘Hot Rod Honky Tonk’. They play a mix of festivals, corporate functions, public and private events along with their favorite .... the honky-tonks .... really anywhere folks enjoy rich and creative music with of course .... TWANG!

Dani Kerr & The Skeleton Krew is an electric, high-energy group who have made a name for themselves with their unique blend of soul-powered southern rock ‘n‘roll. The Krew are best known for their raw and untamed performances, melding elements of southern rock, hard rock, soul, blues, funk & jazz.  Heavily influenced by the music of the 70s, and featuring the distinctive vocals of powerhouse singer Dani Kerr, the band has quickly developed their reputation as one of the ‘must see’ bands for anyone who loves great live music.   

One of our two repeat performers every year, Acoustic Citizens have put together a great group of musicians that perform a wonderful variety of tunes. Eva is the lead singer and plays recorder, Peter is lead and rhythm guitar, Mike Blevins is on rhythm guitar, Jimmy Granfortuna on banjo, Kenny Loftis on bass and States Lee on mandolin. Everybody sings except Peter and we’re okay with that.

Seriously, these folks are playing more gigs and we can’t wait to see what they come up with for the 2025 Mountain Shadow Music Festival!

 The 2025 Mountain Shadow Music Festival is proud to announce the addition of Carolina Detour to the Saturday lineup! We have heard them a couple times at Piedmont Folkways and loved their music. We absolutely want to support up and coming musicians and these kids are special! 

   “With a passion for creating captivating melodies and weaving heartfelt lyrics sure to pull on your #heartstrings, Carolina Detour transcends genres blending elements of #folk #gospel #country #bluegrass and #rock … Hailing from #NorthCarolina … performing at legendary venues and festivals including #Floydfest  #ShakoriHills #TheCaverns, and #Merlefest their music reflects the diverse landscapes and experiences that have shaped their artistic journey. From soulful ballads to foot-stomping anthems, with each performance they prove that age is no barrier to creating soul-stirring music that resonates with listeners worldwide. Keep an eye on Carolina Detour as they continue to chart their own path in the ever-evolving world of music! 

This convoy consists of Lake Carver, Tae Childress, Lyla Cherry, Cooper Eades, and brothers Malachi and Elijah Bulman. You’re sure to enjoy your journey with Carolina Detour at the wheel!!”

 The 2025 Mountain Shadow Music Festival is thrilled to announce the addition of “The Quiet Rebels” to our Friday night lineup! They will be touring in the USA next year and they reached out to us from their home in Switzerland. This will be a very special treat that you will not want to miss! 

Marc Gerber is a trained interior decorator, but his passion for music has already started at seven years old, when he began playing the guitar. From 1993 until today, he has played in countless bands and formations. Marc is one of the most sought-after guitarists in Switzerland.  He has also been a guest musician with the Krüger Brothers. One of Marc Gerber's highlights certainly is playing in Polo Hofer's band from 2009 to 2015. Marc travelled through the USA with Swiss Accordion Player Daniel Thürler and bassist Alfred Mosimann and recorded at the legendary Sun Studio in Memphis. At the invitation, the trio played a concert at the “Carolina in The Fall” Festival in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. This magical performance was repeated in 2023.

Jsa Strauss trained as a florist and gardener, finding her passion for art not only in music but also in flowers and nature. Since 1985 she has been singing in various Swiss cover bands such as “Fishing for Compliments”, “HotIce” and “Skinny Peppers”, in the folk, rock and blues genres. She is currently on the road with her partner Marc Gerber in the duo the “Quiet Rebels” and the band “Markus Aerni & Sweet Trouble”, with musical influences from country, folk and Americana. Markus Aerni describes Jsa on his homepage: Smooth as silk, sweet as honey. When Jsa starts with her powerful voice and her wonderful vibrato, the place gets quiet. Or loud. In any case, you can never get enough of her....

Joining us again in 2025 will be Roger W Anderson! He was supposed to join us this past festival but ended up having open heart surgery. His band, Sofa Kings, performed without him and did a great job. It’s tough when your lead singer has to back out at the last minute. He is still recovering and we send him healing vibes.

We never know what Rog will put together but it is always upbeat and fun Americana funk. Get well soon Rog!

