2008 TELLURIDE BLUEGRASS, ROCKYGRASS, FOLKS FEST LINEUPS ANNOUNCED

2008 TELLURIDE BLUEGRASS, ROCKYGRASS, FOLKS FEST LINEUPS ANNOUNCED

LYONS, COLORADO — December 3, 2007 — Planet Bluegrass proudly announces the preliminary lineups for the 2008 summer festivals, including the historic 35th Anniversary of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. All 2008 festival tickets go on sale on Wednesday, December 5 at 8am MST, including a limited number of holiday-priced passes for each festival, discounted $30 from the regular price. Tickets will be available online at bluegrass.com or at 800-624-2422.

35th Telluride Bluegrass Festival - June 19-22, 2008 – Telluride, CO
http://www.bluegrass.com/telluride
* Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby with Kentucky Thunder * Sam Bush Band * Ani DiFranco * Yonder Mountain String Band * John Cowan & Darrell Scott Band * Tim O'Brien * Bela Fleck * Peter Rowan * Jerry Douglas * Edgar Meyer * Brett Dennen * Spring Creek Bluegrass Band * And many more...


36th RockyGrass - July 25-27, 2008 - Lyons, CO
http://www.bluegrass.com/rockygrass
* Dan Tyminski Band * Natalie MacMaster * Sam Bush Bluegrass Band * Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet featuring Bela Fleck with Casey Driessen & Ben Sollee * Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas & Edgar Meyer * JD Crowe & The New South * Psychograss * John Cowan Band * Russ Barenberg & Bryan Sutton * Peter Rowan * Infamous Stringdusters * Chatham County Line * Bearfoot * The Steeldrivers * Spring Creek Bluegrass Band * And many more...


18th Rocky Mountain Folks Festival - August 15-17, 2008 – Lyons, CO
http://www.bluegrass.com/folks
Greg Brown * The Waifs * Tim O’Brien * Todd Snider * Sarah Sample * And many more...


Tickets for the most coveted camping spots at Telluride Bluegrass (Town Park Campground) and RockyGrass (On-site campground) both sold-out in November through an online lottery. Planet Bluegrass received a record number of entries for each of these lotteries. Entries for Telluride Town Park increased over 50% from last year, with entries coming from 47 different US states as well as New Zealand, Norway, Germany, and other countries.

Both Telluride Bluegrass and RockyGrass sold-out in advance last year. All of the 3,500 tickets for RockyGrass were sold by early May last year, over two months in advance of the festival. All camping for the 2007 Telluride Bluegrass were sold-out weeks before the festival, with single-day tickets selling out the week prior to the festival.

Often cited as the “granddaddy of the modern festival circuit” (Relix Magazine), Telluride Bluegrass is unique for its rich traditions and a unique spirit of collaboration that has birthed numerous bands (Leftover Salmon, Strength in Numbers) and created a loyal group of artists and festivarians who return every June for the annual “festivarian family reunion.” At least five of this year’s headliners have performed at the festival for over 25 years. The 35th Annual Telluride Bluegrass will be held during both the summer solstice (June 21) and the full moon. Historic footage of the festival is available online:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMgaCseqZmU

Long a leader in “sustainable festivation,” Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, jr. declared June 23, 2007 Colorado Bluegrass Day - honoring Planet Bluegrass for "using renewable energy to help protect our environment while producing a world-class festival."

The 36th RockyGrass lineup sees the more traditional acoustic bluegrass festival broadening its roots to encompass newgrass (Psychograss), Celtic (Natalie MacMaster), and old-time (Sparrow Quartet), as well as more traditional bluegrass (JD Crowe, Dan Tyminski Band). In addition to the festival and its legendary campground jams, the week prior to the festival several hundred budding musicians take part in the RockyGrass Academy, featuring instruction from many of the festival’s headliners.

Now in its 18th year, the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival welcomes back several of its most cherished singer-songwriters, including Greg Brown who will be making his 11th appearance at the festival. The “summit of the song” welcomes a stylistically and geographically diverse set of songwriters to perform along the banks of the St. Vrain River each August. The week prior, songwriters focus on the art, craft, and business of songwriting at The Song School.

Planet Bluegrass will be making several additional lineup announcements in the coming months. This preliminary lineup announcement reflects about half of the performers who will perform at the four-day Telluride Bluegrass Festival. RockyGrass and Folks Fest both present approximately 22 performances over the course of three days.