Header image: Tift Merritt (L) and Rissi Palmer (R). Photos courtesy of the artists
This Independence Day, come to downtown Raleigh to celebrate the best of North Carolina. Capitol 250: North Carolina Freedom Fest is a free all-day festival hosted by the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Held on the state capitol lawn, it will offer entertainment for all ages.
The Come Hear NC Music Office in the North Carolina Arts Council was instrumental in booking musical acts for the festival. The show will be headlined by Tift Merritt and Rissi Palmer. A Grammy nominated, Raleigh-raised singer-songwriter, Merritt has been recording Americana classics since her 2002 album, Bramble Rose. Marked by her evocative narrative abilities and clear, ringing voice, Merritt’s songs dramatize the emotional history of Southern life. At Capitol 250, Merritt will be joined on stage by the country artist Rissi Palmer, whose single “Country Girl” (2007) made her the first black woman to hit the country charts since 1988. Palmer has since released three groundbreaking albums plus four EPs. She hosts the Color Me Country Radio program, where she talks “about the past, the present and the future of artists of color in country music.”
Nest of Singing Birds, from Madison County, will also grace the stage during Capitol 250. The group sings the old Appalachian ballads of western North Carolina, taking its name from the famed English folklorist Cecil Sharp’s description of Madison County as a “nest of singing birds.” It centers the singer and storyteller Sheila Kay Adams and is led by her second cousin, Donna Ray Norton, who is a member of the eighth generation of the family to sing the traditional songs. The group provides a living link with some of the earliest music in the North Carolina songbook, and is not to be missed.
The 82nd Airborne Division’s All-American Brass Quintet, out of Fort Bragg, will play a rousing set of patriotic tunes. The Wake & District Pipe Band, based in Raleigh, will bring their bagpipe and drum combo to the proceedings, and almost certainly will be wearing their tartans. The NC Governor’s School Choir will sing; the poet Zack Zachary will bring his experiences in the military and civil rights movement to bear on what promises to be an inspiring recitation.
To learn more, please check out America 250 NC’s overview of the Capitol 250 festivities.