¡TUMBAO!

¡TUMBAO! is a 10-piece Latin fusion orchestra from Asheville igniting dance floors with a high-voltage mix of salsa, funk, cumbia, Latin rock, R&B, and Amazonian psychedelia. With explosive brass, soul-stirring rhythms, and irresistible melodies, their multicultural journey moves your body and lifts your spirit. Their sound bridges continents and communities, uniting people from all walks of life through the universal language of groove.

Adrian and Meredith

Adrian and Meredith make a different sort of roots racket, spreading joy and solidarity through fearless tracks with the edge of punk, the twang of folk, the flavor of polka, and the bounce of swing. Based in East Nashville, they’ve carved out their own kinetic, Balkan-tinged take on Americana, delivering raucous live shows full of soaring harmonies, fierce solos, and foot-stomping revelry.

Africa United

Africa United is a true musical melting pot, weaving East and West African legacies into a pan-African reggae fusion. Forged in Morocco and led by Fahad Bastos and Mariaa Siga, they deliver an uplifting, culturally rich vibe where layered rhythms and soulful melodies flow into a sunlit groove of unity, equality, and peace.

Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves

Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves play adventurous and masterful music, expanding on the eccentricities of traditional songs with intricate clawhammer banjo, powerhouse fiddling, and swirling dance tunes. Their originals incorporate literary and storytelling influences, infused with centuries of matrilineal folk wisdom and a fiery breath of apocalyptic energy.

Angela Autumn

Angela Autumn is a folk and country songwriter out of Nashville, known for her sharp pen and haunting voice. Her finely woven songcraft is deeply shaped by her rural Pennsylvania upbringing, blending twangy guitar work with vivid, heart-driven hooks. Evoking the wild spirit of the frontier, her sound feels both ageless and daring, earning her the nickname “Rose of Appalachia.”

Bulltown Strutters

The Bulltown Strutters shift the party into high gear with a rambunctious mix of old-school New Orleans jazz, second line classics, and new-school funk. This 20+ member Durham-based brass band dishes out hip-shaking grooves with a side of sequins, feather boas, and pure musical joy. Backed by a loyal crew of dancing fans, they turn every performance into a shared celebration. Don’t miss them leading the Saturday parade!

Cortadito

Cortadito is a traditional Cuban Son group from Miami performing the vibrant repertoire of early 20th-century Cuba, melding Spanish and African influences into an enchanting sensory stew. From Son Montuno to Boleros and Bolero Son, their powerful performances evoke the rich cultural tapestry of a golden age when artists like Trio Matamoros and Ignacio Piñeiro ruled the airwaves.

Country Cruel

Born and raised in the woods of White Cross, NC, Country Cruel plays loud, hard, homegrown country music that tells it like it is: unfiltered and full throttle. Rooted in the raw honesty of artists such as John Prine, Doc Watson, and Sturgill Simpson, the lineup includes members of acclaimed old-time jug band The Piedmont Regulators and electrifying Celtic punk-grass outfit The Tan and Sober Gentlemen (also appearing at Shakori Hills!).

Daniel Anderson and Heroic Dose

Daniel Anderson & Heroic Dose unleash a searing fusion of blues rock grounded in tradition and driven by adventurous improvisation. Hailing from Raleigh, they serve up a spicy sonic gumbo of blues styles: from the electric grit of Chicago to the hypnotic pulse of the Hill Country and the storytelling charm of the Piedmont, all delivered with Southern-fried swagger.

David Childers & The Serpents

David Childers is a dirt-tough Southern troubadour from Mount Holly, NC, whose gruff delivery brings warped, literary Americana to life. His artistry is anchored in heartland rock, folk, and country, steeped in the spirit of small towns and lonesome highways. Drawing passionate inspiration and imagery from the Bible, he channels struggle and indignation into songs that sound like both condemnation and catharsis.

Diali Cissokho

Diali Cissokho is a masterful kora player and soulful singer from Senegal, now calling North Carolina home. For Shakori Hills’ Opening Ceremony, he offers a solo set blending ancient West African roots with fiery improvisation and spiritual power. Born into a long line of musicians called griots who preserve history through song, he carries centuries of cultural heritage through unique and universal music that transcends borders.

Dogwood Brothers

Dogwood Brothers are a classic country and Americana ensemble from Richmond, channeling the rough-and-rowdy textures of 1950s honky-tonk alongside the polished twang of Nashville and Bakersfield. With original tunes and deep cuts alike, they reimagine vintage country traditions through a wide palette of instruments. Toes will tap, skirts will twirl, burdens will lift, and good times will roll.

