MAY 21, 2009 ISSUE
Sam Bush, Keller Williams Headline 2nd Annual Music on the Mountaintop
Mandolin master Sam Bush will return to the High Country to headline the 2nd annual Music on the Mountaintop. Other headliners include Keller Williams and The Steep Canyon Rangers. Photo by David McClister
Music on the Mountaintop, the follow-up to last year’s Music on the Mountain, will be held again at the Old State Fairgrounds in Boone on Saturday, August 29. Music on the Mountaintop will feature the return of 2008 headliner Sam Bush, along with co-headliners Keller Williams, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Acoustic Syndicate and Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, as well as 15 regional and local acts from around Western North Carolina.
The festival returns with a green theme, using a solar powered stage, precise recycling and waste disposal programs, compostable cups and utensils, and the integration of renewable energy nonprofit organizations. A portion of the proceeds from this year’s festival will go to the Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy (AIRE) and the Appalachian Energy Center.
“AIRE is extremely honored, flattered and excited to be Music on the Mountaintop’s feature environmental non-profit organization for 2009,” said Steve Owen, founder and director of AIRE. “We couldn’t be more delighted to be part of a great scene with the best music in the world, and to join with other area groups working for a more sustainable world. I know the inaugural event last August was a huge success. We’re impressed that Music on the Mountaintop has worked so hard to make this year even better.”
Music on the Mountaintop 2009 will showcase three music stages, a Green Village, 35-foot climbing wall, and many local and organic food and craft vendors from the Boone area.
The festival is being produced by Yellow Dog Entertainment, LLC, a company founded by Jimmy Hunt. A senior at ASU, Hunt developed the idea for the festival from one of his classes.
“I was taking a class and needed a business plan. I always wanted to do a large scale music festival in Boone and the class gave me the tools to go after it,” said Hunt. “I ended up dropping the class but kept the business plan. Once I started working on it outside of class, it really just snowballed.”
This year’s festival will also feature a River Cleanup Initiative that will take place on Friday, August 28, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the fairgrounds. Yellow Dog Entertainment will coordinate the River Cleanup Initiative with the help of the Sustainable Development Department at ASU and other local nonprofit organizations.
“The project is another way for us to communicate with the town,” said Hunt. “We really want to work with the community to promote sustainability.”
Camping will be available on site for the night of the event. Camping spots are limited but will be announced for purchase on the festival website.
The gates will be open to the public at the Old State Fairgrounds on August 29, at 10:00 a.m. and the music will begin at 11:00 a.m. Purchase tickets later this summer by clicking to www.musiconthemountaintop.com or at Green Mother Goods.
For more information on Music on the Mountaintop 2009, click to www.musiconthemountaintop.com.
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