Lexington, KY - Much to the delight of music lovers around the Bluegrass, the high quality music fare presented by the Lexington-based Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour will soon be coming to a stage very near you thanks to a new collaboration with Central Kentucky Ag Credit.
The two respected entities developed and have laid the groundwork for the new Woodsongs Festival Stage series that will bring the delectable musical variety of the long popular radio show to festivals in and exclusive to Central Kentucky. The folk, bluegrass and various rustic sounds familiar to Woodsongs devotees can now be experienced on festival stages throughout the region.
In the tradition of Kentucky Proud's promotion of the "buy local" mentality, the Woodsongs Festival Stage will exclusively feature Kentucky musicians and artists. Woodsongs founder and host Michael Jonathan has long done his best to promote fine music in our region and this is new avenue is designed to do just that.
Jim Caldwell, President and CEO of Ag Credit is steadfast in his optimism about this new alliance with the internationally broadcast weekly radio show and explains that "The Woodsongs Festival Stage is a step forward in Ag Credit's outreach program to member-borrowers, rural dwellers and lifestyle farmers in the region we serve."
While many still engage in traditional farming, there has been a continuing trend that has seen the more common appearance of the "lifestyle farmer," or those who have other full time occupations but are still ensconced in farming and the way of living that it entails.
Caldwell believes that the outreach implications of this series will give Ag Credit another opportunity to get "in front of" this segment of the market and their particular customer base.
True to the concept of community involvement and hometown philanthropy, Ag Credit is adamant about its role as event "enhancers." This is not simply attaching one's name to a given event as a sponsor but rather a fully engrossed devotion to making such events the best they can possibly be. This level of community investment is imperative for the successful promotion and growth of the local community circuit, not to mention how effective it can be in bolstering the progress and opportunity for area musicians and artists. As Ag Credit's Claude Brock suggests, "it just all fitsÖ.and it fits because it's wholesome."
Just as Ag Credit itself is dedicated to the bolstering of grassroots business, as well as rural agricultural living and farming, they are equally concerned with providing the public with recreational and educational outlets that strengthen these communities. The involvement of the Woodsongs enterprise fits squarely with this vision and can do nothing less than add color and spice to regional events as well as allow festival goers a chance to experience and embrace homegrown talent.
Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour, taped on Monday evenings at the Kentucky Theater in downtown Lexington, has become a veritable institution of sorts in the Bluegrass and is now in its 11th year. Michael Jonathan, self professed folkie, "tree hugger", singer/songwriter and fervent music lover is the founder and host of what has quickly coalesced into an internationally respected music variety program that is heard by more than 1.5 million radio listeners and is broadcast on stations across all 50 States and a whopping 180 nations worldwide. With its traditional feel and reliance on audience participation, Woodsongs delivers a plethora of sounds including folk, blues, bluegrass, western swing and any number of other genres of music that fall under the "Americana" umbrella.
Though things have reached a grand scale, Woodsongs' true heart beats within the rural community. This new presence will allow them to give back to these very people and provide them with even more opportunity to experience the creative exploits of Kentucky's finest. Ag Credit is a tailor-made ally in this particular endeavor as their service area and customer base is smack in the middle of what is considered the "Appalachian Music Cradle."
With the presence of Woodsongs, the public relations donations and services that are a benchmark of Ag Credit's community involvement can be dually promoted with the added benefit of bringing the art of Kentucky's finest music purveyors to a music-thirsty public. This also serves as a developmental platform for these very musical performers and artists and can even be used as a vehicle for getting youth involved and actively invested in the music of their home state.
Rest assured that the music emanating from the Woodsongs Festival Stage promises to be of the utmost quality as Woodsongs has long had high standards in that regard.
As of now, there are four confirmed major appearances of the Woodsongs Festival Stage including the inaugural show at the Kentucky Fort Harrod Beef Festival on June 5th in Harrodsburg. There are also ongoing discussions to assure that the Festival Stage finds its way to other events year after year. These new additions will be announced as they are scheduled.
This new series and the combined forces of important local entities like Ag Credit and Woodsongs is a noble and worthwhile step in the attempt to strengthen the backbone of Kentucky's arts and music. Jim Caldwell reiterates the long-term expectations for this partnership as he insists, "we truly want this to become a legacy."