Ariel view of the RockyGrass Festival Site. Photo courtesy Planet Bluegrass.

Lyons, Colorado — With the final addition of Darol Anger & Mike Marshall and a Sunday morning gospel set featuring Jeremy Garrett (of the Infamous Stringdusters) & Friends, Planet Bluegrass is proud to announce the single-day lineups for the 36th Annual RockyGrass Festival which will be held July 25-27 in Lyons, CO. Founded by Bill Monroe in 1973, the festival features a diverse lineup of bluegrass, newgrass, celtic, and old-time artists, including the Dan Tyminski Band, Natalie MacMaster, and the Sparrow Quartet.

This year’s lineup explores the many roots and branches of bluegrass music including African-American old-time string band Carolina Chocolate Drops, former Bluegrass Boy Peter Rowan, progressive instrumental quintet Psychograss, and the classical-meets-bluegrass virtuosity of Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile. Seminal newgrass pioneers Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, and Edgar Meyer perform in the same trio configuration that was featured at Carnegie Hall last fall, while mandolinist Sam Bush brings his “only-at-RockyGrass” bluegrass band to close the festival on Sunday night.

The banjo is well-represented this year, with banjo legend JD Crowe making his first-ever RockyGrass performance with his band The New South. Fellow banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck performs a special set with several of his longtime collaborators, while Bela’s original banjo teacher Tony Trischka returns this year with Psychograss.

The future of bluegrass music is well-represented at RockyGrass, including young bands Chatham County Line, the Steeldrivers, and 3-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) winners the Infamous Stringdusters.

In addition to the music on the main stage, RockyGrass features nationally-recognized instrument and band contests as well as workshops throughout the day in the Wildflower Pavilion. When the official music ends, musicians of all levels and ages head to the campgrounds where dozens of jam circles flourish late into the night.

Colorado’s oldest traditional bluegrass festival was nominated for the IBMA’s Event of the Year in 2005. In recent years, tickets for the festival have sold-out in May – over 2 months before the July event. On-site camping passes sell-out in November – before any lineup announcements have been made – through a random online lottery. Single-day tickets ($45-50), three-day passes ($125), and camping ($45-50) are available now at bluegrass.com or 800-624-2422.

The week prior to the festival, Planet Bluegrass hosts music workshops for several hundred bluegrass musicians. This RockyGrass Academy (July 20-24) mostly sells-out in mid-November through an online lottery. This year’s faculty includes Bryan Sutton, Russ Barenberg, Mike Marshall, Darol Anger, Tony Trischka, Mike Bub, and band’s-in-residence Infamous Stringdusters, Psychograss, and Bearfoot.

The complete RockyGrass lineup:

Friday, July 25

• Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas & Edgar Meyer
• Dan Tyminski Band
• Béla Fleck & Friends
• John Cowan Band
• Russ Barenberg & Bryan Sutton
• The Steeldrivers
• Mike Marshall & Darol Anger
• Spring Creek Bluegrass Band

Saturday, July 26

• Natalie MacMaster
• Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile
• Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet featuring Béla Fleck
• Psychograss
• Infamous Stringdusters
• Bearfoot
• Chatham County Line

Sunday, July 27

• Sam Bush Bluegrass Band
• Carolina Chocolate Drops
• Peter Rowan
• JD Crowe & The New South
• Adrienne Young & Little Sadie
• Stairwell Sisters
• Gospel Set featuring Jeremy Garrett

About Planet Bluegrass: Since 1990, Planet Bluegrass has been producing exquisite musical events in remarkable Colorado settings including the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, RockyGrass and the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival on the Planet Bluegrass Ranch in Lyons, educational experiences such as the RockyGrass Academy and The Song School, and intimate concerts in the new Wildflower Pavilion in Lyons. For more info visit: www.bluegrass.com.