The 2026 Festival will be August 7th, 8th & 9th, 2026
2026 Mountain Shadow Music Festival
The 2026 Mountain Shadow Music Festival!
The 2026 Mountain Shadow Music Festival was FANTASTIC! Pictures and comments are coming soon!
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THE OFFICIAL 2026 Mountain Shadow Music Festival FLYER
THE 2026 Mountain Shadow Music Festival FLYER
THE OFFICIAL 2026 Mountain Shadow Music Festival FRIDAY SCHEDULE
THE OFFICIAL 2026 Mountain Shadow Music Festival FRIDAY SCHEDULE
THE OFFICIAL 2026 Mountain Shadow Music Festival SATURDAY DAYTIME SCHEDULE
THE OFFICIAL 2026 Mountain Shadow Music Festival SATURDAY DAYTIME SCHEDULE
THE OFFICIAL 2026 Mountain Shadow Music Festival SATURDAY NIGHT SCHEDULE
THE OFFICIAL 2026 Mountain Shadow Music Festival SATURDAY NIGHT SCHEDULE
THE OFFICIAL 2026 Mountain Shadow Music Festival SUNDAY SCHEDULE
THE OFFICIAL 2026 Mountain Shadow Music Festival SUNDAY SCHEDULE
Mountain Shadow Music Festival HEADLINER
The Kruger Brothers
- “Originally from Switzerland, brothers Uwe and Jens Kruger began playing North American folk music at an early age and were particularly inspired by recordings of Doc Watson, Flatt and Scruggs, Bill Monroe, and other progenitors of country, bluegrass and folk music. Their first public performances were as a duo, busking on the streets of cities throughout eastern and Western Europe. After gaining a recording contract as well as a radio show on SRG SSR, the Swiss public broadcaster, they teamed up with bass player Joel Landsberg, inaugurating a trio that has been playing professionally together since 1995. Landsberg is an American citizen from New York, NY. The first re- cording project to include Landsberg was Behind the Barn, Vol. 2, released in 1997. The Kruger Brothers moved to the United States in 2002, and are based in Wilkesboro, NC.
- The group is highly regarded within the world of acoustic music in North America, in particular by those within the industry. They have also gained the attention of some of the musicians, including Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, Tut Taylor, and Bobby Hicks, that once served as models. Watson has said, “The Kruger Brothers are just about as fine a band as I’ve ever played with. ... I love to play music with them.”
- In 2013, Jens Kruger was named the fourth recipient of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music. The prize, created and endowed by Martin, recognizes “outstanding accomplishments in the field of five-string banjo,” Jens was selected by a committee that included Martin, Pete Wernick, Béla Fleck, Alison Brown, J.D. Crowe, Tony Trischka and others.
- Jens Kruger has been inducted to the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame, and has been nominated for Banjo Instrumentalist of the year by the International Bluegrass Musician Association (IBMA) in 2014 and has received commissions for his ensemble compositions that include through the National Endowment for the Arts and Chamber Music America.”
- Jonah Horton : “An improviser at heart from the mountains of North Carolina, Jonah Horton blends his wide array of influences such as Joni Mitchell, Sam Bush, John McLaughlin, Jaco Pastorius, and Béla Fleck to create his signature sound that is easily recognizable whether he is playing mandolin or bass. As a sideman, he has worked with John Cowan (Newgrass Revival, The Doobie Brothers), The Krüger Brothers, Joseph Henson (US Army Blues), Charles Billingsly, and Scott Vestal (Sam Bush Band). His love for performance, when paired with his passion
- This will be the highlight of over ten years of planning and presenting the Mountain Shadow Music Festival! We are so excited to have the Krüger Brothers and hope you are too!
Jon Shain with FJ Ventre
Jon Shain with FJ Ventre
- The 2026 Mountain Shadow Music Festival is pleased to announce the addition of Jon Shain with FJ Ventre as our Friday night headliner. Jon and FJ have performed numerous times in our amphitheater and they are always a crowd favorite.
