THROUGH THE LENS: Shakori Hills & Dreamy Draw Wrap Up the 2023 Festival Season

This week’s column is a hybrid of sorts. It’s the last column of the year that features roots music festivals, two recent ones and two that were previously covered by ND but for which we have some great additional photos.

The recent fests are the new two-day Dreamy Draw Music Festival in Scottsdale, Arizona, which took place Nov. 3-4 and was covered by C. Elliott, and the Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance near Pittsboro, North Carolina, in early October, with photos by Willa Stein and Rich Levine.

The additional photos add to our coverage of FreshGrass | North Adams in Massachusetts and AmericanaFest in Nashville, both from September. ND Managing Editor Hilary Saunders first covered FreshGrass, which is presented by No Depression publisher The FreshGrass Foundation, and now Eric Ring offers his photos. Adding to our earlier coverage of AmericanaFest is Alan Perry with more performers from that very packed week.

Dreamy Draw Music Festival by C. Elliott 

Billing itself as being “inspired by the vibrant Southwestern spirit of Arizona … and celebrating the harmonious fusion of country and Americana,” the two-day Dreamy Draw Music Festival debuted in the historic heart of Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona, earlier this month.

As part of the newly renovated Scottsdale Civic Center, the fest’s three stages are grassy amphitheaters that provided intimate settings for festivalgoers. As advertised, there was considerable overlap between country and Americana artists, and while I concentrated on the latter, the fans seemed to make little distinction between the genres. 

Headliners Margo Price and Trampled by Turtles, both well known to me, put on solid performances, but it was two bands I had not seen before that took my breath away: Mighty Poplar (which garnered a Grammy nomination last week for  Bluegrass Album of the Year) and Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange). I know they are known entities to many ND readers, but I had yet to catch them live.

Also of note was Ben Schneider of Lord Huron. He danced, pranced, and jumped his way through the entire set, including donning a skull mask for a few songs. The crowd called out for more. 

Finally, in partnership with the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts, a portion of all ticket proceeds were donated to support creative endeavors and artistic growth through a variety of projects in the region. All in all it was a successful event, one I look forward to next year.

The Fall Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance

Shakori Hills’ fall event, near Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is one of four annual GrassRoots Festivals of Music and Dance, one for each season. The others take place at Shakori Hills in the spring, Virginia Key in Florida in winter, and Finger Lakes in Trumansburg, New York, in summer. While ND has covered all four of them in the past, the last time Shakori Hills was featured was in May 2016.

Seven years is a long time, but from the photos Willa and Rich sent us, I can tell it has lost none of its charm, nor its ethos of roots music and culture being not just a celebration of music and dance, but a way of life. I have never witnessed a greater sense of community, of belonging, than at the GrassRoots gatherings.

There are lots of children’s activities thoughout the day and evening. Be it carving pumpkins, dancing, or finger painting, children are not merely entertained, but actively involved. Being involved is the first step being creative, of being an integral part of a larger community. Yes, it certainly takes a village, and this village is known as Shakori Hills.

There’s also plenty of music, parades, yoga, wandering around in the woods, and frequently, including this year, a wedding. Every roots music fan should go to Shakori Hills at least once in their lives; it is a magical experience.

Click on any of the photos below to view the gallery as a full-size slideshow.