Domocile

Domocile is an electronic-infused instrumental jamband from Wilmington, NC that sets bodies in motion with atmospheric tones built on dark guitar riffs, spacey synths, and EDM-style vocal samples. With live looping and dynamic improvisation, each set unfolds as an immersive ride through rhythm, texture, and groove-heavy experimentation.

Donna the Buffalo

From Cajun to country, reggae to roots-rock, and zydeco boogie to freewheeling improv, Donna the Buffalo channels the best of American music into something joyful, soulful, and unmistakably their own. With upbeat grooves, heartfelt lyrics, memorable hooks, and a spirit of celebration, they’re a band that moves both hearts and feet. Socially conscious and endlessly danceable, they helped found the GrassRoots Festival 35 years ago outside Ithaca, NY, to support local causes and share the sounds of their musical family from around the world. The group features multi-instrumentalist Tara Nevins, guitarist Jeb Puryear, keyboardist Dave McCracken, bassist Kyle Spark, and drummer Mark Raudabaugh.

Dr. Bacon

Dr. Bacon is a manic musical detonation: a genre-defying Appalachian soul-grass funk-rock outfit from Asheville breaking the sound barrier with an infectiously uplifting blend of flavors. Their diverse instrumentation caresses ears with lush beauty and whips crowds into a tribal romp. Their distinctive multicultural voice is a joyous shout from the mountaintop!

Driftwood

In a postmodern world of skyscrapers and handheld screens, Driftwood looks beneath the concrete and circuitry to find their inspiration. Hailing from upstate New York, these folk-rock shapeshifters forge a bold reimagining of roots music with blazing fiddle, boundaryless banjo, booming upright bass, and gleeful guitar. At its heart is a chosen family turning life’s twists into song and every performance into an opportunity for connection.

Dub Lorenzo

Dub Lorenzo is an instrumental dub reggae unit from central NC, fusing waves of jazz poetry and rhythmic soul into pulsating sonic soundscapes. Drawing from Jamaican classics and melodic pop alongside glowing, hypnotic originals, they shape deeply euphoric grooves that are irresistibly danceable. Infused with an eclectic mix of influences, they pour craft and passion into their skank-centric style.

Fancy Gap

Fancy Gap is the new project from Stuart McLamb of The Love Language and Charles Crossingham, capturing life’s essence in a radio-ready aesthetic inspired by ’90s rock and classic country. Their poignant, introspective songwriting moves from reflections on life, death, and love to celebrations of joy and triumph, evoking the warmth of the Virginia mountain cabin where the melodies were born.

Folkknot

Folkknot is a six-piece band from Greensboro crafting indie folk-pop-rock escapism full of heart and imagination. With vivid songwriting, catchy hooks, lush harmonies, and clever lyricism, they spin opulent orchestration into a sonic daydream of emotion and adventure. Rooted in the rich storytelling of folk music, their tone is both out-of-the-box and comfortably familiar.

Fonville x Fribush (ft. Corey Fonville & Sam Fribush)

Corey Fonville, powerhouse drummer of Richmond’s celebrated jazz-funk band Butcher Brown, leads this Shakori Hills superjam with his signature fusion of jazz finesse and hip hop fire. Featuring Greensboro organ wizard Sam Fribush and surprise guests, they dive feet first into old-school funk and slick soul. It’s a rare chance to catch two modern masters cutting loose in a free-flowing celebration of rhythm and groove.

Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet

Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet delivers a joyful rhythm-saturated fusion of Latin jazz, traditional percussion, and the storied heritage of coastal Peru. Based in Lima and NYC, their immersive performances highlight inventive arrangements and deep dialogue. Master musicians and passionate educators, they carry a vital mission to share their love of Black Peruvian culture with the world.

George Porter Jr. & Runnin' Pardners

George Porter Jr. is New Orleans royalty and a recipient of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. As co-founder of the pioneering funk group The Meters in 1965 (later re-formed as The Funky Meters), he laid down the rubbery, syncopated bass lines behind classics like “Cissy Strut.” Backing legends from Paul McCartney to Patti LaBelle, their distinctive blueprint was sampled by hip-hop icons from Run-DMC to A Tribe Called Quest. With enduring roots in the African lineage of New Orleans, he’s spent the past three decades leading his own project and carrying the legacy of funk forward with unbreakable soul, swagger, and second-line energy.

