Beginning at 10 am and ending at 10 pm daily, the Saturday and Sunday event at Hinton's City Sidetrack Park, "Festival of the Rivers 2009" remains FREE to the public. The festival features something for every member of the family and the City Sidetrack Waterslide was opened each day from 11 am till 7 pm.
Check Back Later For The 2010 Line-up
Saturday Night Headliner
Taylor Made
Their sound is pure country. Taylor Made's powerful music will electrify your senses while soothing your soul
with their trademark harmonies. Siblings Brian, Wendy, and Greg have taken their unique style, which began on a back porch in Taylor County, WV and crafted it into the rich country sound, that is truly Taylor Made.
Having thrilled local fans for the past several years, Taylor Made has now teamed up with Dale Morris and Associates from Nashville Tennessee. Dale Morris is the man responsible for such acts as; Kenny Chesney, Gretchen Wilson, Big and Rich and the country legends Alabama. Taylor Made continues to be one of the most requested country groups on local and Nationwide radio stations with the release of their new hit single Heavy Duty Beauty on the DMP WeBlast Record Label. Heavy Duty Beauty is being played nationwide on over 2000 country stations and, as of March 16, was #58 on the Music Row Chart.
Taylor Made's Greg Duckworth captures criminals by day and
croons country music to thousands of fans in his off-duty hours.
The 38-year-old is a sergeant with the West Virginia State Police
and the detachment commander at Beckley. He also is a member
of the band Taylor Made, a group he started about two years
ago with his brother, Brian, 36, and sister, Wendy Williams, 30.
He recalls singing as a kid with his mom and siblings on their back
porch, where they all belted out gospel music together. He and
his siblings also were in the church choir. The three grew up in
Taylor County. Although they eventually moved to other parts
of the state, they never forgot their musical past.
About three years ago, they learned about a contest hosted by
Beckley radio station Power Country 105. The contest, called the Colgate Country Showdown, has produced some national stars. On a whim, Greg and his siblings decided to form a band and enter the competition.
All three sing and play both acoustic and electric guitar. Greg and Wendy also play mandolin. But they knew they would need some more musicians to be successful. So they found five people to join them and called themselves
I 79. The band's other members are Don Drummer on steel guitar, Dan Bailey on lead guitar, Tom Mallory on bass guitar, Rick Lloyd on drums and Dino Pastino on keyboard.
Although I 79 did not win the Colgate Country Showdown,
it did continue playing and eventually was heard by the
assistant to a Nashville talent agent when it played at a
benefit for Hurricane Katrina victims. The agent, Dale Morris,
represents A-list stars such as Gretchen Wilson and Kenny Chesney. Morris agreed to manage the band and suggested some changes. He recommended the band change its name because he said "the road sign thing" had already been done by Highway 101. He suggested Taylor Made because of the siblings' roots in Taylor County.
The band agreed to change its name, and its fan base is steadily increasing. In July it played on the same stage as B.J. Thomas and Charlie Daniels for a crowd of more than 30,000 fans at The Friends of Coal Auto Fair.
The feeling was surreal, Brian and Wendy said. "It's just a different level. You're singing with one of your idols," Brian said. "It's very humbling. It's very flattering." "It's an honor to be able to perform with those kind of people," Wendy added.
Jimmy Costa
"A Musical Anthropologist"
West Virginia master fiddler, banjo picker, dulcimer player,
you name it, Jimmy Costa of Summers County is one of the
best and he will bring his mixture of music and folklore to the Festival of the Rivers, in Hinton, on Sunday, Sept. 6.Costa
has a love for the old-time music, the roots of the Appalachian
music we hear today. You could say he was "Born to Late,"
a dim light searching day after day for the past, reviving the
music that made the Appalachian people strong.
His imagination soars when he plays the music of the past.
He believes that much of the state's cultural heritage is contained in the old ballads that were popular in the region at an earlier time. "When I play a tune, people know that it's a West Virginia tune," he said. "The music is part of the isolated fiddling culture."
