Daily Archives: October 20, 2026

This week the column visits two music festivals that take somewhat different approaches to roots music. One, in only its second year, Raleigh Wide Open Music Festival, October 1-3, 2026, in Raleigh, North Carolina and the other, the King Biscuit Blues Festival, which celebrated its 40th year, October 8-

Jake Blount talks about rehearsing as an apartment dweller, including renting rooms at Providence’s JamStage, where he might be playing in a room next to a dad band covering Linkin Park. He shares advice on staying hydrated on the road and discusses the benefits of a livable income stream outside of music. The fiddler, banjo player, and guitarist is pursuing a Ph.D. in Musicology and Ethnomusicology at Brown University.