Golden Shoals 

Golden Shoals is a fiddle and guitar duo blending voices and instruments to spin traditional bluegrass, rousing old-time, and scrappy originals into music that’s gritty, openhearted, and alive with spark. Carved from the folkways flowing through their Asheville home, they weave virtuosic playing with raw songwriting, acerbic wit, and a fearless spirit that soars beyond genre lines.

Hannah Kaminer & the Wistfuls

Raised in small-town Western NC, Hannah Kaminer is a masterful writer and sharp observer who crafts bluesy Americana and alt-country songs about love, loss and home. Her voice is sneakily powerful, sliding around the curves of pedal steel and twinkling keys with sweet melodies and gut-punch lyrics. Her wistful atmosphere fuses Appalachian echoes with a modern point of view, full of emotional honesty and intensity.

Harvey Street

Harvey Street is an indie-alternative rock group from Raleigh forging vibrant, heartfelt tracks shaped by the Southern sounds that have surrounded them since birth. Known for their “disciplined electricity,” their sound bridges raw emotion with hook-laced finesse, delivering tunes that are tight, tuneful, and tough around the edges.

Joey Harkum Band

Joey Harkum is a Maryland-based singer/songwriter renowned for his distinctive blend of Americana folk rock, exploring themes of love, loss, joy, and struggle. Known for putting soul-searching lyrics into layman's terms, his unguarded performances and vivid storytelling offer a candid window into everyday struggles and triumphs.

Josh Moore

Josh Moore is a Carrboro singer/songwriter whose earnest country-soul songs reflect on change, loss, and quiet endurance. His voice carries both warmth and weariness, threading through acoustic laments that dwell where folk, rock, gospel, and Americana converge. Honest and emotionally evocative, his music speaks to the hard-won truths of growing up and moving on.

Lance Scott

Lance Scott is an acclaimed bassist and producer from Durham who combines a deep reverence for the gospel and soul of the Black church with a love of modern jazz, rap, and R&B. A multiple Grammy nominee for his work with Nnenna and Pierce Freelon, he creates intricate aural journeys full of raw emotion and infectious energy.

Life Like Water

Life Like Water plays indie folk woven with hypnotic rhythms, elegant vocal harmonies, and melodies infused with flavors of Africa, Ireland, and the Middle East. This eclectic Asheville quartet celebrates the human experience through a rich tapestry of soothing progressions and creative arrangements, offering beautiful pieces that nourish the spirit.

Matt Phillips & The Back Pocket

Matt Phillips & The Back Pocket is a soulful rock band of seasoned Carrboro musicians, combining future blues, twangy funk, and updated Americana. They push the boundaries of the music they love with playful, uplifting shows filled with stirring vocals, lovable lyrics, and stellar songwriting that’s rich with emotional depth.

McKinney

McKinney is a dynamic singer/songwriter, bassist, and empowerment speaker from Asheville, bridging music and message with her vibrant blend of funk, jazz, R&B, and blues-rock. On a mission to uplift and embolden, she channels heartfelt lyrics into works that spark connection, inspire hope, and champion resilience.

Mellow Swells

Mellow Swells is a Chapel Hill jazz-rock band conjuring atmospheric soundscapes with soulful hooks and airtight grooves. Their captivating concerts unfurl into dance-ready rhythms with distorted guitars and passionate vocals. Drawing from indie, R&B, electronic, and ambient textures, they bring improvisatory depth to every sonic journey.

New Planets
New Planets unleashes a thunderous, other-worldly dance party powered by psychedelic grooves and genre-bending rhythms. Tapping into reggae, Latin, Afrobeat, and funk, this explosive Ithaca, NY-based collective crafts future-facing music designed to move your body and lift your spirit. They'll furnish the fuel to launch you straight into orbit.

Onyx Club Boys

Onyx Club Boys are a fiery Pittsboro group fueled by the golden era of hot jazz, French musette, Brazilian samba, swing, and ragtime. They’ll whisk you away to a charming Paris sidewalk café, with echoes of Edith Piaf’s chanson, Django Reinhardt’s Roma flair, and swirling valse elegance, all spun into a stylish sound to make you sway and swoon.

Pat & The Kountry Boys

Rising out of Siler City, Pat & The Kountry Boys serve up a hard-hitting dose of funky, gut-wrenching blues and gritty, jazzy rock. With Da'Shaun Harrison’s blazing lead guitar front and center, their style nods to legends like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy, and B.B. King. Swinging, versatile, and made to move, this passionate crew will shake your hips and stir your bones.

