Join us for the 8th annual Hazard Bluegrass Festival at the beautiful Perry County Park in Hazard, Kentucky, on Friday, July 20 and Saturday, July 21. Enjoy traditional bluegrass music in the heart of the majestic mountains of Southeast Kentucky. Performances will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Friday and 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. An Open Stage will be available at noon on Saturday. Admission for the festival is FREE!

Indianapolis, IN -- The 38th Annual Bluegrass Hall of Fame & Uncle Pen Days Festival will be held September 19-22, 2012 at the Bill Monroe Memorial Bluegrass Music Park & Campground in Brown County, Indiana. The 4-day event includes a stellar line-up of over 25 bluegrass bands, instrument and vocal workshops, jam sessions, camping, food, vendors, flea market and fellowship. Tickets and camping reservations can be purchased by phone at 800-414-4677 or at www.beanblossom.US

Marion, VA -- Song of the Mountains will present the SteelDrivers at the Lincoln Theatre in Marion, Virginia on Saturday, August 4th. Also on the show will be LeRoy Troy with the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band along with the band My New Favorites and Travis Frye and Blue Mountain.

Nashville, TN (July 19, 2012) Moonstruck Management is proud to present an Anniversary Evening celebrating Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out’s 20th Anniversary and Lonesome River Band’s (LRB) 30th Anniversary. This once in a lifetime event will be held September 26, 2012 at 9:30 pm at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Nashville located at 322 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37201.

The 9th Annual International Acoustic Music Awards (IAMA) Is Currently Accepting Entries. Past Winners Include Maddy Rodriguez, David Francey, Charlie Dore, Etc. The 9th Annual IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards) kicks off. IAMA promotes excellence in Acoustic Music Performance and Artistry. Acoustic artists in various genres can gain exciting radio and web exposure through this competition.

Nashville, TN -- Rural Rhythm Christian is proud to announce the upcoming July 31, 2012 new album release, This Is My Crowd by the multi-award winning group, the Marksmen Quartet. “In their decades of recording, I must say this new release tops them all. Amazing,” said Les Butler, Syndicated Radio Show Host, Front Porch Fellowship and Singing News Magazine.

Nashville, TN -- Rural Rhythm Records is proud to announce the upcoming July 31, 2012 new album, Portrait of a Bluegrass Songwriter by Ray Edwards. All songs were written or co-written by Ray who is joined by some of the top musicians in Bluegrass music including: Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Marty Raybon, Lou Reid, Darrell Webb, Grasstowne, Jeanette Williams, Nu-Blu, and more.Portrait of a Bluegrass Songwriter

Nashville, TN -- In an exciting new membership drive, all active members of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) as of September 27, 2012 will receive a chance to win an oceanview cabin for two on Mountain Song at Sea’s Bluegrass Cruise. An entire ship has been chartered for the festival, which boasts a fantastically diverse lineup: The David Grisman Sextet, Del McCoury Band, Punch Brothers, Steep Canyon Rangers, Tim O'Brien and Bryan Sutton, Kruger Brothers, Peter Rowan, Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, Travelin' McCourys, Shannon Whitworth, Della Mae and Town Mountain.

The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail (TCR) music series at Heartwood in Abingdon showcases communities of the region through their traditional music venues and their youth music. At 7:00 pm on Thursday, July 26, The Fiddle and the Plow from Woodlawn, Virginia will be the featured Venue Showcase at Heartwood. The Fiddle & the Plow is hosted by Willard Gayheart and Scott Freeman, both accomplished and very talented musicians in their own right. In one of the most intimate settings along The Crooked Road, visitors to The Fiddle and the Plow gather every Friday evening in the showroom of Willard’s Front Porch Gallery & Frame Shop to hear some of the best traditional old time and bluegrass music anywhere. “I think the talents of Willard and Scott as host musicians helps attract other great music to the shop. Willard and Scott both write and play great music, and other musicians are drawn to that,” says Jack Hinshelwood, Executive Director of The Crooked Road. “And you couldn’t find more gracious hosts than Willard and Scott.”

Portland, OR -- NewFolkRadio.com, an online interactive radio station that streams folk, roots, and bluegrass music 24/7 without subscription fees, has announced a bargain start-up package for folk and bluegrass bands. "It's an expensive process to record a CD, get a cover designed, get the CD to radio stations, get a video shot, and so on," according to John Hart, founder of NewFolkRadio.com.

/CMA/ Nashville, TN -- Kitty Wells, a pioneer who is credited with shattering the industry barriers for women artists of Country Music, died today at her Nashville home. She was 92. Hailed as “The Queen of Country Music” and a member of CMA’s Country Music Hall of Fame since 1976, Wells enjoyed a 14-year run of Top 10 hits that helped make it possible for women to achieve success as Country artists. Kitty Wells was always a friend of bluegrass music.

Nothin' Fancy is excited to welcome Justin Tomlin on guitar and vocals. Justin steps in to replace Gary Farris, who has chosen to pursue a new career opportunity. Growing up in Amherst County, Virginia, Justin was surrounded by bluegrass at an early age. He started playing guitar at the age of ten, and his passion for Bluegrass music continued to grow in subsequent years. He helped form "The Deer Creek Boys" and most recently was playing with the Marion, Virginia based group "Still-House" until this opportunity to join with Nothin' Fancy.

Music & Memory, the non-profit "re-awakening" elders with dementia through the use of music and iPods, scored an unlikely video hit this spring that's been viewed more than six million times. It features Henry, an unresponsive 94-year-old suffering from dementia in an elder care facility who was given an iPod loaded with the music of his youth and was transformed into a seemingly different person, humming, singing, smiling, and beginning to interact with the people around him. The story of Music & Memory has spread and drawn attention from The New York Times, LA Times, CNN, NPR "Morning Edition," and more. Now, Music & Memory is embarking on an ambitious drive to encourage iPod donation drives nationwide and in the media in order to provide iPods to nursing homes.

Utica, NY -- ArtistWorks Academy of Bluegrass superstar teaching artists including banjo master Tony Trischka, guitar whiz Bryan Sutton and fiddle icon Darol Anger step "Out of the Cloud and Into the Crowd" at the 2012 Grey Fox Festival July 19th - 22nd at the Walsh Farm in Oak Hill, New York. In addition to exciting live performances on the Gray Fox main stages, these legendary bluegrass players will treat festival-goers to a special, hands-on Bluegrass Workshop Saturday July 21st at 6:00 PM on the Creekside Stage, as well as appearing throughout the four-day festival at the ArtistWorks booth for autograph sessions, photo opportunities, contests, prizes and giveaways.

Nova Scotia, Canada -- The Spinney Brothers, "Canada's International Bluegrass Band," are celebrating the success of their latest CD, Memories, released on Mountain Fever Records earlier this year. The CD reached #1 on this month's Bluegrass Music Profiles Top 10 CDs chart and also made its debut on the Bluegrass Unlimited Top 15 Albums chart at #9. The first single, and title track from the project, has had a significant presence on multiple charts spending four months on the Bluegrass Music Profiles Top 30 Hot Singles chart while currently holding down the #2 spot and also climbing to #24 on this month's Bluegrass Unlimited Top 30 Songs chart. The Spinney Brothers have been busy traveling internationally in support of Memories and have performed over 110 shows in Canada and the U.S. this year.