- “Hailing from Durham, NC, Jon Shain is a veteran singer-songwriter who’s been turning heads for years with his words, his fiery acoustic guitar work, and his evolved musical style – combining improvised piedmont blues with bluegrass, swing, and ragtime. Jon has released nine solo albums to date, along with two albums with duo partner FJ Ventre, a Jon Shain Trio live album, and one album of co-writes with Joe Newberry. Shain’s newest album, Restless Soul Syndrome, recorded at Good Luck Studio this past year, was released April 9, 2024. Shain is also the author of the music books Gettin’ Handy With the Blues – a Tribute to the Legacy of W.C. Handy and Jon Shain’s Fingerstyle Guitar Method, both published by Mel Bay Publications. In 2019, Shain won the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN in the solo/duo category.”
- “FJ Ventre began playing music with Jon in 1982 when they met in high school and have developed a brotherly connection that continues to this day. Ventre went to University of Massachusetts-Lowell, earning a B.A. in Music Performance and Sound Recording and remained for some time in the Boston area, performing in the city's vibrant music scene. Since relocating to Chapel Hill, NC in 2000, Ventre has performed with his own group The Swang Brothers, as well as with Chris Stamey, Wes Collins, Huzzah, and a who's who of NC music groups. In addition to being a sought-after bassist, Ventre spends his time behind the mixing board, producing and engineering at his own Good Luck Studio as well as writing his own songs. Presenters note: Ventre is pronounced ven-tree.”
His & Hers
His & Hers
- The 2026 Mountain Shadow Music Festival is thrilled to announce the addition of His & Hers to their Sunday lineup!!
- “His & Hers is a folk Americanagrass band from North Carolina lead by spouse duo, Caleb and Sara Davis. Featuring Drew Willardson on bass and Bucky Keener on drums, His & Hers has played their original blend of folk, bluegrass, country and jamming blues at venues and festivals across the southeast region. They have multiple studio releases and are currently working on their next full length project.”
- Besides playing at MerleFest, His & Hers has performed locally at Carolina in the Fall, Reeves Theater, the Daniel Boone Festival and at our very own Piedmont Folkways.
- We look forward to hearing them at 2pm on Sunday, August 9th, 2026.
Coddle Creek
Coddle Creek
- The 2026 Mountain Shadow Music Festival is thrilled to announce the addition of Coddle Creek to our Sunday lineup.
- Coddle Creek is a high energy creekgrass band from the foothills of NC in beautiful Coddle Creek! It's traditional bluegrass music with a kick,we like to play fast and let our light shine bright!!! The sweet harmonies and dueling acoustic guitars of longtime friends Travis Weddington and Adam Lawrence are like no other.
- Travis Weddington is from Coddle Creek, NC. He grew up playing traditional bluegrass with his family. Travis then got bit by the blues bug, under the wing of Rusty Barkley in the Part Time Blues Band. Shortly thereafter, Travis started ripping up electric guitar leads for the "improvisational project band Duk Tan”. His vocals songwriting and acoustic guitar licks are the icing on the cake in Coddle Creek.
- With his original songs, vocals, and acoustic guitar picking, Adam Lawrence is a large part of the sweet sounds of Coddle Creek. After hearing recordings at a young age of his father, Jack Lawrence, and the late Doc Watson, Adam dove into the guitar and hasn't looked back. He has had the honor to play on stage with many of the great flatpickers of our time, which only increases his desire to play. Adam’s influences include the late Doc Watson and his father, Jack Lawrence, to Django Reinhardt, Clarence White, Bryan Sutton, Stephen Mougin and far too many others to include. Adam also enjoys branching out with many different genres, from progressive blues and most recently jam bands. Adam continues to redefine and create his own style of flatpicking with traveling and playing any kind of music nationwide.
- Steven Davidson has been all around this great country of ours and played with some of the living legends of our time. He's toured around with Spongecake and the Fluff Ramblers holding down the low end but barely holding his eyes open behind the wheel of their slow moving van! Steven has twice the strings now and he's using every one of them and chucking his way along with the Coddle Creek crew! He's a well rounded musician and the perfect fit for this group of misfits, plus, the Mandolin makes him look alot bigger than the bass does!
- See y'all at the show!!!
Cindy and Randy Floyd with Gene Pharr
Cindy and Randy Floyd with Gene Pharr
- The 2026 Mountain Shadow Music Festival is pleased to announce the addition of the Cindy & Randy Floyd & Gene Pharr Trio to our festival lineup!
