Coastal Virginia Bluegrass and Brew Festival
What goes together better than bluegrass and a nice cold brew? The American Theatre is proud to present the inaugural Coastal Virginia Bluegrass and Brew Festival which welcomes a trio of legendary artists with unique bluegrass styles and some of Coastal Virginia's finest local breweries. These amazing musicians will expose you to the full scope of their immense talents while also gaining a deeper understanding of the evolution of bluegrass music throughout Virginia and beyond!
Skillful picking and expert three-part harmonies are just part of what you can expect from The Whiskey Rebellion, who have been plying their brand of high-energy acoustic music across the Southeast (and as far west as the Pacific Ocean) for the last eight years. The band has recorded two regionally-acclaimed original albums, shared the stage with the Sam Bush Band and Carolina Chocolate Drops, and had their 2011 tour of the Pacific Northwest captured by filmmaker Tony Morin for a forthcoming concert film & documentary.
Drawing on their diverse musical backgrounds, The Whiskey Rebellion mix the spontaneity of bluegrass, the collectiveness of jazz, and the urgency of rock and roll to create their own unique take on everything from traditional bluegrass to anthemic party favorites. The band covers a wide array of artists ranging from The Beatles to The Talking Heads to Guns 'n' Roses, but their approach is always steeped in their acoustic roots and uniquely lends itself to being both listenable and danceable.
What if...The Beatles were actually from somewhere in the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota?
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Bluegrass Band is a collection of four very different musicians creating a new sound from the greatest music ever written by the greatest band ever, The Beatles. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Bluegrass Band’s repertoire features new and innovative takes on songs like Back in the U.S.S.R, Come Together, Blackbird and many more.
Bands have been covering Beatles tunes for decades, but none like this talented quartet. Imagine the music of the Fab Four shaken up with infusions of bluegrass and jazz and topped off with a classical twist. The result: a satisfying musical cocktail called Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Bluegrass.
“This isn’t your same old Beatles band,” says Dave Walser, founder of the innovative group. A fan of the classic quartet since he first saw them on the Ed Sullivan Show, Dave was inspired to create Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Bluegrass after seeing McCartney’s Back in the U.S. tour in 2002. “I thought it would be fun to get some great musicians together and play all acoustic versions of Beatles songs. Each of us adds a little something different to the mix”.
The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail celebrates the traditional music that has been kept in families and communities of Southwest Virginia since colonial times. Settlers of this mountainous region since the 1700’s have brought various ingredients – a cappella gospel music from German tradition that lives in the Old Regular Baptist churches today; spirituals, emotive singing and a musical gourd we now call a banjo from African tradition; and ballads and fiddles brought by the Scots-Irish and English. Mixed together, these ingredients have produced one of the richest musical traditions on earth.
This region produced the Carter Family, the first family of Country Music; Jim and Jesse, Grand Ole Opry stars and one of the most innovative bluegrass groups of the golden era of bluegrass; Ralph & Carter Stanley, who took their home place and its mountains and distilled their very essence down into songs we can all sing. But the real heart and soul of The Crooked Road are the everyday folks who keep this music in their homes, country stores, in churches, and in weekly jam sessions. The variety of it is amazing - old time string bands, a cappella gospel, blues, 300 year-old ballads, bluegrass, and more! It is a music tradition that is as vibrant today as it has ever been.
The Crooked Road On Tour is a concert program of exemplary artists of The Crooked Road.
Breweries
Young Veterans Brewing Company
Established in 2012 and founded by veterans Thomas Wilder and Neil McCannon, YVBC pays tribute to Coastal Virginia’s historical connection to the U.S. military. McCannon’s degree in Brewing Science has been put to good use as the brewery delivers aptly named beers like the G.I. Pilsner, Jet Noise (a Double I.P.A.), Bravo Foxtrot (a dark Belgian strong ale), and K-Ration (a Kolsch-style beer).
Bull Island Brewing Company
At Hampton’s oldest waterfront brewery, Bull Island Master Brewer Michael Paine oversees five flagship beers such as the malty King Street Kolsch and the Queens Way IPA, an India Pale Ale. A rotating roster of creative seasonal brews includes White Caps White Milk Stout, Oyster Jalapeno Porter, and Absolute Bearing Altbier.
The Oozlefinch Craft Brewery
Named after an elusive bird spotted by Fort Monroe’s Captain H.M. Merriam in 1905, the Oozlefinch has become a mythical symbol for more than a century and now is the namesake of the recently opened brewery on the site of the decommissioned military base. Founder/owner Russel Tinsley and his team push the boundaries of traditional beer making with innovative brews such as the Cranberry Honey Dunkelweizen (a honey- and cranberry-soaked hefeweizen), a Pineapple Grapefruit IPA, and the Irish Extra Stout, featuring a variety of specialty malts.
St. George Brewing Company
St. George is one of the region’s oldest microbreweries, celebrating 20 years in the Hampton area. Specializing in traditional English and German-style ales, beer lovers near and far flock to the brewery for celebrated brews such as the English Style Nut Brown Ale and German Pilsner, as well as seasonal favorites like the malty Winter Scotch Ale.