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Bluegrass Breakdown
December 18th, 2025
| | Alice Gerrard to perform with The Hazel Project at Joe Val! | | |
The Boston Bluegrass Union is thrilled to announce that the legendary Alice Gerrard will be performing at the 2026 Joe Val Bluegrass Festival! A pioneering female bluegrass musician, her famous collaboration with Hazel Dickens paved the way for generations of women in bluegrass. Over her more than 50-year career, she has performed and recorded with countless musicians and was inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2017. Now at the tender age of 91, she just released her autobiography, Custom Made Woman, only two weeks ago!
Alice will be performing with New England’s own The Hazel Project at Joe Val on Saturday, February 14th. And earlier that same day, she will also be participating in a panel discussion celebrating the 100th anniversary of Hazen Dicken’s birth (1925-2011). This panel will be modeled after a similar panel held earlier this year at IBMA in Chattanooga, and will feature Ken Irwin (Rounder Records co-founder), Laura Orshaw (our Artist-in-Residence), and hopefully another special guest to be announced soon. The panel will be moderated by bluegrass vocalist, archivist, and historian Jen Larson, who is herself working on a biography of Hazel Dickens.
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Southern Rail joins the Joe Val lineup
We are also excited to announce the return of a fan favorite to Joe Val: a Southern Rail gospel set on Sunday morning! Southern Rail's performances are high-energy, exuberant fun, with riveting harmonies, irrepressible humor, and sparkling banjo, mandolin, and guitar solo work. Southern Rail has been performing for over four decades and has recorded 12 albums, including Glory Train, which was nominated for Best Gospel Recording of the Year by the IBMA.
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Single Day Tickets & Weekend Passes Still Available
Single Day Tickets and Weekend Passes are still available online (just click the Buy Tickets button below). Here’s what the schedule looks like so far*:
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Friday, Feb. 13th
Danny Paisley &
The Southern Grass
The Lonely Heartstring Band
The Berklee Bluegrass Band
Plus Artist-in-Residence
Laura Orshaw
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Saturday, Feb. 14th
Gibson Brothers
Special Consensus
The Hazel Project featuring
Alice Gerrard
Ashley Lilly &
The Songcatchers
Rock Hearts
Joe Sings Joe
Redwood Hill
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Sunday, Feb. 15th
The Del McCoury Band
East Nash Grass
Mile Twelve
Rock Hearts
Southern Rail
The Reunion Band
| | *lineup and schedule are subject to change | | |
Volunteer Opportunities Still Available!
We are still accepting applications for volunteers to help out during the festival. Volunteers who work 6 hours over the course of the weekend will be reimbursed for their festival pass. See details and register here:
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