- The CRG Trio - Cindy and Randy Floyd and Gene Pharr have been entertaining audiences for ten plus years with their soulful blend of Motown, soul, blues, beach music and oldies. Gene Pharr brings extensive experience as the lead performer for the Charlotte-based band, Continental Divide. In 2016 Gene was inducted into the Carolina Beach Music Awards Hall of Fame.
- Cindy, lead vocalist and Randy lead guitarist performed and recorded with the legendary Billy Scott and The Party Prophets for almost twenty years touring up and down the East Coast. While collaborating with Billy Scott, Cindy received multiple nominations for Carolina Beach Music Awards. They also toured and recorded with national recording artist Danny Woods, an original member of The Chairmen of The Board.
- The CRG Trio has performed throughout Iredell County at venues such as Daveste Vineyards, Statesville Country Club, Ristos, Cedar Stump and Wine Maestro, as well as class reunions, private events, festivals, and weddings. They also performed on several occasions at the renowned Dirty Dancing Festival in Lake Lure, North Carolina.
- These seasoned local favorites will open our 2026 festival at 5pm on Friday, August 7th. This news also completes our blockbuster opening night with Cindy & Randy Floyd & Gene Pharr, The Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs and Jon Shain with FJ Ventre!
Billy Jones & Jim Ashton
Billy Jones & Jim Ashton
- Billy Jones has been making his way across the Carolinas with a six-string guitar and a suitcase full of well-crafted tunes for the last two decades. Whether he’s performing solo or in his dynamite trio (The Pocket) or his other low country bluegrass trio (Broken Arrows) , Jones always delivers with danceable rhythms and an intimate delivery that makes every venue a living room. Jones pens songs that reflect the deep musical roots of his native Carolina Piedmont. His ears are tuned to a broader, global wavelength. Equal parts folk and rhythm and blues; his songs paint streetscapes of downtown Americana and offer reflections of a journey well traveled.
- The pedal steel guitar came to Jim’s attention next after hearing Jerry Garcia’s wonderful arrangement on the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song ‘Teach Your Children’.
- Originally hailing from Derwood, Maryland Jim Ashton picked up the guitar at the early age of 12. He quickly moved on to the banjo three years later after hearing the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s 1972 release ‘Will the Circle Be Unbroken’.
- The pedal steel guitar came to Jim’s attention next after hearing Jerry Garcia’s wonderful arrangement on the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song ‘Teach Your Children’.
- Jim has played multiple genres on multiple instruments all over the U.S. He is sought after as both a session player and producer in the studio. Jim is also much in demand on the stage and currently divides his time playing with Jonathan Birchfield, Nashville artist Lacy Green, and Gaston County based Stepside Deluxe. When he is not writing, recording, producing or playing music, Jim teaches private lessons in the Hickory area.
- Billy and Jim will open the evening session at 5pm on Saturday, August 8th. We are thrilled to have Jim Ashton back and look forward to meeting and hearing Billy Jones.
Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs
Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs - Zack and Kendra Harding
- If Jerry Garcia and Tom Waits made an Appalachian music duo, it might sound a little like the Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs. Hailing from Winston-Salem, NC Zack and Kendra Harding blend the traditional with the trippy to create original music they like to call folk(ish). Officially formed in 2016, the two have played extensively throughout the US, as well as toured internationally. . Their unique blend of sounds and easygoing personalities have recently earned the duo slots at Mill Farm Music Party (UK), Front Porch Fest, Rockwood Music Hall, Piedmont Folkways, and more.
- While the Bugs know that only tacos and pets can make everyone happy, they aim to create a concoction of sounds that gets a lot of toes tapping and heads bobbing, and maybe make a few friends along the way. When not performing, the two can be found hiking the foothills and mountains of North Carolina with their two dogs, Joni and Moon Moon, and playing the nerdiest video games imaginable.
- Kendra Harding- vocals, guitar, melodica, the Boom-Tak
- The child of a shoegaze guitarist and a Sonic the Hedgehog speedrunner (before it was cool), Kendra is an old soul with an eye toward the future. She thought of herself as a solo artist until she met Zack on a snowy night in 2014, when she started thinking a duo might not be so bad.
- Her influences run the gamut from Regina Spektor to Nobuo Uematsu, and she loves creating all kinds of music, not just what you hear in BMLB.
