New Indiana Music Festival, MagnoliaFest Midwest, to Feature 2005 Awards Nominees

Americana Music Association Award Nominees Buddy Miller and The Duhks To Perform MagnoliaFest Midwest at Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Park in Bean Blossom, IN July 22- 24

Bean Blossom, IN (PRWEB) June 30, 2005

Americana music festival MagnoliaFest Midwest has posted its complete lineup and schedule, with two 2005 Americana Music Association awards nominees prominently featured. Singer/Guitarist Buddy Miller is up for three awards; Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (for his critically-acclaimed “Universal United House of Prayer”), and Song of the Year (“Worry Too Much” from the same album). Miller is also known for his many years working alongside Emmylou Harris. Youthful Canadian folk/rockers the Duhks (pronounced “Ducks”) are nominated for the AMA’s New/Emerging Artist of the Year.

The First Annual MagnoliaFest Midwest will take place on three stages July 22-24 at the historic, and recently renovated, Bill Monroe Music Park in Bean Blossom, IN. Over 20 acts are set to perform including the Bela Fleck Acoustic Trio, (one of 3 projects the banjo wizard will play in during a 2005 “break” from Bela Fleck & the Flecktones), the Peter Rowan & Tony Rice Quartet (both with lengthy bluegrass credits), and the Drew Emmitt Band (co-founder/mandolinist of jamgrassers Leftover Salmon). Also noteworthy among other festival performers who are scheduled, all-female Old Time band Uncle Earl recently announced their signing to well-known Roots label Rounder Records. Their debut CD will be released on July 19 to coincide with their appearance at MagnoliaFest Midwest.

Co-promoter Beth Judy of production company Magnolia Music & Events, Inc. says she’s encouraged by the festival’s reception so far. “We’re all very excited about bringing this kind of music event to the region. Fans are already recognizing and responding to our festivals’ emphasis on quality, diversity, family, and community in Americana and roots music” she said. “We have every intention of delivering a first-class music experience and giving nothing less than a great show.” That’s a statement bolstered by the company’s nine years of proven experience producing Florida music festivals Suwannee Springfest and MagnoliaFest. Both of those events draw about 7,000 music lovers from across the country, and both were listed among the top 25 music festivals in the Southeastern U.S. by Atlanta’s Creative Loafing magazine in 2004.

Expect lots of the unexpected at MagnoliaFest Midwest. “Our music festivals always present lots of pleasant surprises from the performers” says Judy. “We try to create a setting that makes the performers feel completely comfortable and relaxed, and we’ve found they usually respond by giving a little more of themselves. One-time-only collaborations and impromptu jams can materialize anywhere, whether it’s onstage, or quite often somewhere out in the campground after the formal stages have closed down.” A Magnolia tradition is a scheduled Sunday afternoon bluegrass jam hosted by Rowan, which will also feature Rice and Fleck. “It’s a pretty much become a festival standard for us to have a Sunday jam with Peter Rowan, and he never fails to make memories when he does one” she added.

While music is of course MagnoliaFest Midwest’s primary focus, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be anything else going on. The festival will also provide an interactive children’s area with supervised activities scheduled during daylight hours. Eclectic vendors will offer handmade, original arts & crafts as well as a variety of food & beverages including handcrafted microbrews from the Bloomington Brewing Company.

Judy says simply “The goal with our music festivals has always been to present the very best in Americana and Roots Music in the most beautiful natural settings we can find. We think the Bean Blossom and Brown County area in summer are the perfect location for this kind of music event, and we look forward to returning year after year. We’re hoping to build MagnoliaFest Midwest into a destination music festival.”

Complete information including online secure ticketing for MagnoliaFest Midwest can be found online at http://www.magmusic.com/magnoliafestmidwest.htm or by phone at 904-249-7990.

MagnoliaFest Midwest Main Stage Schedule

Friday, July 22

3:00-3:50 New Traditionals

4:10-5:00 Quartermoon

5:20-6:10 The Tumbleweeds

6:30-7:30 Steep Canyon Rangers

7:50-9:00 Hot Buttered Rum String Band

9:30-11:00 Buddy Miller Band

11:30-1:00 The Duhks

Saturday, July 23

10:00-10:45 Sloppy Joe

11:00-11:45 Dread Clampitt

12:00-12:50 Spud Puppies

1:10-2:10     David Gans

2:30-3:30     Peter Rowan

3:50-4:50     Steppin’ In It

5:10-6:10     Uncle Earl

6:30-7:30     Shawn Camp Band

8:00-9:10     Peter Rowan & Tony Rice Quartet

9:30-11:00    Bela Fleck Acoustic Trio

11:30-1:00    Drew Emmitt Band

Sunday, July 24

10:00-11:00 Magnolia Family Jam w/ the New Traditionals

11:20-12:20 Josh Pinkham & the Pinkham Family Band

12:40-1:40    Peter Rowan Bluegrass Jam w/ Tony Rice, Bela Fleck

2:00-3:00     Shawn Camp Band

3:20-4:20     Uncle Earl

4:40-5:40     Drew Emmitt Band

6:00-7:00     The Duhks

• complete schedule with all stages posted online at http://www.magmusic.com/magfestmidwestschedule.htm

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