Regatta 69

Regatta 69 is a legendary Chapel Hill ska band making their own magic from dub, punk rock, and reggae, fueled by sharp guitar licks, bold brass melodies, and powerful rhythms. Their high-energy, adventurous shows blend inventive songwriting with layered world-beat grooves and horn-powered energy that pulls you straight into the sound.

Rowdy Life: J Rowdy Tribute

This special performance celebrates the life, music, and movement of Grammy-nominated OnlyUs founder Joshua “Rowdy” Rowsey. His bold vision helped shape Durham’s Afrofuturist makerspace Blackspace into a launchpad for youth expression and community power. Featuring .zone, Eemah, Genius Party, Lance Scott, and more, this full-band tribute honors Rowdy’s legacy with love, lyricism, and the creative fire that continues to inspire all who knew him.

Sam Fribush Organ Trio

Greensboro virtuoso Sam Fribush is on the front lines of the Hammond organ revival, blending old-school soul-jazz with wah-wah funk, hip hop beats, and sultry B3 ballads. With danceable deep-pocket swing and gospel-tinged harmonies, the trio channels the golden era of groove and leaves the dancefloor scorched.

Solazo 

Solazo brings a fiery blend of post-flamenco and Latin rhythms, weaving soulful ballads with dance-ready grooves from South and Central America. Their sound flows effortlessly from rock to mambo, reggae to salsa, and cumbia to merengue, driven by blazing guitar lines, hypnotic percussion, and lush harmonies. It’s a passionate, roots-rich dancewave that invites you to move and connect.

Sugarbush

Winners of the Spring 2025 Shakori Hills Band Contest, Sugarbush brings a high-energy, acoustic-electric sound rooted in classic rock, funk, pop, soul, and a dash of country. Hailing from NC and Virginia, this boundary-blurring unit delivers a signature shot of folk-funk mayhem, complete with expressive vocals and a powerful pulse.

The Amateurs

The Amateurs, founded by Raleigh singer and percussionist Shep, bathe the stage in a sun-soaked mix of rock-n-reggae. Known for classic island rhythms and charged performances with a rock twist, they channel the form’s heartbeat: uplifting, inspired, and timeless. As Shep says, “Reggae speaks to awaken us and to strengthen us.”

The Byrne Brothers

The Byrne Brothers are an award-winning family band from Donegal, Ireland, taking traditional music and dance to new levels. Blending age-old Irish melodies and instruments with modern flair and quick-witted humor, the three brothers and their dad showcase dazzling footwork, vibrant music, and lively audience interaction for a fast-paced, joy-filled experience.

The Dan Davis Group

The Dan Davis Group brings the smoky, soulful sound of the classic jazz organ trio into the now. Rooted in tradition and steeped in soul-jazz, funk, R&B, Latin, and New Orleans grooves, they play with raw energy, deep improvisation, and a rhythm-driven spirit. Voted Indy Week’s 2025 Best Local Band, their music is authentic and built to move.

The Deacon Board

Led by drummer Chesley “Cheese” Allen, The Deacon Board is a Raleigh-based instrumental outfit blending hip-hop, neo-soul, R&B, funk, and jazz. Renowned for cool grooves, deep bass lines, and mellow horn tones, they strike that rare balance of laid-back charm and live energy. Their genre-fluid flavor lands in the sweet spot, powered by tight musicianship and undeniable vibes.

The Del McCoury Band

Undeniably one of the most iconic and influential groups in bluegrass history, The Del McCoury Band returns to Shakori Hills with the fire, finesse, and joyful spirit that has defined them for decades. Born in Bakersville, NC, McCoury is a national treasure and the very embodiment of the "high lonesome sound" since his early days as lead singer for Bill Monroe's legendary Blue Grass Boys. With sons Ronnie and Rob by his side, McCoury and his crew have won more International Bluegrass Music Association awards than any artist in history, continuing to set the gold standard with blazing instrumental chops, soaring harmonies, and an unwavering dedication to tradition.

The Glorifying Vines Sisters

The Glorifying Vines Sisters are musical matriarchs of Eastern North Carolina, with a deep-rooted presence steeped in the legacy of quartet gospel. Since 1958, they’ve sung together in living rooms, churches, and even bars. They can wreck the house, but also radiate a distinctive sweetness and mellow funkiness, with soul-stirring voices always falling perfectly in the pocket. They’ll lift you up, from rhythm to reverence.