- Kendra loves a good cup of coffee and tolerates a bad one. When she's not playing or writing music, she can be found playing video games, hiking, or doing her best to master a new recipe she saw on YouTube, usually with mixed results. Kendra loves a good cup of coffee and tolerates a bad one. When she's not playing or writing music, she can be found playing video games, hiking, or doing her best to master a new recipe she saw on YouTube, usually with mixed results.
- Zack Harding- vocals, guitar, mandolin, banjo, harmonica
- Zack hails from the mountains of Western North Carolina, began playing music as a teenager, and has played in a variety of bands since. He's spent countless hours learning instruments, and is a master of switching things up during performance. His influences range from Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, to books he loves, to his personal adventures across the globe.
- He also has experience in musical theatre, and worked with Anam Cara Theatre in Asheville, NC from 2013-2014. Zack performed in the Goblin Market musical, acted and performed in the Rope Burn production, and performed in their adaptation of The Baltimore Waltz.
- Zack is a writer of everything from speculative fiction to non-fiction, with which he often fills his free time. He's also an avid gamer and lover of the outdoors and of dogs. Especially dogs.
IsAac Hickerson and Justin Edwards
Isaac Hickerson and Justin Edwards
- The Mountain Shadow Music Festival is thrilled to announce the addition of Isaac Hickerson and Justin Edwards to the Saturday lineup of this year’s festival!
- Isaac Hickerson is a singer/songwriter based out of Statesville, NC. He is a promising country artist known for his unique, weathered voice and compelling storytelling. Isaac is honing a timeless country sound that captivates audiences. Isaac Hickerson is making a notable impact in the country music scene.
- Click here to visit Isaac's Facebook page
- Justin Edwards is a history teacher, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from eastern North Carolina. In 2025, he released an album called Country Breakfast and he plays banjo in the bluegrass band, Screamin’ Bridge.
- Visit Justin Edward's website by clicking here.
ACOUSTIC CITIZENS
Acoustic Citizens
- The Acoustic Citizens are a staple each year at our festival because of our long friendship and music sharing with Peter & Eva Fritsch. They have been playing together for over 15 years and Bob has played music with Peter for much longer. The current band has been together for about three years now. They consist of Eva on vocals, harmonica and recorders, Peter on guitar and ukulele, Mike Blevins on rhythm guitar and vocals, Jimmy (Doc Tuna) Granfortuna on banjo and vocals, States Lee on mandolin and vocals and Kenny (love) Loftis on bass and vocals.
- Acoustic Citizens perform a variety of genres of music including folk, Americana, ballads and roots music with a hint of bluegrass. They are longtime friends with the Krüger Brothers which is why this year they will play at 7pm on Saturday night, opening for our big headliner, the Krüger Brothers.
- Friendship is a wonderful thing and it’s even better when music is involved. We look forward to the Acoustic Citizens performing again at this year’s festival!
OLD FOLK
Old Folk
- Bob Barber and Gary Joe Wade got together about a year ago to create “Old Folk”, a folk singing duo emphasizing older folk music and protest songs from the 1960’s and ‘70’s. (Bob and his wife Lisa host the festival)
- Gary’s dad started teaching him chords when he was five or six years old. He took Gary to see Jailhouse Rock when he was six, When he got home he wrote his first song. His destiny was to be a rock star. When he was a teenager, he lived in Reno Nevada and had a band called the Westminster‘s that opened for all the big acts that came to town, like the Beau Brummels, Sopwith Camel, Strawberry Alarm Clock and many others. When he got back from the military he started a band with two of his brothers called the Wade Brothers band. They had some regional success, and were voted Reno‘s favorite band five years in a row. Gary was even voted Reno‘s favorite musician a couple of years in the 80s. That morphed into a bigger band with horns and ended up opening for all the major acts that came around Reno in the 80s and 90s plus they played the casino circuit as a show band for a few years as well as the fair circuit. In 1995 he joined the Lelands and played with them until he moved to Oregon in 2003. In Oregon he did mostly weekends with a little rock ‘n’ roll trio until he moved to North Carolina 3 1/2 years ago.
- Bob started playing in high school inspired by artists like Phil Ochs, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary, Tom Paxton and more. He was president of the high school Folk Club. He loves writing songs and singing the old folk tunes and protest songs which also seem so relevant today.
- The duo has played twice at Piedmont Folkways in Statesville and are popular for their sing-a-longs and historical stories about the songs they sing. They are looking forward to performing at this year’s festival!
