—David Menconi, Down on Copperline
Not too long ago, local music impresario Billy Maupin was walking into the Cat’s Cradle and took a moment to study the field behind the Carrboro nightclub. That gave him a thought.
“It looked like it would make a cool place for an old-school bluegrass festival,” says Maupin. “I’d been thinking about trying to do one in the area for a while, especially with IBMA leaving Raleigh. It seems like there’s a need for more grassroots bluegrass in Central North Carolina. We want to celebrate what’s happening currently in bluegrass, and also some of the local history that’s led us here.”
Thus we have the inaugural Carrboro Bluegrass Festival, set for May 24, 2025, in the Backyard area of Cat’s Cradle. Jim Lauderdale, a multiple Grammy winner and legend of North Carolina music, is the headliner along with Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, Woody Platt, Graham Sharp and more. General-admission tickets are $63.62 for seated, $43.02 for standing.
While the Steep Canyon Rangers aren’t on the festival bill, two acts from that group’s orbit are: Graham Sharp, the band’s banjo player and principal songwriter; and singer/guitarist Woody Platt, who amicably left the Rangers in 2022 to spend more time off the road at home.
Steep Canyon Rangers have been one of the most acclaimed bluegrass acts in the field over the past 15 years, playing some of the world’s biggest stages while backing up the banjo-playing comedian Steve Martin. They also won a Grammy on their own, best bluegrass album for 2012’s “Nobody Knows You.” When Cat’s Cradle held its 50-year anniversary celebration in early 2020, the Rangers were one of the star acts.
Before stardom, however, the Rangers were scruffy local upstarts. They formed at UNC-Chapel Hill in the late 1990s and took their first steps into bluegrass on stages around the area.
“First time we played Cat’s Cradle was opening for Derek Trucks,” says Sharp. “We recorded that show and listening back to it now, we were so amped up that everything we played was unbelievably fast. Good youthful energy right there.”
There were other important people, places and things around Orange County during the Rangers’ early days, including bluegrass elders like Red Clay Ramblers and the late Tommy Edwards. The rangers were regular performers at the old Mellow Mushroom on Franklin Street, which closed in 2019.
“We had some incredible mentors back when Mellow Mushroom was open and had a regular bluegrass night,” remembers Sharp. “Russel Johnson, who runs the UNC bluegrass program now, took a lot of time with us about how to sing harmonies, work microphones, get the live sound right. Our mentors and heroes were all right around the Chapel Hill area. A great large bulk of what we learned can be traced to that spot.”
Sharp’s Carrboro Bluegrass Festival set will focus on songs from his just-released solo album, “How Did We Do It.” He reports that the Rangers’ next album is in the can and should be released later this year.
“Last time we did anything like this in Carrboro was a festival under the oak trees years ago,” says Sharp. “Shady Grove Band played, too, and it was a great wonderful day. Some fond memories. This festival is a fantastic lineup, and we’ll lend our small part. It’s kind of wild that Woody will be there with his band and I’ll be there with mine, too. I would think we’ll play together some, too.”
Keep up with the festival happenings via the festival’s official Instagram and Facebook pages.
FESTIVAL LINEUP:
Jim Lauderdale
The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
Woody Platt & The Bluegrass Gentlemen
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
Graham Sharp & Friends
Max Wareham & the National Bluegrass Team (Bio)
The Williamson Brothers – (Bio)
Slippery Hill Bluegrass – (Bio)
Featherpocket Stringband (Late Night At Cat’s Cradle Backroom) (Bio)
The Carolina Cutups (Late Night At Cat’s Cradle Backroom) (Bio)
Sugaree String Society (Late Night At Cat’s Cradle Backroom) (Bio)
