Baby, it’s cold outside. That, certainly, is something upon which we can all agree.
The thought of attending an outdoor bluegrass festival – even one with the best performers around – isn’t too appealing. There isn’t a campfire in Georgia that could effectively fight off these chilly degrees.
That’s a selling point of the annual New Year’s Bluegrass Festival on Jekyll Island. For the 35th consecutive year, it’s scheduled for inside the Convention Center – heated air, folks. The dates are Dec. 30 and 31, and Jan. 1.
The big–name headliner this year is Dailey & Vincent, for two years running the International Bluegrass Music Association’s designated Entertainers of the Year.
At the 2010 awards show, held in Nashville at the beginning of October, Dailey & Vincent were also named Duo of the Year, and their Statler Brothers tribute disc took Album of the Year.
“Elizabeth,” a song from Dailey & Vincent Sing the Statler Brothers, was subsequently nominated for a Grammy in one of the myriad country music categories.
Jamie Dailey (guitar, bass, lead and harmony vocals) and Darrin Wilson (mandolin, bass, guitar, lead and harmony vocals) got together in 2007; one of their earliest tour stops was at Randy Wood Guitars in Bloomingdale.
They came with impressive resumes: Dailey was an award–winning member of Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, while Vincent had spent 10 years with Ricky Skaggs’ great band, Kentucky Thunder.
Their dates at the Jekyll Island festival are Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
Among the other performers are Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver (Dec. 31), the Grascals (Dec. 31), Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys, the Crowe Brothers and the Little Roy Lewis & Lizzie Long Show (all on Jan. 1).
Russell Moore (IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year) and his band IIIrd Tyme Out take the stage Dec. 30.
There are lots of others on the marquee see aandabluegrass.com for the full lineup.
Adult tickets are $35 per day (general admission) or $40 (reserved seating); kids cost a bit less, and RV parking is permitted.
Other stuff
• They’ve finally gotten around to “officially announcing” the Merle Haggard show we told you about two weeks ago. It is, of course, Jan. 29 in the Johnny Mercer Theatre. The groovy news here is that tickets go on sale Friday (Dec. 17) at 10 a.m., at the box office and via etix.com. They’re $57.50, $47.50 and $37.50.
• In still more Savannah Civic Center news, the annual visit by the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus is Jan. 20–23. Tickets are on sale now.
• Comedian Gabriel Iglesias performs Saturday, Feb. 12 at the Johnny Mercer Theatre. Tickets for the “fluffy comic”’s show, available now, are $38 reserved.
• Everything he do, he do it for you: Canadian rocker Bryan Adams has a Lucas Theatre date penciled in for Wednesday, March 16.
