LENOIR, N.C. – The 1st Annual Coalesce Music & Arts Festival will be Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023 at the WNC Sculpture Center. Festival organizer, Lenoir musician Andrew Massey, says, “Come and enjoy a day of original music, arts, and fun for the whole family!”

Tickets are available in advance for $25 or at the gate for $30. Or, folks can volunteer for complimentary admission and a free t-shirt. There is no charge for children 12 and under.

Coalesce will begin at 10 a.m. with a day of live music featuring 16 acts on two stages ranging from bluegrass and folk to punk rock and experimental. The event will also include a variety of arts and craft vendors, food trucks, local breweries, yoga, and activities for children and families.

The WNC Sculpture Center’s sculpture trail will also be available for visitors to enjoy.

Massey shares the genesis behind the Festival. “Well several years ago, myself along with friends Kyle Case and Cory Kinal had a few meetings and gathered information about what it would take to pull off a local music festival. Those meetings were short lived but stayed in the back of our minds. Fast forward to 2018 or early 2019. I’m on the board of the Caldwell Arts Council and I meet artist Joe Bigly. He was there to tell us about a sculpture park he starting out at the Patterson School. Joe had recently moved to Lenoir and was teaching at App State. We also had a few mutual friends. Joe also has a daughter who is about the same age as our daughter and we became quick dad friends.”

He continues, “Going on walks and having cookouts with our kids during the years that Covid slowed life down for many of us. On occasion I would take our kids up to the WNC Sculpture Center and have a picnic. It’s hard to not fall in love with the scenic beauty of that part of the county. And the land the Sculpture center is on is no exception.”

Those experiences convinced Massey that the Festival was about more than music and the arts. He shares, “It became quickly apparent we had a moral imperative to do something out there. We tried a concert series last year and had varying degrees of success. We decided that maybe doing one big day instead of several different days would work better. Leading up to this event we have been having monthly pot lucks, birthday parties and other events that are open to the public. The vision of the WNC Sculpture Center is one that engages with the community by building relationships on a very basic human level.”

He adds, “It needs to be said that without the work of Kyle Case, Lindsay Barrick, Tom Thielemann, Joe Bigly and his team at the WNC Sculpture Center this event would not be happening.

Indeed, offers Massey, friendships have been essential in making this dream a reality. “I hope I’m not being over fluffy or sappy here, but this venture has been born out of creative friendships. I hope this spawns more creative friendships. I’ve met so many talented and inspiring folks over my decade or more playing music in Western North Carolina. It’s really hard to catch everyone while we’re all gigging in different places every weekend and there are few venues where it’s financially lucrative to have more than one act on the same night. I really just wanted to bring together a lot of the bands and artists I enjoy and have become friends with over the years together for one big celebration and share that with the larger community.”

He continues, “This is a great opportunity for folks to come out and enjoy original music and art from western North Carolina,” shares Massey. “We hope to have attendance from around the region to really showcase the beauty and talent of this area.”

He concludes, “Coalesce means to bring together, so simply put we are hoping to bring people together and shine a light on a little what our community has to offer. We are already planning and plotting for next year and hope to continue to expand the diversity of musicians, artist, and vendors.”

The festival will conclude at 9 p.m. However, festival organizers are offering select camping sites which can be reserved in advance by contacting the festival organizers. Massey can be reached at 828.320.7778 or masseyandrew27@gmail.com.

Tickets are available at https://www.wncsculpture.org/events. Additional information including the full schedule is available on the Coalesce Music & Arts Festival Facebook page. The WNC Sculpture Center is located at 4612 Patterson School Drive (NC Rt. 268) just beyond the Chapel of Rest, several miles east of Lenoir.

© Michael M. Barrick, 2023.