To the Mountaintop!
Article Published: Aug. 22, 2012 | Modified: Aug. 27, 2012
Railroad Earth returns to the High Country to host Music on the Mountaintop Aug. 24-26 in
Foscoe.
Facts
Schedule
Friday, Aug. 24
11 a.m. – Gates open
11 a.m. – Gates open
12:30 to 1:40 p.m. – The Black Lillies
2 to 3:05 p.m. – River
Whyless
3:25 to 4:40 p.m. – Greensky Bluegrass
5 to 6:30 p.m. – J.J. Grey &
Mofro
7 to 8:30 p.m. – Dr. Dog
9 to 11 p.m. – Railroad
Earth
Saturday, Aug. 25
10 a.m. – Gates open
10:30 to 11:15
a.m. – Monroeville
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Holy Ghost Tent Revival
12:45 to
1:45 p.m. – Rose’s Pawn Shop
2:05 to 3:05 p.m. – Naked Gods
3:25 to 4:40 p.m. –
The Hackensaw Boys
5 to 6:30 p.m. – Futurebirds
7 to 8:30 p.m. – Dirty Dozen
Brass Band
9 to 11 p.m. – Railroad Earth
Sunday, Aug.
26
9:30 a.m. – Gates open
9:30 a.m. – Gates open
10 to 10:45 a.m. – Stoney Creek Boys
11:10 a.m. to
noon – Salem Speaks
12:30 to 2 p.m. – Lary Keel & Natural Bridge
2:30 to 4
p.m. – Railroad Earth Super Jam
4:30 to 6:30 p.m. – Sam
Bush
There’s music, and there’s Music on the
Mountaintop.
Then there’s Railroad Earth’s Music on the
Mountaintop.
The popular Americana-folk-rock outfit adopted the Boone-born
festival as its own, and for good reason.
“What I like about it is the setting,”
said Tim Carbone, violinist for Railroad Earth, “the intimacy of it. Those are my favorite things
about it … It seems like you’re kind of playing for your neighbors, so to
speak.”
Held Aug. 24 to 26 at the Grandfather Mountain Campground in Foscoe, the
festival promises three days of neighborly good times – music, art, education and
more.
Now in its fifth year, the festival is experiencing somewhat of a growth
spurt. “Over the last four years, we’ve only scratched the surface with what we want to do…,” MOTM
founder and director Jimmy Hunt said.
Year five brings an additional day of music,
a more diverse lineup and, according to Hunt, something invaluable – the support of Railroad
Earth.
The band reached out to festival organizers in September 2011 and
offered to host, Hunt said, “because they believe in the value of our festival and what it can
become.”
“It seems to be a really good fit,” Carbone
said.
With Railroad Earth laying the track, the festival boasts performances
from, at least, 17 bands during its three-day course, as well as onsite camping, beaucoups of food
options, vendors aplenty, band-hosted workshops and plenty of
surprises.
Audiences can expect some with Sunday’s Super Jam, in which Railroad
will perform with Sam Bush, Larry and Jenny Keel and members of Monroeville for a tribute to folk
legend Woody Guthrie.
“The Super Jam was something that was brought to us,”
Carbone said. “I put out there the idea of instead of being your typical ‘everybody gets on stage
and cluster-plucks,’ just have it be ‘everyone come out and play a lot of Woody Guthrie songs,’
since it’s his 100th anniversary this year.
“… And there’ll be plenty of picking
in amongst that.”
Tickets to Railroad Earth’s Music on the Mountaintop cost $99
for three-day admission, while single-day tickets cost $50 for Friday, $50 for Saturday and $30
for Sunday. VIP three-day passes cost $300, and Summit (deluxe) VIP three-day passes cost
$420.
For more information, including activities, workshops and camping, and
to purchase tickets, visit http://www.musiconthemountaintop.com.