He says West Virginia fiddle tunes were not as rhythmic as some of the tunes popular in other places in Appalachia. "In other places, music was important for dancing, but it wasn't like that in central West Virginia, where fiddlers used their bows differently for each piece they played. They played more for listening pleasure then for dancing."But in addition to his fame as a singer and performer on the fiddle and banjo, Costa is also passing along his love of traditional mountain music to a new generation through workshops that will be held that day.
He is also a craftsman and curator and conservator of antique farm implements and tools of this region, rekindling the interest in Appalachia, its people and their traditions. "It's hard to appreciate things where you grow up," he says. "We might be overwhelmed if we went to a big city. Many of the tourists who come here seem to have a great appreciation for nature. They can't imagine owning land and going out for a walk under the trees. They wouldn't think of throwing a piece of trash out of a car window. "They seem to have a deep appreciation for the beauty of the state. They want to see it stay that way."
Patrick O'Flaherty
A talented multi-instrumentalist, he began playing the harmonica as a young boy in Connemara. Raised in Galway's Gaeltacht on the Rugged West Coast of Ireland, Mr. O'Flaherty is part of a select group of people whose native language is Gaelic. Today he is acknowledged as one of the truly fine practitioners of Irish mandolin and harmonica, and is also a highly respected player of the button accordion and banjo with a professional music career that has spanned nearly three decades.
Patrick has played in a multitude of venues including the National Press Club, the Smithsonian Mall on Solidarity Day, Notre Dame University, the National Geographic Concert Series, the Milwaukee Irish Festival, and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. He has also performed for a variety of notable audiences including Pope John Paul II, President Reagan, President Herzog of Israel, and Speaker of the House, Tip O'Neill.
Mr. O'Flaherty tours as a solo act and with the Poor Clares, a nationally charted group, and the Celtic Folk. During his performance on Sunday at 4:00 pm, he will play several instruments and sing in both Gaelic and in English. The show will include songs and stories from his homeland and information about each of the instruments played. To learn more about Patrick please visit his website.
Mary Dailey
This year’s Festival of the Rivers welcomes Mary Dailey of Green Sulphur Springs at
the 2009 Labor Day Weekend music event. On september 6th, at 2:00 pm.
The performance will be a mix of original and traditional songs with instrumentation on
lap dulcimer, guitar, autoharp, fiddle, and bodhran.
Mary makes her home in Summers County and has appeared at coffeehouses, house
concerts, outdoor festivals, historic events, weddings, and venues such as the Purple
Fiddle, Mountain Stage NewSong Festival and the Kennedy Center. Her recorded
music has aired on National Public Radio.
Ms. Dailey had her first exposure to traditional American music at the Appalachian South Folklife Center in Summers County near Pipestem State Park. Soon after she began singing some of the old songs and realized their connection to the old ballads of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Eventually Mary got a “hankerin’” to write songs after reading Woody Guthrie’s autobiography "Bound For Glory", which helped her recognize the power of song in the human story.
The Wild Rumpus
This year’s Festival of the Rivers welcomes the Wild Rumpus on Saturday
for the 2009 Labor Day Weekend music event. Hailing from Fayetteville,
WV, the Wild Rumpus is an original string band led by singer and
songwriter, Andrew Adkins. Forging a sound that has one foot stomping
in the past and the other stomping in the present, their debut album “Love,
Trains & Home” on WV label Mudbone Records rolls together bluegrass,
swing, country, and rock & roll for a style that is uniquely their own. Their
influences range from Leonard Cohen to Jimmy Martin and touch everything
in between while managing to hold together a sound that is instantly recognizable and will start your legs to dancing on their own. They have been playing shows in WV in advance of their summer CD release to rave reviews
and the dancing has been spontaneous and instantaneous.
Johnny Jones
Born and raised in West Virginia, Nashville veteran Johnny Jones started playing the guitar, singing, and writing songs around the age of 14. While in the U.S. Air Force his off-duty hours were spent playing clubs and entertaining at many different functions. Eventually, Mr. Jones was selected as one of several Air Force men and women for the "Command Performance," a variety show that toured throughout the United States, entertaining the troops at different air force and army bases.
