Building a community around roots music in the Shenandoah Valley.
Musician Dan Fedoryka grew up in Front Royal, VA with nine siblings. His mother, a classically-trained Juilliard graduate, had all of them learn a musical instrument—Dan’s being the guitar and accordion. Classical music didn’t quite seem the thing for him, but when he discovered Celtic music in his late teens, it inspired him to foster his talent. By 2002, he and his brother, Alexander, started the Celtic Rock/American band, Scythian, with friends Ethan Dean and Johnny Rees.
Later the two brothers founded the Appaloosa Blue Ridge Arts Foundation to provide “free music workshops hoping to get the next generation hooked on roots music.” That soon blossomed into something much bigger in 2015: the Appaloosa Roots Music Festival. Since its start, attendance has grown from 5,000 people to over 10,000. “Appaloosa has become a magnet event,” says Dan.
Since it’s founded and run by touring musicians, Appaloosa prides itself on being the place #WhereYouFindTheNextBigThing. Alumni include Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Mandolin Orange (now Watchhouse), and Penny & Sparrow. Now, in its eighth season, this year’s lineup is proving to have a bigger crop of “the next big thing” than any previous year. The festival takes place Labor Day weekend (Sept. 2-3) with headliners like Scythian, Carbon Leaf, Screaming Orphans, Christian Lopez, and many more.
And in a year where favorite Virginia roots festivals such as Floyd Fest and Watermelon Pickers Fest have been canceled, Appaloosa hopes to be that happy place where people get recharged at the end of the summer. It further features free music workshops hosted by headliners, on-site camping, cabins, and chalets, a kids zone, local food and craft vendors, as well as a beer garden with Virginia craft beer from Vibrissa and Rappahannock Cellars wine. AppaloosaFestival.com
Special Pricing:
With Appaloosa’s 8th year quickly approaching, they are doing a “Crazy 8s” promo that offers 8% off the already 20% off Advance 2 tickets with promo code “CRAZY8”. They will begin promoting on August 24th, and the promo will end on August 25th at midnight.
