home

forecast weather station weather station
Ol' Front Porch Festival Promises Two Full Days Of Music
More genres, more music for 2022
February 2, 2022

T
he Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival is getting bigger this year.

At festivals past, only Saturday had a full lineup of bands. This time around, Friday is packed with a full day of music, with evening performances on the Riverfront stage Friday and Saturday nights.

The 2022 Festival is set for Sept. 30 – Oct 1, 2022, with performances going from 10a – 7:30p each day.

This year introduces some new genres to the festival, including reggae and zydeco. Twenty-four musical acts have been signed, including four soloists.

This year’s headliners are The Revelers. They were set to perform at the 2020 Festival – before it was cancelled by COVID.

Hailing from Lafayette, Louisiana, The Revelers are a Cajun swamp pop band, “who aren’t afraid of mixing up accordion, fiddles, saxophones and guitars.” In 2016, the band were nominated for a Grammy for Best Regional Music Album for Get Ready.

xx
The Revelers, out of Lafayette, Louisiana, headline the 2022 Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival.

The Revelers’ lineup is comprised of members from The Red Stick Ramblers and the Pine Leaf Boys. Every member sings and writes – there is no lead. And band member Blake Miller (accordion, fiddle, vocals) is one of the most prolific composers of original French Cajun music.

The Revelers take the Riverfront stage at 6p, Saturday evening.

The John Brown Quintet are also newcomers to the Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival. An award-winning jazz group specializing in the Bebop and Hard Bop eras of jazz. The titular Brown is a professor of music at Duke University and has played Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and The Montreal Jazz Festival.

Saturday afternoon will see the quintet on the Riverfront Stage.

xx
The John Brown Quintet.

Other newcomers expanding the Festival’s sound Raye Zaragoza and the Pure Fiyah Reggae Band. Pure Fiyah describe their music as “roots, rock, culture Reggae music with high positive vibrations.” They hail from Winston-Salem, NC.

Zaragoza is an LA based protest folk soloist. Paste Magazine called her “one of the most politically relevant artists in her genre.”

xx
Raye Zaragoza.

A couple of performers – Anya Hinkle and John Bemis – have visited the Festival as band members, but return this year as soloists. Anya, a founding member of Asheville bluegrass band Tellico, performed with them at the 2018 Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival. In 2019, she won Merlefest’s Chris Austin Songwriting Competition. John visited as a member of the band Hooverville in 2018 and 2019. He will be playing this year with Hooverville and as a soloist.

Returning to the festival are the Wyldwood String Band, Blue Cactus, Honey Magpie, Hooverville, Province of Thieves, Salty Paws, and the Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs.

xx
The Pure Fiyah Reggae Band

Returning local favorites include Hoff ‘n Finch, Ken Belangia, Harbor Sounds, Southern Hellcats, Pamlico County High School Jazz Ensemble, Gospel Ensemble, Down East Dulcimers, UHOOs and Pamlico Flutes. This will be the first year for local musician TerryLynn Melody.

The Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival is an annual two-day event in the town of Oriental. It celebrates North Carolina’s musical heritage while honoring a time in Oriental’s history when, in the mid-20th century, musicians would gather to play on the porch of a general store known as the Ol’ Store. All performances are free.

A Food Park provides eats from local restaurants and nonprofit organizations, while the Village Market has goods from local and regional artisans.

xx
Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival co-founders Leslie Kellenberger and Dottie Osmun at the 2016 festival.

Co-founder Dottie Osmun, the president and director of the festival from its inception in 2014, dreamed of growing the festival in 2022. Dottie died in January, but not before presiding over plans to expand the event with more music, more food, and more fun. She was asking questions and giving directions until the final days of her life.

Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival, Inc., is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization. Its purpose is to provide the region’s multi-cultural and racially diverse musical talent with support, promotion and performance venues and encourage development of roots music appreciation and skills in Pamlico County, in particular among its youth.

The festival receives financial support from many businesses, organizations and individual donors: the Pamlico County Arts Council, the North Carolina Arts Council, the Harold H. Bate Foundation, South Arts, TownDock.net, and Public Radio East. It is because of their generosity that the festival can be offered free to the public. Contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.


A taste of the 2022 headliner band – The Revelers:

Related Links
The Official Ol’ Front Porch Music Site
The 2021 Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival
The 2019 Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival
The 2018 Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival

Posted Wednesday February 2, 2022 by Keith N. Smith


Share this page:

back to top