“The name change has been beneficial,” Mullins said. “We’ve created a national brand and a good national buzz with the spotlight being on our history. And the name really suits the event. It’s not your typical bluegrass festival. It’s not outdoors in a campground or at a fairground. It’s indoors and it’s within an hour of all the industry that brought bluegrass music to Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The performers
The festival lineup includes Larry Sparks & the Lonesome Ramblers, the Little Roy and Lizzy Show, Blue Highway and High Fidelity. Doors open at 4 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Music begins at 6 p.m. Thursday and noon Friday and Saturday.
“We have a powerhouse show on Thursday night,” Mullins said. “We always make certain Thursday night is extremely worthy of folks giving us that extra evening or coming in early from out of town, so we have Larry Sparks. He grew up in Warren County, in the Lebanon area, and is one of the founding fathers of Industrial Strength Bluegrass. As one of our Hall of Fame VIPs, it’s very fitting to have him there on the first night of the festival. We (also) have a lot of great music over three days. We always have a couple of Hall of Fame members and a couple of bands making their festival debut, so everything stays fresh. Appalachian Road Show is a really hot band and they’re making their debut at the event on Saturday.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
On Thursday, Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers open the festival with a 6 p.m. set, followed by Larry Sparks & the Lonesome Ramblers at 7:15 p.m. and Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out at 8:45 p.m. Music begins at noon the next two days with Chosen Road on Friday and Carson Peters & Iron Mountain on Saturday.
“This is the 19th year we’ve had some sort of activity inside the Roberts Convention Center,” Mullins said. “That’s industrial strength if an event can make it almost two decades and continue to evolve. This is only the second event that goes for three days instead of just two, so we are expanding. There’s an abundance of tickets for quality seats available at the door each day. Kids 16 and younger are free and any high school or college student with a student ID gets a discount pass for the weekend. There’s no charge for parking.”
The hosts
The Radio Ramblers, with additional festival slots at 1 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday, has received numerous accolades in recent years. In 2019, the group was Entertainer of the Year at the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards. In late January, Mullins and company was named Bluegrass Band of the Year and Gospel Bluegrass Group of the Year by SPBGMA, the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America. Such success generated a full 2022 schedule for the Radio Ramblers with dates in 25 states and more than 20 festival appearances.
“We’ve got an overwhelming schedule this year, certainly compared to the last two years,” Mullins said. “It’s even busier than it was in ‘18 and ‘19. Right now, we’re booked solid for the next six months. The ‘Industrial Strength’ album and our current album, which is a gospel collection, were released last spring and they’re both doing very well. We have a healthy, hearty band so we’re very fortunate.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Despite his optimism over the concert schedule, Mullins admits touring and organizing a music festival aren’t without the risks considering the current global events.
“(From) inflation to (the) fuel crunch, it’s yet to be seen how successful the summer will be,” he said. “But there is a hunger from promoters, fans and artists to all come together. It’s been so up and down the last couple of years but there’s renewed excitement for live music.”
Contact this contributing writer at 937-287-6139 or e-mail at donthrasher100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
What: Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival with Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers, Larry Sparks & the Lonesome Ramblers, Appalachian Road Show, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Blue Highway and others
Where: Roberts Convention Centre, 123 Gano Road, Wilmington
When: Thursday through Saturday, March 24 through 26. Doors open at 4 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Music begins at 6 p.m. Thursday and noon Friday and Saturday
Cost: Advance tickets are $100 for three-day reserved seats, $90 for three-day general admission. Single day general admission tickets are $30 Thursday and $40 Friday and Saturday. Door tickets are $110 for three-day general admission and $80 for two-day general admission. Single day general admission tickets at the door are $35 Thursday and $45 Friday and Saturday
More info: 800-965-9324 or industrialstrengthbluegrass.com
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