The 23 String Band performs at the Festival of the Bluegrass
Following the success of last year's inaugural event, the Lexington Area Music Alliance has announced plans for the 2014 Best of the Bluegrass Festival.
Affectionately referred to as BOB, this year's six-day event will feature about a dozen bluegrass music events — many of them free — during the week of June 9-14, culminating with the anchor Festival of the Bluegrass event at the Kentucky Horse Park (June 12-15), which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2013.
The multi-venue festival will utilize existing local music series such as Woodsongs, Thursday Night Live, Southland Jamboree and Red Barn Radio, as well as established local venues, including Natasha's, Parlay Social, Willie's Locally Known, Al's Bar and Paulie's Toasted Barrel.
Organized by the Lexington Area Music Alliance (LAMA) in conjunction with several community partners, Best of the Bluegrass was created in part to extend LAMA's mission to "promote and sustain the growth and vitality of the Lexington area music scene," highlighting in particular the bluegrass music genre that is so vital to this region's history and culture. According to LAMA president Tom Martin, among BOB's goals is to bring a fun and interesting event to the center of downtown that will generate business to local venues, restaurants and other businesses.
"Beyond that, we really, sincerely want and intend to put Lexington on the map for the music city it always has been and is always going to be," Martin added. Honing in on the rich history that bluegrass music has here in the bluegrass region, Martin said that he hopes the festival's model — using existing venues and events to help bolster Lexington's overall music scene and assets — can eventually be applied to other music genres that are alive and well in Lexington, including jazz, folk, soul and others.
With the help of several local sponsors that have helped cover artist guarantees, the festival will present several free live music events during the week leading up to Festival of the Bluegrass. The line-up features several internationally recognized artists, including Grammy-winning North Carolina bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers (known for collaborating with comedian, actor and banjoist Steve Martin), IBMA award-winning vocalist Dale Ann Bradley, and Louisville-based Misty Mountain String Band, with many more artists (including some Lexington acts) to be announced soon.
New this year, LexTran will offer shuttle service for Festival of the Bluegrass attendees wanting to experience other BOB events in the week leading up to the Festival of the Bluegrass, as well as others wanting to experience multiple BOB events. Shuttles will travel back and forth to the Kentucky Horse Park campgrounds, where thousands of bluegrass fans and musicians traditionally set up camp in the week leading up to the Festival.
"We want the downtown festival to be a continued success, and the more people we can expose to downtown, the better we can highlight all Lexington has to offer and show them that public transit can be a viable option," said LexTran's Jill Barnett, adding that the shuttle service will provide greater connectivity between the two festivals.
Festival of the Bluegrass Director Roy Cornett said more than half of the festival’s attendees are from outside of Kentucky, and a large number of those from inside the state are from eastern Kentucky. Traditionally those campers have not ventured far from the campgrounds, something the partnership with Lextran aims to change, he said.
Following an initiative started at last year's event, BOB will also have a program in place encouraging buskers, or street musicians, from the campground and from around Lexington, to perform their music on the streets of Lexington throughout the week.
For the initial Best of Bluegrass schedule, as well as other details, visit www.bluegrasslex.com.