This small Virginia town attracts mountain music enthusiasts from around the world. In Southwest Virginia, you’ll find dozens of small mountain towns, but for old-time mountain music, the place to go ...

In March of 2025, at the annual Big Ears Music Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, I was one of hundreds of festival-goers entranced by a group of up-and-coming musicians exploring a storied American ...

Raised on a cock-eyed mishmash of punk rock, Irish ballads and old-time string bands, this Appalachian storyteller sharpened a distinctive sound on banjo and fiddle the hard way—busking on gritty ...

This post was updated May 22 at 9:43 p.m. Community and tradition inspire the performers of the Old-Time String Band and African American Music Ensemble. Each class of musical performers has shared a ...