Closing out opening night at the 2025 Mountain Shadow Music Festival will be the amazing Michael Federal.

This past year Michael did me a favor and did the Jimmy Buffett and John Prine tributes to open our Saturday show. We had a record early crowd and the show was great including Tom Kuhn and Jim Ashton! Then we had a last minute cancellation for Sunday morning and Michael agreed to fill in along with Tom Kuhn. His originals and covers captured the audience!

  So, in a rare two-year-in-a-row appearance we will have Michael return. He hasn’t worked out the details but will put together some other musicians and do more of his fabulous originals and other crowd favorites. Get ready to dance, sing and have a fun time!

 We are thrilled to announce that the Saturday night headliner for the 2025 Mountain Shadow Music Festival will be the return of Mojo Parker! Mojo who played at our 2023 festival and was a huge hit!

  We haven’t worked out the details yet but Mojo has committed to the 2025 Festival. We’re hoping to get the FULL BAND!

  Stay tuned….

     The 2025 Mountain Shadow Music Festival is pleased to announce our opening act for the festival!

     Local musician Glenn Goodnight will start us off on Friday night with his relatively new “Solo” act. Besides being a singer/songwriter, Glenn also does his own take on some popular covers.

     “Glenn Goodnight an original singer/songwriter who’s recently upped his slide game to bring you that deep delta blues. The founding member of the Goodnight Brothers band, he’s taken his groovy funk tunes along with his love and inspiration from blues players such as Hound Dog Taylor and Mississippi John Hurt to bring you an eclectic raw sound that will get your feet stomping and your hips moving. Don’t miss the opportunity to catch his solo act where he showcases his original melodic songs.”

     This is a great addition to our growing fabulous lineup for 2025!

  The 2025 Mountain Shadow Music Festival is ecstatic about the addition of The Wilder Flower to the Sunday lineup of next year’s festival! While each of them is an accomplished instrumentalist, we are totally in love with their beautiful harmonies!  

   The Wilder Flower has been building a sound together since meeting in 2020 at the Hagood Mill Fiddlers Convention, where each member has taken home multiple blue ribbons. The band's musical chemistry developed easily during their first practice, and they've been refining their sound and show ever since. 

    The Wilder Flower blends Folk, Americana, Bluegrass, and Old-time influence into something new and fluid. They thrive vocally on three-part harmonies, whether a two-chord old-time ballad, or a modern, minor-filled melody, and instrumentally feature bluegrass banjo tunes, fiddle and clawhammer string-band songs, flatpicking guitar, and everything in between. Their unique sound is centered around original songs and tunes that are thoughtfully arranged and adapted to showcase their tasteful instrumental sensibilities. They flex between genres and writers in each song, but there is something to their collective taste that speaks the same language, though switching dialects.

    If you've been to a show, you know how lively they are on stage. With years of experience dating back to their early teenage years, they are natural performers. As a band they enjoy engaging with audiences, telling stories, and opening up about their songwriting and musical process. Because of this openness, they create a meaningful shared experience with the audience at every show, and often leave people laughing.  Their  loyal audience members joke about returning again and again to their shows because the dialogue on stage is always unpredictable, and unmissable. 

     The 2025 Mountain Shadow Music Festival is thrilled to announce the addition of the Eli Yacinthe Band to the Sunday portion of our festival!

      Eliphete Yacinthe grew up as a church member at Grace Baptist Church in Statesville and we have watched him develop his music through the years. He was a solo artist at our 2016 festival and brought some friends with him to the 2017 festival. For our 2021 Mountain Shadow Music Festival he had put together a fabulous band and performed for us on Sunday afternoon.

     “Eliphete Yacinthe is a North Carolina raised singer, songwriter, producer, and multi instrumentalist. He is currently in his final year at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Inspired by the discography and musicianship of artists such as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, D’Angelo, and more, he has developed a unique sound that pays homage to a myriad of genres. His live band is a large ensemble made up of some of Berklee’s finest musicians. Radical love, peace making, and community building continue to show themselves at the core of his artistry.”

     As we understand it, Eli will attempt to get as many of his Boston band members as he can to come down and play for us on Sunday, August 3rd at 2pm. This WILL be something special for those local folks that have followed him!