The Green Grass Cloggers

Founded in 1971 in Greenville, NC, the Green Grass Cloggers blend the traditions of mountain-style clogging with the flair of flatfoot and buck dancing. Known for their original, high-energy approach built on four-couple Western square dance figures, they bring short, dynamic routines to life with synchronized footwork, head-high kicks, and a spirited sense of fun. Celebrated for their innovation and showmanship, they were inducted into the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame in 2014.

The Hoppin’ Johnnies Square Dance
Come sway, stomp, and spin with the Hoppin’ Johnnies in a festive celebration of community, culture, and live old-time music. Guided by Caller Nancy Mamlin, this rollicking, multigenerational square dance welcomes dancers of all levels with hot-picked fiddle tunes, Appalachian charm, and a spirit that fills the floor with rhythm, connection, and smiles.

The Hourglass Kids

The Hourglass Kids are a seven-piece psychedelic post-reggae-rock collective from the banks of the Catawba River. Fusing roots reggae, jam, funk, hip-hop, and neo-jazz, their genre-hopping journey is driven by four vocalists, a vibrant horn section, and an improvisational spark. With lyrics echoing the landscapes of their western North Carolina home, they craft electrifying performances that inspire movement and joy.

The Shoaldiggers

The Shoaldiggers are a nine-piece swampgrass piratebilly band setting sail from Hillsborough, serving up folk bangers with beat roots and sonic mash. Their down-and-dirty Americana is fun, fiery, and full of spirit, blending old-fashioned honky-tonk with modern Southern rock. Their shows are part sound exploration, part love letter to tradition, and an open invitation to dance.

The Snozzberries

The Snozzberries deliver high-voltage psychedelic rock, progressive fusion, and deep-fried funk from their home base in Asheville. Known for explosive sets and fearless improvisation, they weave infectious grooves into wild sonic textures as heady as they are danceable. With soaring vocal harmonies and a taste for cosmic exploration, they’re a powerhouse with a resonance as expansive as their imagination.

The Tan and Sober Gentlemen

The Tan and Sober Gentlemen stir up a brew that’s part moonshine and part rocket fuel. Hailing from Snow Camp, NC, they serve up a raucous blend of what they call “Irish-American hillbilly music.” Fueled by blazing tempos, punk energy, and a bloodline of bluegrass and Celtic tradition, their pulse is raw, rhythmic, and wildly unfiltered. Famous for rowdy live shows packed with dancing and joyful shenanigans, they turn every set into a full-throttle celebration.

The Wandering Hours

The Wandering Hours play originals and old-time fiddle tunes in a revivalist string band style, uniting early bluegrass and folk into a tapestry that’s both lively and rich with meaning. Based in Tampa Bay, FL, their thoughtful lyrics and cinematic songcraft evoke the feel of a long-lost 78 rpm record, delivering uplifting sounds that feel like a fresh adventure in familiar territory.

Toubab Krewe

Toubab Krewe is a vibrant instrumental tour de force from Asheville that swirls together rock, African traditions, jam sensibilities, and global folk strains into an unrelenting worldbeat frenzy. Having studied and lived in West Africa, they honor their influences through innovation, crafting danceable, celebratory, and rhythmically hypnotic riffs with a singular blend of authenticity and unpredictability.

Vicious Fishes

Vicious Fishes are a quartet from Trumansburg, NY whose swamp rock aesthetic treads the murky wavelengths between contemporary alternative rock and post-punk blues. With brooding romanticism and a sound that’s both caustic and cathartic, they channel dense anxiety into bursts of energy and excitement. The result is a visceral release from the static of conformity.

Yet to Be Gold

Led by prolific songwriter Gregor Sayet-Bone, Yet to Be Gold crafts lyrically vivid folk-rock exploring the human experience with raw honesty and poetic depth. Featuring Jeb Puryear of Donna the Buffalo on guitar, their style blends introspection with expressive instrumentation, creating an immersive journey through storytelling and melody.

Zac Richey

Zac Richey is a maestro of classical acoustic guitar, skillfully interpreting masterworks by the greatest guitarists through the ages. He transcends time, guiding listeners on a captivating journey from the Baroque period to the modern era, with a focus on Brazilian and Spanish styles. His beautiful, virtuosic playing won both the 2012 Appalachian Guitarfest Competition and the 2015 UNCSA Artist Showcase.