Rhiannon Giddens' Biscuits & Banjos Festival is taking over downtown Durham this weekend. The festival is sold out, but if you didn't grab a ticket, don't worry, because there's plenty of free events that are open to the public happening all weekend. You can also find festival-inspired biscuit dishes at participating restaurants like Bull City Burger & Brewery, The Durham Hotel, and Alley Twenty Six.
From live performances to documentaries to dance parties, you can find your guide to all the fun you can have without a wristband below.
I don't think you can go wrong with literally any of these events, but here's where I plan to be.
On Friday night I'm going to start off at Lot 20 to check out Demeanor. He's a rapper, songwriter, and story teller from Greensboro whose name I see popping up a lot these days. He even has a writing credit on Doechii's track "MPH" that came out last year. I haven't had a chance to see him perform yet so really looking forward to catching his set.
After that I'm going to The Carolina Theatre to see the great Christian Scott with the NCCU Jazz Ensemble. If I didn't have a ticket for that show, I'd be going over to the PSI Theatre to check out "German Soul," a new documentary about the roots of Southern cuisine from former Carolina Chocolate Drops member Justin Robinson. After that I'll catch the second part of Dom Flemons' set and then head back to The Carolina Theatre for Layla McCalla and Taj Mahal.
On Saturday I'll start my day right by the WUNC studios. Rhiannon Giddens, Rissi Palmer, and Alice Randall will be at the water tower on the American Tobacco Campus for a discussion about Black voices in country music. Following that is another panel called "Sounds, Soul & Supper" that features Ricky Moore from The Saltbox, one of my favorite places to eat in Durham so I'll probably check that out too.
After that it's back to Lot 20 for more music. Amythyst Kiah, New Dangerfield, and Yasmin Williams are all artists that are not to be missed and they're all playing for free that day. Amythyst Kiah is an incredible songwriter and performer who was also a part of Our Native Daughters with Rhiannon Giddens. New Dangerfield is a bit of a "super group" on the roots music scene. I caught their debut performance at the World of Bluegrass festival two years ago and loved it. I'm excited to see how they've evolved since then. The group consists of North Carolina's own Tray Wellington alongside Kaia Kater, Nelson Williams, and Jake Blount who is also one of the most talented story tellers out there today. After the New Dangerfield set I'll dash over to the Armory to check out Infinity Song. They're a group of siblings who started off singing together in the church and are now signed to Jay Z's label Roc Nation. After that, back to Lot 20 to see Yasmin Williams, one of the biggest and brightest stars in the world of finger-style guitar playing today.
After Yasmin Williams' set is the main event. I'll be heading over to DPAC to catch Rhiannon Giddens' Carolina Breakdown and The Carolina Chocolate Drops Reunion. If you didn't grab a ticket for that show they'll be broadcasting live right at Lot 20. You can also buy a ticket to stream the show at home right here. After that show at DPAC I'll head back to check out local favorite Shirlette Ammons and probably at least pop my head into The Pinhook for the pop-up Juke Joint dance party that goes on til late.
FRIDAY
Blackbird Stage @ Lot 20
5:15pm - 6:15pm - Demeanor
6:45pm - 8:00pm - Dom Flemons
8:45pm - 10:00pm - Charly Lowry
PSI Theatre
6:00pm - 7:00pm German Soul: Film Screening and Talkback with Justin Robinson, presented by Southern Documentary Fund
7:30pm - 8:00pm Boil That Cabbage Down: Film Screening and Talkback with director Candace Mae
The Pinhook
10:00pm - 1:00am Sweet Molasses: A Pop-Up Juke Joint presented by The Conjure
SATURDAY
Blackbird Stage @ Lot 20
11:00am - 12:00pm Pierce Freelon's Black To The Future
12:30pm - 1:30pm Hubby Jenkins
2:00pm - 3:00pm Amythyst Kiah
3:30pm - 4:30pm New Dangerfield
5:00pm - 5:55pm Yasmin Williams
6:00pm - 9:00pm Live Telecast: Rhiannon Giddens' Carolina Breakdown featuring The Carolina Chocolate Drops Reunion
9:30pm - 10:30pm - Shirlette Ammons
Water Tower @ American Tobacco Campus
10:00am - 11:00am Reframing Cultural Legacy: A Song-Based Discussion On Black Banjo (with Sule Greg Wilson & Hannah Mayree)
12:00pm - 1:00pm Black Voices in Country Music (with Rhiannon Giddens, Rissi Palmer & Alice Randall)
1:30pm - 2:30pm Sounds, Soul & Supper (with Ricky Moore, Michael Twitty, Leyla McCalla & Don Vappie)
3:00pm - 4:00pm - Libraries As Sanctuaries for Black Stories (with Mychal Threets & Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom)
4:30pm - 5:30pm - Backbeat Blues Jam (with Piedmont Blues Preservation Society, presented by DNCR)
DNCR Airstream @ Lot 20
Open 10am - 6pm feat. a community art project, exhibits & more
10:00am - 10:30am Children's Story Time: S Is For Songs (with Michelle Lanier)
10:30am - 11:00am Banjo Parade
1:30pm - 2:00pm Students Pla(n)ting For The Future (with Earl L. Ijames)
3:00pm - 3:30pm Students Pla(n)ting For The Future (with Earl L. Ijames)
Music Village @ 21C Museum Hotel
Open 10am - 6pm featuring banjo lessons with Deering Banjos, Elderly Instruments Shop & More
The Pinhook
10:00pm - 1:00am Sweet Molasses: A Pop-Up Juke Joint presented by The Conjure
SUNDAY
Blackbird Stage @ Lot 20
11:15am - 12:45pm Bittersweet Brass Band
DNCR Airstream @ Lot 20
Open 10am - 1pm feat. a community art project, exhibits & more
Music Village @ 21C Museum Hotel
Open 10am - 1pm featuring featuring banjo lessons with Deering Banjos, Elderly Instruments Shop & More
