Hundreds are expected to turn out for the 29th Annual Will McLean Music Festival March 9 – 11th at the Sertoma Youth Ranch between Brooksville and Dade City. The festival which honors the “Father of Florida Folk” has become one of the most popular venues for Florida songwriters.
The festival will feature multiple stages and acoustic instrument and vocal workshops for adults and youth throughout the weekend. There will also be activities for children, food as well as vendors featuring arts and crafts. For more information about the Will McLean Music festival schedule and ticket prices go online to WillMcLean.com. See links and pictures below for the music lineup for Friday and Saturday nights March 9th and 10th.
Grant Peeples 8 p.m. Fri. March 9- Grant, a Tallahassee singer-songwriter, is a self-described “tree-hugger” who watches NASCAR known for his axe-sharp socio-political tunes, raucous humor and heart-gigging ballads. In 2014 he was the recipient of the Focus Foundation Award for Creative Excellence, which cited the “humor, compassion and wisdom of his songs,” as well as their unflinching social insight and cultural acuity.” He was a 2016 Finalist in the prestigious New Folk Songwriters Showcase, sponsored by the Kerrville Folk Festival.
Mindy Simmons 8:45 p.m. Fri. March 9- Mindy is truly a genuine performer who guides her audience down the bumpy road of life smiling all the way. Mindy combines quick wit and charm with a voice that moves flawlessly from satin smooth to gutsy, creating a memorable performance that feels like an evening with your best friend. Based in Sarasota, Florida, Mindy performs at major folk festivals throughout the State. At the South Florida Folk Festival, The Will McLean Festival, and The Gamble Rogers Festival Mindy has shared concert stages with Loudin Wainwright III, Cliff Eberhardt, Cosy Sheridan, Asleep at the Wheel, Vance Gilbert, and John Hammond Jr., to name just a few.
Brian Smalley 9:30 p.m. Fri. March 9- Brian blends a soulful, earthy voice with high-energy acoustical guitar. A review from Florida State Parks described him as a musician who truly “gets Florida” and is inspired to write about it in ways that are both moving and humorous. He spins tales that captivate listeners and take them on a Florida experience, ranging from his Civil War ballad (Chickens Pigs) to a contemporary meditation on the rusting boats along a Key West wharf.
Brother Brother 10:15 p.m. Fri. March 9- This brother duo of Bradley and Brett Anderson describes their music as Indie Rock with a banjo. They began their musical odyssey a few short years ago at the Will McLean Music Festival. The grass-roots, home-town band from Sarasota, Florida was invited to perform at a theatre in Branson, MO where they went from having played 10 shows a year to 10 shows a week year-round. The brothers now have two professionally recorded CDs. They describe the newest album as a cool fusion of acoustic guitars, electric banjos, synthesizers, and a really fun indie rock energy.
Belle and the Band 7:30 p.m. Sat. March 10- Suncoast Emmy Award-winning Belle and The Band combines masterful song-writing with instrumental prowess to deliver an acoustic sound that is thought provoking, melodic, and memorable. While Kathryn Belle Long’s many years of experience as a professional vocalist and Walt Disney World performer has seamlessly transferred into a prolific song-writer, the “Band” also includes some of Florida’s most recognized and accomplished acoustic musicians—Mickey Abraham, Kevin Robertson, and Mike Snelling. The group has performed at several premier roots music festivals in the Southeast including Roots Revival, the Florida Folk Festival, Suwannee Springfest, Magnolia Fest, Bear Creek Music and Arts Festival, Baygrass Bluegrass Festival, Florida State Bluegrass Festival, Southern Music Rising, and the Gamble Rogers Festival. The lead singer, Kathryn Belle Long is this year’s winner of the Will McLean Best New Florida Song Contest.
Sam Pacetti 8:00 p.m. Sat. March 10- Fingerstyle wizard Sam Pacetti from St. Augustine is a songwriter capable of haunting depth and wry humor in the space of one song. He is an impassioned and ecstatic vocalist, as well as a mesmerizing live performer, seamlessly melding head-spinning guitar pyrotechnics and raw emotion into one breathtaking package. His musical style has been influenced by the great guitarists Chet Atkins and Merle Travis. But it was Gamble Rogers, the legendary picker and raconteur from St. Augustine, who took the young guitarist under his wing for more than a year who was Pacetti’s most influential mentor.
Amy Carol Webb 8:45 p.m. Sat. March 10- Serving as both a musician and a minister, Amy Carol Webb says her life’s path has taken many forks in the road. She was born into a music and ministry family. Her father was a music teacher and a gospel preacher and her mother was a singer and taught Sunday school. The family lived in a lot of places in both Oklahoma and Texas. Music was a part of her family’s daily life. She has a BSE in Performing Arts. After college she toured all over the world and began writing and recording her music. She’s also an educator who has taught music, creative writing, songwriting and life-skills development from the halls of the University of Miami to the cells of maximum security women’s prisons in Florida. In addition to performing at festivals around the country Amy is currently a board certified hospice chaplain and bereavement group facilitator and a minister at the River of Grass Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Davie, FL among many other music and ministry activities. She’s recorded at least 13 albums and is a fan favorite of the Will McLean Music Festival.
2PM 9:30 p.m. Sat. March 10- “2PM” is Pete Price, Pete Hennings, and Mike Jurgensen, a trio of talented musicians who blend their varied musical talents into an eclectic mix of material, from original songs, to obscure covers, to well-known standards. With Price on guitar and bass, Hennings on guitar, bass, mandolin, and violin, and Jurgensen on guitar and harmonica, these three performers combine tight instrumentation with pristine vocal harmonies to delight audiences of all musical tastes. All three are talented songwriters and have performed solo as well as with other bands: Hennings and Price with Jon Semmes and the Florida Friends, and Jurgensen and Hennings with Myriad. The combination of Pete, Pete, and Mike as “2PM”, however, is a unique trio that has delighted audiences at acoustic venues and folk festivals around the state of Florida. “2PM” has released two CDs: “Keepin’ Time”, and “Let’s Just Play One More.”
Patchwork 10:00 p.m. Sat. March 10- Patchwork is a group of five women who play everything from original Florida folk, country and bluegrass to forties swing and rhythm & blues, all on acoustic instruments! The band hails from Gainesville, Florida, and performs at concerts, festivals, schools, clubs and parties throughout the state. In addition to adding their feminine Florida flavor to special events at the Appleton Museum in Ocala, the Cummer Museum in Jacksonville and the Sunday Sampler in Dunnellon, they have also been broadcast live on national public television and radio. They are a favorite at the Florida Folk Festival, where they have played for more than twenty years. Members of the band are Cathy DeWitt (vocals and guitar), Jolene Jones (vocals, mandolin and harmonica), Annie McPherson (vocals and bass), Tammy Murray (vocals, banjo, fiddle and guitar) and Janet Rucker (vocals, banjo and guitar).
For more information about the Will McLean Music festival schedule and ticket prices go online to WillMcLean.com
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