Oct. 7-8
Duck Jazz Festival
The free, annual event takes place at Town Park in Duck.
As in past years, the festival will feature artists performing different styles of the great American art form.
The Richmond, Va.-based Michael Hawkins and the Brotherhood, who traffic in straight-ahead arrangements of standards and wide-open playing on originals, kicks off the weekend at 4 p.m. Saturday.
On Sunday, starting at 11 a.m., music will be coming from two stages: Town Green and the amphitheater.
And that’s when some rhythm-and-blues and rock jump in the jazz with a lineup that includes The Hot Licks with Bobby Jasinski; Greg Duncan Organ Quartet; the Funky Knuckles, John Brown and the Little Big Band; the First Flight High School Honors Jazz Band; and Jazz is Led, a group that re-imagines tunes by classic-rock titans Led Zeppelin.
When: 4 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. Sunday
Cost: Free
Where: Town Park, 1200 Duck Road, Duck
Info: townofduck.com
It’s lawn seating, so bring a chair or blanket
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Saturday, Oct. 14
Rockland Road
If you have a soft spot for family-harmony bands like The Beach Boys, The Bee Gees and the Everly Brothers, Rockland Road should be just the ticket.
The Nashville-based group – made up of husband-and-wife Paul and Jamie Martin and their two sons and two daughters – serves up six-part harmonies on originals and covers, touching on rock, pop, gospel, country, rhythm-and-blues and Americana.
And if that’s not enough, the six musicians play two-dozen instruments.
Road’s performance at First Flight High School in Kill Devil Hills is part of the Outer Banks Forum for the Lively Arts’ 40th season.
Standout originals include the uplifting country number “Mountains Up Ahead,” the poppy “Feels Like This” and the driving rock tune “L.O.A. (Love on Arrival).
Among the remakes on the family band’s playlist are “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “There She Goes,” “Somebody That I Used to Know” and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.”
When: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $50 for adults, $25 for students
Where: First Flight High School, 100 Veterans Drive, Kill Devil Hills
Info: outerbanksforum.org
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Oct. 19-21
Bluegrass Island Music Festival
The 11th edition of the stringy event takes place on the lawn at Roanoke Island Festival Park, across from the Manteo waterfront.
This year’s lineup is one of the strongest yet, with bluegrass royalty that includes Sam Bush, The SteelDrivers, Rhonda Vincent and the Rage and the Dan Tyminski Band, as well as the legendary jamband Leftover Salmon.
In all, 14 artists will perform over three days.
The Nashville-based Bush, a multi-instrumentalist known for his dynamic mandolin playing, is a two-time inductee of the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame and has traveled, performed and recorded with a who’s who of bluegrass and country artists, including Lyle Lovett and Emmylou Harris.
The SteelDrivers (Chris Stapleton was the band’s lead singer from 2008 to 2010), and Rhonda Vincent, known as the “Queen of Bluegrass,” are Grammy award winners.
Tyminski has an impressive resume: he plays mandolin, guitar and sings in Alison Krauss’ band Union Station; he provided the singing voice of George Clooney in the 2000 movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” and he sang lead on Avicii’s 2013 international hit “Hey Brother.”
Salmon started as a progressive bluegrass band three decades ago and has gained a following with their improvisational skills on music that incorporates different genres.
When: 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with gates opening at 11 a.m.
Cost: $75 per day, $225 for three-day pass
Where: Roanoke Island Festival Park, 1 Festival Park, Manteo
Info: bluegrassisland.com
It’s lawn seating, so bring a chair or blanket.
Beer and wine will be available and six food trucks will be on the lawn.
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Oct. 13-15, 19-22, 26-29 and Nov. 2-5
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour Concert Movie
If you wanted to see the superstar singer-songwriter on her 2023 U.S. tour but couldn’t score or afford a ticket, you can catch Taylor at a reasonable price on the big screen starting Oct. 13, at theaters across the country.
Local “Swifties” will get their chance at Movies 10 in Kill Devil Hills.
Unofficial industry estimates have the film taking in $100 million opening weekend.
Directed by Sam Wrench and produced by Swift, the 44-song movie runs about three hours and includes material from the singer-songwriter’s 10 studio albums.
It was recorded at shows Aug. 3-5 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood (Los Angeles), California.
The Eras tour has smashed records, and Swift recently became the first female artist to hit 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
When: Various times
Cost: $19.89 for adults, $13.13 for children 11 and younger and seniors
Where: Movies 10, 1803 N. Croatan Highway, Kill Devil Hills
Info and tickets: rctheatres.com
