Bye-bye, pandemic pajamas. Ta-ta, TV marathons. Hello world, we’re ready to go out!
As we emerge, blinking, into the post-pandemic light, we search for events that will reaffirm community, lift our spirits, and give us reasons to celebrate – together! – again.
Williamsburg Live delivers on all counts. The three-day music festival, renowned for its inspired choices of artists, returns to the Lawn of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg June 18-20.
A music-filled weekend of award-winning artists, June 18-20
Friday night, June 18, NPR-heads and mandolin buffs can bask in the genre-jumping genius of Chris Thile, whose stint on public radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion/Live From Here” further burnished his lifelong reputation as a music-maker extraordinaire. A prodigy who began performing with his family at the age of eight, Thile won (and has kept) fans from his days with Nickel Creek to his forays with The Punch Brothers to his astonishing collaborations with such virtuosos as Yo-Yo Ma, Mark O’Connor, Dolly Parton, Dixie Chicks, Dierks Bentley, Jack White and dozens more. His mandolin artistry is unmatched; his fingers fly nimbly on the ancient instrument’s strings, delivering sublime music from the Baroque to bluegrass to jazz and beyond. On his newest album, Laysongs, Thile sings and plays, his plaintive voice and wry delivery add nuance and emotion to every song.
Saturday night, June 19, Leyla McCalla, a towering musician and activist takes the stage. McCalla cut her musical teeth with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, the groundbreaking, Grammy-winning “old-time string band” that explored the Black roots of American folk music, and has since become known for her deeply researched, beautifully performed recordings of music that display the influences of Creole, Cajun and Haitian music as well as American jazz, blues and folk. Elegant, soulful and witty, her performances vibrate with three centuries of history, and her collaborations with such musicians as Rhiannon Giddens (Songs of Our Native Daughters) reflect her passion and artistry.
“Her voice is disarmingly natural, and her settings are elegantly succinct…her magnificently transparent music holds tidings of family, memory, solitude and the inexorability of time: weighty thoughts handled with the lightest touch imaginable,” wrote The New York Times.
Williamsburg Live closes with a celebration Sunday June 20, as the popular Americana band The Lone Bellow performs. With a sound dubbed “Nashville by way of Brooklyn,” The Lone Bellow instantly grabbed fans with their first album in 2013, leaping onto the People Magazine list of their Top 10 Albums, and prompting Entertainment Weekly to call them “one of the top reasons to love country music.” The Americana Music Award-winning group released their latest album Half Moon Light in 2020 to rave reviews; NPR said, “The Lone Bellow makes music that feels like it’s welcoming you in – like the band members are opening their arms and inviting you to join their family with sing-along choruses, hand-clapping rhythms and melodies that somehow sound familiar even on a first listen.” Not convinced? Take a listen to “Green Eyes and a Heart of Gold” – and try not to dance.
Music + craft beers + wine + fabulous food…what could be better?
In past seasons, Williamsburg Live has drawn fans from across the U.S. and around the world, who flock to the event to hear their favorite artists and sample the charms of Colonial Williamsburg. Before and between sets, audiences can sample regional craft beers and wines and food truck fare from local chefs, then settle down ‘neath the shade of the spreading trees on the site and enjoy the music. Parking is nearby, as are the shops and restaurants of Colonial Williamsburg.
For information and FAQs, including information on health safety precautions, visit vafest.org/williamsburglive.
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