Each artist and production member was carefully chosen to celebrate and encourage diversity within the bluegrass and roots community. The showcase will take place from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. and includes Tyler Williams Band, whose lead singer’s powerful voice and skillful musicianship have been catching a lot of attention in the industry, and who was born with cerebral palsy and who has been blind since he was very young; Sam Gleaves, whose critically acclaimed CD Ain’t We Brothers features original songs that highlight our similarities over our differences, informed by his own life as an openly gay musician; Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, GRAMMY award winning musicians with a career spanning more than 35 years; The Otsuka & Watanabe Brothers’ Japanese Jam, featuring musicians from Japan who demonstrate the far-reaching influence of bluegrass; The Ebony Hillbillies, a prominent African American string band whose music helped lay the foundation for many musical genres; and 2017 IBMA Hall of Fame Inductee Alice Gerrard, who has inspired scores of young female singers through her long career in music. The Shout & Shine SuperJam will be hosted by “Emerging Artist of the Year” nominees Front Country. For those who cannot make it in person, the showcase will live stream on The Bluegrass Situation’s Facebook page.
In addition to working toward universal inclusion of LGBTQ and people of color, “Shout & Shine” made a deliberate effort this year to represent people with disabilities — working toward universal access for all people at music events, clubs, and festivals. Multiple advocacy organizations will have representatives present and information available, including Equality NC, Triangle Friends of African American Arts, and NC Asian Americans Together, who will have voter registration information available.
Working closely with the Raleigh community, the showcase was born in 2016 as a direct response to the North Carolina General Assembly’s controversial “bathroom bill,” HB2. “We’re proud to support ‘Shout & Shine’ again and build off of last year’s successful theme of inclusiveness and diversity,” says Loren Gold, Executive Vice President of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Raleigh is a thriving Southern capital city that’s shaped by the passionate minds of its inclusive and welcoming residents. The mission of this showcase could not align more with that core value of our community.” The showcase also works to represent IBMA’s fundamental values.”We are excited to have the Bluegrass Situation and PineCone producing another great Shout & Shine showcase this year, putting into practice the IBMA’s value statement around diversity and inclusion as a fundamental characteristic of our music community. Bluegrass is for all of us, and we’re stronger together than we could ever hope to be individually,” says Paul Schiminger, Executive Director of IBMA.
Shout & Shine is made possible through the support of sponsors, which include Raleigh Convention Center, Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, VAE Raleigh (via the Ignite Fellowship), Larry’s Coffee, Montgomery Violins, and The Press House.
For more information, visit www.thebluegrasssituation.com or www.pinecone.org.