David Olney and Bonnie Bishop Will Play 7th Annual Aiken and Friends Music Fest

12 years ago Liv Carter Comments Off on David Olney and Bonnie Bishop Will Play 7th Annual Aiken and Friends Music Fest
aikenandfriendsfest.com

The line-up for the 7th Annual Aiken & Friends Music Fest has been announced. The festival will take place September 28-29 in Smithfield, VA.

Mike Aiken, Americana/Country/Roots national recording artist and founder of Smithfield Music’s Aiken & Friends Fest, is pleased to announce the lineup of performers for this year’s festival which will take place on September 28-29 in Smithfield, Virginia. Aiken says, “We are excited to be moving the fest riverside to Windsor Castle Park – bigger, better and just a beautiful site. I’m happy to be bringing in old friends and new ones – from the soulful, bluesy Bonnie Bishop to the legendary David Olney. It will be awesome music.”

The 2012 Aiken & Friends Fest will kick off with a writers in-the-round at the Smithfield Little Theatre on Friday, September 28. Elliot Lurie, Bonnie Bishop and Mike Aiken will perform their compelling original songs in a unique and intimate environment that allows for stories and casual banter in between tunes. The music continues Saturday, September 29, on two outdoor stages with performances by the Bonnie Bishop Band, David Olney, The Muckrakes, Susan Greenbaum, Beaucoup Blue and the Mike Aiken Band.

The festival’s educational events are always popular. On Saturday, September 29 at Windsor Castle Park House, three seminars take place. Aiken, Lurie and Bishop will host a songwriters’ workshop, master guitarist Sam Dorsey will lead a guitar class, and Northwind Records’ President Amy Aiken and Lurie will host a Music Promotion 101 session.

Now in its seventh year, Smithfield Music’s Aiken and Friends Fest benefits youth music education through its annual Americana/Roots festival. A “celebration of songwriters,” this rural small-town Virginia event introduces music fans to national, regional and local artists in the rural Virginia splendor along the Pagan River. Smithfield’s very active music scene is due to the efforts of Jim & Elaine Abicht who head Smithfield Music, the nonprofit entity which benefits music education. The partnership between Mike Aiken, the Town of Smithfield and Smithfield Music is strong, and the festival continues to grow.

Find more on the festival at aikenandfriendsfest.com

Find more on Mike Aiken at mikeaikenmusic.com.

 

Liv Carter

Liv Carter

Liv is a career coach for creatives, and the people who work with them.
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
Liv Carter