Merlefest 2008 line-up announced: Avett Brothers return

Merlefest has announced its 2008 line-up, which includes an Avett Brothers performance on Friday night. O hell yes! Yeah, it’s a long damn way away, but it’s something to look forward to and plan for now.

There’s plenty of other musical goodness. A few of our other favorits: The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Tift Merritt, Marty Stuart, on and on…

Here’s the rest of the line-up:

Once again Doc Watson will host the four-day festival to be held on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, NC on April 24-27, 2008. Tickets will go on sale November 13.

Doc and Merle’s son Richard Watson will be joined by The Avett Brothers; Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet featuring Bela Fleck, Casey Driessen, & Ben Sollee; Sam Bush; The Carolina Chocolate Drops; Jerry Douglas; Levon Helm & The Midnight Ramble on the Road with Special Guests; Tim O’Brien; The Waifs; The Waybacks; Old Crow Medicine Show; Solas “Reunion,”with Karan Casey & John Doyle; Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby with Kentucky Thunder; Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mtn Boys; Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives; Dan Tyminski Band; Alison Brown Quartet with Joe Craven; Donna The Buffalo; Blue Highway; The Claire Lynch Band; Dirk Powell & Riley Baugus; Tony Rice; Peter Rowan; Ollabelle; Sally Van Meter; Rhonda Vincent & The Rage; Pete Wernick & Flexigrass.

MerleFest will also feature performances by Bearfoot; The John Cowan Band; David Holt; The Infamous Stringdusters; Jorma Kaukonen; Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands; The Lovell Sisters; Nashville Bluegrass Band; Tift Merritt; The Waifs; The Wilders; Susana & Timmy Abell; Tom Ball & Kenny Sultan; Banknotes; Roy Book Binder; Laura Boosinger; Bob Carlin & Cheick Hamala Diabate; The Captain’s Crew; Carl & Kelli Jones; The Circuit Riders; T. Michael Coleman; Robert Dotson; Mike Dowling; Ruthie Foster; Future Traditions; Terry Garland; Buddy Greene; Mitch Greenhill; George Hamilton IV and George Hamilton V; Bob Hill; Hot Buttered Rum; Clint Howard Band; Sierra Hull & Highway 111; The InterACTive Theater of Jef; Phil Jamison; The Key City Boys; Jim Lauderdale; Jack Lawrence; Mark Lippard; Jeff Little; The Local Boys; Bill Mathis; Cliff Miller; Paul Oscher; The Pine Leaf Boys; Polecat Creek; Tom Sauber; Shana Banana; ShoeFly; Ryan Shupe & The RubberBand; Joe Smothers; Rafe Stefanini and Clelia Stefanini; Rodney Sutton; Tish Hinojosa; Tut Taylor; Joe Thompson; Happy Traum; Bil VornDick; Charles Welch; Whitetop Mountain Band; Wilkes Acoustic Folk Society; The Alberti Flea Circus; Buffalo Barfield; Willette Hinton & Family; Tony Williamson.