After his tour of duty, he returned to his home state where Mr. Jones was soon in demand for performing clubs and a variety of social events as a single act, as well as doing some recording. During this time he was a regular on a Saturday morning radio show as well as making frequent television appearances on "The Country Jamboree" in Bluefield and a guest appearance on "The Bonnie Lou & Buster Show" out of Knoxville. Mr. Jones has performed on the same stage with acts like Dave Dudley, the late Mel Street, the Glaser Brothers, and Tom T. Hall. He eventually moved to Nashville and formed his own band which toured throughout several states and western Canada.
Upon returning to West Virginia Mr. Jones began performing with different bands as well as working as a single act. He recently started his own record label, Singing Crow Records, to promote the material on his CD, "Mowing Grass While Dressed Up In A Suit," a collection of self-composed songs meant to “put a smile on your face.”
Mr. Jones starts off this years festival at 12:00 Saturday 5th
for more info visit Johnny at http://cdbaby.com/cd/johnnyjones.
Hans Creek String Band
The Hans Creek String Band was started in the early eighties. Two of the
original members, Bert Ellison (banjo and tenor harmony) and Addison Dobbs
(mandolin and harmony), are cousins and both live on Hans Creek in Monroe
County. The current fiddle player is fifteen-year-old Rebekah Campbell. She
is from Ballard and has already won four awards in fiddle competitions. Stanley
Asbury, Jr. plays upright bass and started playing at the age of fourteen and
lives at Peterstown. Stanley Asbury plays guitar and lead vocals, and lives at Greenville. Their homegrown sound demonstrates the continuing importance of the oral music tradition in rural West Virginia.
Hinton, West Virginia
Hinton is the county seat of Summers County WV. The town and county are rich in outdoor activity with superb fishing, two state parks, rail and coal history, and home of the Legend of John Henry, The Steel Drivin' Man. For more information on Hinton and the surrounding area visit the Summers County Convention & Visitors Bureau website. Beginning with the Gay 90's of the nineteenth century, the community experienced explosive growth. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the historic district includes over two hundred architecturally distinctive buildings. Styles encompassed are American Gothic, Classical, High Victorian, American Foursquare, and Greek Revival. The community is literally a living architectural exhibit.
Flannagan-Murrell House
The free festival is held by the Flannagan-Murrell House, Inc. (FMH),
a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit corporation dedicated to using the arts for the
benefit of the people of Hinton, Summers County, and West Virginia
in general. FMH is maintained through community support and staffed
by volunteers. For more information on the organization please call
publicity coordinator, Gregg Wingo, at (304) 646-3960.
Flannagan-Murrell House, Inc. (FMH) was founded in 1990 with the
purpose of preserving the oldest extant house in the Hinton National
Historical District. A group of concerned citizens of Hinton and Summers County banded together and obtained a loan to purchase the abandoned house in order to save it from being razed. The cost of an annual membership in the organization is $15 for an individual, $25 for a family, or $50 in in-kind donations or services. FMH also offers lifetime memberships for $1000 and welcomes support for the continuing restoration of the building and program development in the arts. For more information contact Fred Long at hinton1000@aol.com.
Check Back Later For The 2010 Line-up
Festival of the Rivers is sustained through the ongoing support of the State of West Virginia, corporate sponsors, and private donors.
- Individuals or companies interested in vending at the festival should contact vendor coordinator, David Williams, at (304) 466-2236 or email by davesele@hotmail.com . The vendor fee is $25/day and spaces are limited. Click here for more information about vending or to apply online.
- Anyone wishing to be considered for this year's festival should contact event and publicity coordinator, Dwight Emrik, (304) 466-1401.
Held last Labor Day Weekend, Festival of the Rivers 2009 featured fourteen music acts. Plus Dulcimer and SlideGuitar workshops, This free festival is located in Hinton WV at the confluence of the Greenbrier, Bluestone, and New rivers. As the "Gateway Community" for the New River Gorge National River, the community and festival are near both the National Park Service's New River Visitors Center on Interstate 64 and the breathtaking beauty of Sandstone Falls.
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