ROGER ANDERSON
Roger Anderson
- Rog has an open invitation to our festival because of a long history of friendship and music playing with Bob. Two years ago he had open heart surgery and missed both the 2024 & 2025 festivals. He has performed on bass with his groups Service Station Sushi, THEM, SR1313 and the Sofa Kings at past festivals .
- We’re not sure what Rog is putting together for this year but we’re glad he’s back for this year’s festival! Stay tuned!
PAM SIMON HAZEL
Pam Simon Hazel
- Pam has volunteered to lead an open jam, sing-a-long on Saturday morning at our festival. We are thrilled. As you will read in her fabulous biography, she currently hosts the jam at the Statesville Historical Collection on Saturday mornings. We are thrilled that she will be holding it on Saturday morning at the 2026 Mountain Shadow Music Festival!
- “I first picked up a guitar, after years of playing piano, at the age of 16. Folk music was becoming mainstream. Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary were already household names. I saved up enough babysitting money to buy a cheap 6-string and a book showing how to make basic chords. A few years later, I landed in Berkeley, CA, just as folk music morphed into folk rock and pop music exploded. Dylan went electric. The Byrds released their cover of Dylan’s Tambourine Man. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones came to America. Jan Wenner dropped out of Berkeley and started publishing The Rolling Stone on cheap newsprint. Serious students from Berkeley’s English Dept. started writing album reviews. I sang in a rock band. Like everyone else, I lined up at record stores to buy the latest hot release, and hitched rides across the Bay Bridge to the Fillmore for concerts. Gorgeous psychedelic band promotions the size of postcards were passed out on street corners."
- "Meanwhile, the war in Vietnam escalated, and the music became its theme song. Folk music had always been linked with politics and protests; now, so was rock ‘n’ roll. Black blues players from the South were popularized as white musicians recognized their genius. We sent men to the moon, and hordes of young people on their best behavior converged on Woodstock. It really felt as if our music could change the world for the better — until Altamont soured the mood and the moment passed. The joy dissipated."
- "I retreated to Love Valley, NC, where I lived in a tepee and spent evenings strumming my guitar around a campfire with other counterculture refugees. Hired by the Record & Landmark, I moved to Statesville and bought a better guitar from Jason Lamberth, who passed only recently at the age of 93. Jason regaled me with tales about musicians he’d known and played with, and often played guitar with me right there in his shop on Broad Street. At the newspaper, I had to report on the weekly feeder-pig sales but I also got the chance to review record albums, shamelessly mimicking the style of Rolling Stone reviewers. The local record store would loan me an album (this was the vinyl era) to take home for a listen before returning it. What a great gig!"
- "Eventually I went to law school and found friends there who also played. Two of my pals have since retired from practicing law and formed their own bands. I retired early because of health problems and almost never dusted off the strings, until a friend invited me one morning to breakfast at the Cook Shack. I was stunned by the talent of the musicians who jammed there every Saturday. On my third visit I brought my guitar. That was a turning point! "
- "The Shack closed over a decade ago, but I have stayed steadily involved with music lovers and other musicians ever since. I joined Piedmont Folkways and faithfully attend the Wednesday-evening shows. I have met and befriended many outstanding composers and players. I host a Saturday-morning open jam at the Statesville Historical Collection, which is also the home of Piedmont Folkways. Listening to and playing with such talented musicians brings joy to my life, especially during these fraught times. I’ll never be much of a performer myself, but I’ll be forever grateful for the opportunity and privilege of hanging out with the stars!”
NORTH STATE GRASS
North State Grass
- “ North State Grass from Charlotte, North Carolina is a progressive bluegrass quartet that will move your feet, touch your heart and spin your head.
- North State Grass delivers lightning-fast picking, tight harmonies, ear worm originals and a sound that bridges tradition and modern flair.
- Composed of Steven Davidson (mandolin), Cooper Eades (guitar), Angel Chantel (bass), and Levi Austin (banjo), the band pulls from a wide variety of musical influences from country rock, funk, metal and jam bands while staying rooted in bluegrass.
- Whether you’re a seasoned bluegrass aficionado or a curious newcomer, North State Grass will sweep you off your feet and into the heart of Appalachia!”
- North State Grass will get us started on Sunday morning at 10am right after our Big Ole Country Breakfast!