Old Crow Medicine Show, Whiskey Myers, The Band of Heathens, a ‘culture of rock’ panel join The Avett Brothers, Turkuaz w/ Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew REMAIN IN LIGHT, Goose, Andy Frasco & The U.N., Katie Pruitt, DownTown Abby & The Echoes, Hot Trail Mix, with many more artists set to be added over the coming months
FLOYD, VA — Across-the-Way Productions, Inc. invites patrons to embark on an ‘Odyssey’ to celebrate FloydFest 21, the latest annual offering of the Southeast’s premier summer outdoor music festival, taking place Wednesday to Sunday, July 21 to 25, 2021, at Milepost 170.5 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Floyd, Va.
Topping this recent announcement are two-time Grammy-winners, Grand Ole Opry-members, FloydFest veterans and million-copy record sellers Old Crow Medicine Show. To boot, two Texas bands are revealed for the lineup — East Texas’ alt-country renegade brothers, Whiskey Myers; and Austin, Texas’ Americana, award-winning quintet, The Band of Heathens.
Also included in this announcement is a special panel discussion set for FloydFest 21~Odyssey, where Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads, Adrian Belew of King Crimson and Dave Brandwein of Turkuaz will sit down with Rolling Stone contributing-writer Garret K. Woodward for a unique conversation about Remain In Light and the culture of rock music.
Earlier this summer, Grammy-nominated, N.C. Music Hall of Fame-inducted folk-rock group, The Avett Brothers, were announced for the five-day, nine-stage, 100-act, award-winning festival; as well as Brooklyn’s funk-outfit Turkuaz, who are teaming up with Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads and Adrian Belew of King Crimson, to honor one of rock’s most-iconic albums, Talking Heads’ Remain In Light; Connecticut’s indie-groove all-stars, Goose; rock-and-roll rule-breakers, Andy Frasco & The U.N.; NPR’s 2019 Slingshot Artist, Katie Pruitt; FloydFest 19~Voyage Home’s On-the-Rise Winner, DownTown Abby & The Echoes; and FloydFest 19~Voyage Home’s On-the-Rise Runner-Up, Hot Trail Mix (formerly ‘Mason Via & Hot Trail Mix’).
According to organizers, many more lineup announcements are coming soon, including additional artists originally on the lineup for FloydFest 2020~Vision Quest. The next artist reveal is slated for mid-November 2020, with more to follow over the ensuing months.
Tickets for FloydFest 21~Odyssey are on sale now via www.floydfest.com or here's a direct link to purchase tickets. Ticket prices stay the same through Dec. 31, 2020, with the first price increase scheduled for Jan. 1, 2021. Subsequently, ticket prices increase again on April 1, 2021, again on July 1, 2021, and for the final time when gates open for the festival on July 21, 2021, if tickets remain.
Old Crow Medicine Show
From being discovered by Doc Watson while busking, to becoming million-copy record sellers, the torchbearers of American roots music return to the mountain to help celebrate FloydFest 21~Odyssey. The band now has two decades and 10 albums under their belt, and has gone on to receive the honor of being inducted as members of the Grand Ole Opry. Their two Grammy Awards came for “Best Folk Album” for Remedy (2014) and “Best Long Form Music Video” for Big Easy Express (2013). Additionally, their classic single, “Wagon Wheel,” received the RIAA’s Double-Platinum certification in 2019 for selling more than 2,000,000 copies, while the band’s debut album O.C.M.S. has been certified Gold (500,000 copies).
Whiskey Myers
Wielding honest music from East Texas, this band of renegade brothers defies genres with tactful tinges of alt country, rock, blues, roots and gospel, swirled with a little whiskey, and arriving to FloydFest poised to explode into a household name. Their new album, WHISKEY MYERS, debuted atop the Country and Americana/Folk sales charts, at No. 2 on the Rock chart and at No. 6 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart. The self-titled project follows their most recent album, Mud, which reached No. 1 on the iTunes country chart. Along the way, the band has been called “the real damn deal” by Esquire, and described as “a riff-heavy blend of Southern rock and gritty country that has earned comparisons to the Allman Brothers Band and Led Zeppelin” (USA Today) and “the seminal combination of twang and crunchy rock-and-roll guitars that hits a perfect sweet spot” (Rolling Stone).
The Band of Heathens
Whisking country, rock, funk, roots and soul, the award-winning Austin, Texas quintet’s style practically defines Americana, as well as the genre’s evolution of melodic mutations. The band has enjoyed sustained success for more than a decade, racking up 10 albums and more than 1,200 performances in 13 countries. In a span of eight years, four of the band’s studio albums went to either No. 1 or No. 2 on the Americana Radio Albums Chart, earning the outfit a pair of Americana Music Award nominations.
Special Panel Discussion: Jerry Harrison, Adrian Belew and Dave Brandwein on the Culture of Rock
Adding some new, unique, purposeful programming to FloydFest 21~Odyssey, Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads, Adrian Belew of King Crimson and Dave Brandwein of Turkuaz will sit down with Rolling Stone contributing-writer Garret K. Woodward for a special conversation about Remain In Light and the culture of rock music — its past, present and future — which will be followed by a question-and-answer session with patrons. Once concluded, Brooklyn’s funk outfit, Harrison and Belew will take to the stage to celebrate the 41st anniversary of one of rock’s most-iconic albums, “Turkuaz w/ Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew REMAIN IN LIGHT.”
As announced in May, each patron that chose to rollover their tickets from FloydFest 2020~Vision Quest to FloydFest 21~Odyssey is automatically entered to win a free upgrade, such as Premium Woodsy Tent Tags, Backstage Access, VIP tickets, onsite parking, etc. Across-the-Way Productions awarded the fourth upgrade on September 15, with plans to continue rewarding rollover patrons once a month through July 2021.
As always, FloydFest will also include vibrant and varied vendors, quality craft brews and chews, healing arts, workshops and whimsy, camping and children's activities, outdoor adventure, onsite art installations and a final lineup featuring 100 artists performing on nine stages over five days.
FloydFest is located at Milepost 170.5 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Floyd, Va. Detailed directions are available by clicking to www.floydfest.com.
Tickets for FloydFest 21~Odyssey are available by clicking to www.floydfest.com orhttps://floydfest2021.eventbrite.com. For more information, call (888) VA-FESTS or email info@floydfest.com. Stay informed via FloydFest’s newsletter, and find FloydFest on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Patrons can also opt-in for the FloydFest Text Club by texting “FloydFest” to 36000 on their mobile device. The Text Club sends lineup additions and other special announcements directly to patrons’ smartphones, so they can be in the know on the go.