The Piedmont Old Time Society, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, is hosting the first annual Piedmont One Mic Acoustic Convention. The event will be held in Franklinville, Randolph County about 40 minutes southeast of Greensboro. This music convention will be held the first weekend in May, from May 4th-6th. There will be competitions for bands and individuals with up to $2,500 in prize money awarded. Singing and playing into one microphone evokes a sound of the early 20th century. There will also be camping, dancing, and workshops. The Franklinville community has been very generous and cooperative in helping make this festival a reality.

Meanwhile, in Greensboro, at Joymonger’s last night several Society members met to work on convention details. The individuals featured above, worked tirelessly for about three hours hammering out details. The Piedmont Old Time Society is comprised of local musicians, many of whom have their own string bands or singing groups. Their hope is for the festival to attract musicians playing Piedmont Blues, Old Time, Bluegrass, Irish, Cape Breton and any other acoustic music. In an era when so much music defies being conclusively categorized, the committee will simply embrace all acoustic music, as long as it is played into a single mike, the old-timey way.

Find out more about this great event through the website of the Piedmont Old-time Society, here.