Happalachia Music Festival

WalkTail Community,

Welcome to #MusicMonday.  We are excited to share an idea our dearest friend shared with us recently.  And what an idea it is!  We would love to see you in the comments section with who your music festival would include and who you listen to during a #WalkTailHour.  Comment below and enjoy this week's blog post!

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With winter's chill in the air, I find more and more time is spent beside my fireplace with a glass of wine in hand - the bottle never sits too far away - and a great album echoing throughout my house. It was during one such session that a curious idea struck me liek the pop of the flames: what would my music festival sound like? Pouring myself another glass of red (more specifically a 2020 Black Label Petit Verdot from Rappahannock Cellars in Virginia), this idea started to take form and I proposed the same invented rules to my best friend: If you had the chance to put together a one-day music festival, who would you book?

 
As in life, there are specific limitations: all acts must be alive so no matter how much I would like to see “When the Levee Breaks” by Led Zeppelin, the absence of John Bonham precludes these pillars of rock from performing at this particular festival. Another fabricated limitation: only ten bands are allowed plus one headliner. As this is a festival of sorts, there should be a similar vein running throughout each set. Better yet, I thought, what if there would be subsequent collaborations between these bands as a direct result of their mingling at this music festival on future records?!

So who to choose? Personally, my list started quickly with names you might recognize (Foo Fighters, Radiohead, Glass Animals) while some lesser-known favorites happen to fall into the lineup (Snarky Puppy, Lettuce). But halfway through this initial lineup, I reminded myself that this is not merely a collection of your all-time favorite acts. No, this is to be a music festival in your image. It was obvious that this initial effort was missing that bit of flannelled rurality that best describes my person. Sorry Dave Grohl but I am relying on the spirit of Chris Thile to guide me through this list.

Indeed, it was the Americana glory heard in music of the Punch Brothers that started my list. The Ballroom Thieves are always a great show and the intimacy of their music would be an ideal opening act to welcome fellow wanderers to Happalachia Music Festival. With these two anchoring the lineup, the next few flowed as easily as my third glass of wine. The Dead South, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, and the Record Company were quickly added and brought breadth to the collective sound. The Marcus King Band and Nathaniel Ratliff & the Night Sweats similarly fell in line with the general vibe and it was the soul of their music that inspired the next few selections: JJ Grey & Mofro and Chris Stapleton.

To get the crowd into a frenzy, ready for the headliner? Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears.

Now the real challenge: who would headline this once in a lifetime event? What band would bring the consummate sound that encapsulates all of these great performances? My thoughts were disrupted by a cacophony of murder sitting in the great White Oak outside my front yard. In her infinite wisdom, Mother Earth was clearly voicing her opinion; the Black Crowes should and would be the final act, closing out what surely would one of the greatest musical events in our short lived time on this earth.

Then the fun began. It was time to compile the official Happalachia Music Festival soundtrack. For a one-day festival, ten hours seems about right. It was during the collection that another name arose, one I could not shake: Kenny Wayne Shepherd. To accommodate the inclusion of my childhood hero, I made one final concession: one special artist or group would be invited. As a consummate blues and rock guitar icon, Kenny could obviously join a different sets and would invariably perform some of his own masterpieces.

Three days in and I am still working on said playlist. But during the cold of January, this particular thought has brought a great deal of enjoyment to thaw even this often frozen heart.

Curious to hear the voices of the Happalachia Music Festival? Check out the official playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0WwZlGIVtg5GuBQncevQfW?si=24659a747a1343db

The Happalachia Music Festival 2023

Ballroom Thieves
Punch Brothers
Dead South
St. Paul and Broken Bones
Record Company
Chris Stapleton
JJ Grey & Mofro
Marcus King Band
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears
Nathaniel Ratcliff & the Night Sweats
Headliner: Black Crowes
With Special Guest: Kenny Wayne Shepherd

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