Upcoming events
An Evening With Hiroya Tsukamoto
We are thrilled to welcome Hiroya Tsukamoto to Thistlerock for the first time! Hiroya is a one-of-a-kind composer, guitarist and singer-songwriter from Kyoto, Japan. He began playing the five-string banjo when he was thirteen, and took up the guitar shortly after.
In 2000, Hiroya received a scholarship to Berklee College of Music and came to the United States. He formed his own group in Boston “INTEROCEANICO (inter-oceanic)” which consists of unique musicians from different continents including Latin Grammy Colombian singer Marta Gomez. The group released three acclaimed records (“The Other Side of the World”, “Confluencia” and “Where the River Shines”). Hiroya has released five solo albums.
Hiroya has been leading concerts internationally including several appearances at Blue Note(NYC), United Nations and Japanese National Television(NHK). Hiroya is a two time 2nd place winner of International Fingerstyle Guitar Championship in 2018 and 2022.
“…chops, passion and warmth. Zealously recommended!” -Jazz Review.com
“HiroyaTsukamoto takes us to an impressionistic journey ” -Boston Herald
TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED IN ADVANCE HERE
Mead Scholars Bootcamp (Workshop)
Brewers and winemakers alike know that the buzz in the world of alcoholic beverages is all about mead! Explore this fascinating fermented beverage from its rich history to its recent rebirth in America. Taste and learn the styles, ingredient selection, and steps to making good mead in a hands-on fermentation bootcamp with Thistlerock's Chief Meadmaker, Doug Suchan.
Ticket price includes all materials. Upon completion of the class, participants will earn a Thistlerock Meadmaker Scholars 101 Certificate and take home their own carboy of mead!
Fresh-baked pastries and coffee will be served for guests during the workshop.
Reserve your spot here!
Earth Day
Each year for Earth Day, we invite members of our community to join us in fun morning of planting new seeds in our regenerative flower farm which will help sequester carbon while providing nourishing forage for our honey bees and native pollinators!
To sign up for this year’s volunteer planting, please email your name and contact number to thehive@thistlerockmead.com and put “EarthDay Planting” in the subject of your email. We will cap our planting squad at 20 team members.
Beltane: U.S. & Scottish Partnerships For Renewable Energy (private event)
To kick off our annual Beltane weekend, Thistlerock, in partnership with CVL Energy Futures, CVL Renewable Energy Alliance, and the Community Climate Collaborative will host a gathering of the Virginia renewable energy community and welcome the Representative of the Scottish Government in the United States, Hon. Colin Gray to connect with colleagues, meet new leaders in the renewable energy sector, speak directly with policy makers, and explore regional and Transatlantic partnership opportunities. The event will feature keynote remarks from Representative Gray, as well as an expert panel discussion with senior members of the renewable energy community.
This invite-only event will also celebrate Scottish and Celtic culture with highland dancing, bagpiping, traditional Celtic music, and Scottish-inspired gastropub fare.
Beltane Fest ‘25 with Special Guests Syr
Our annual Beltane celebration is a living, dynamic reinterpretation and modernization of an ancient Iron Age Celtic ritual and is inspired by the Beltane Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. Having started as a private celebration four years ago, it has become a central focus for our farm, meadery, and community, bringing many people together to acknowledge and revel in the birth of the Summer and the fertility of the land.
One of the four quarter day festivals, the ancient Festival of Beltane saw members of communities come together to celebrate the return of the summer. The observance of this important time in the turning of the wheel of the year was characterized by a celebration of the return of the fertility of the land, and would have been a time when livestock would have been put out to pasture. Today, we celebrate the arrival of summer with music, dancing, and community as we mark with our 4th Annual Beltane Festival and Thistlerock Mead Company’s one year anniversary!
Tickets to Beltane 2025 are HERE!
This Year’s Program:
Music and Dance: This year's program, co-produced by the Blue Ridge Irish Music School (BRIMS) and sponsored by WTJU, includes performances by Albemarle Pipes & Drums, BRIMS' Traditional Folk Ensemble, and headline by Celtic folk rockers, Syr.
Activities: Bodhrán drumming, flower crown making with Wayflowering, face painting, honey tastings, a Ceíli and May Pole dance, haggis hurling competition, archery, and live combat with Zorn Vongal,.
Food and Drink: Mead, non-alcholic drinks, and a special Beltane Fish & Chips fry with Chef Nakesha White of Royalty Eats will be available for purchase on site.
*Festive highland or ancient attire encouraged. Those demonstrating the most commitment to the spirit of Beltane will be awarded our annual Beltane crowns prior to our headline performance.
BRIMS Spring Recital
The Blue Ridge Irish Music School presents its annual Spring Recital with student performances of Irish and Celtic music and dance of ages six to adult, beginner to intermediate. This family-friendly recital is free to BRIMS family members as well as members of the public.
Oil Painting En Plein Air With Wayflowering & Lea Doise
Come learn how to oil paint "en plain air" with the incredible local painter Lea Doise! Ticket price includes wondering among the flowers, cutting a bouquet and learning how to paint flowers in a landscape with oil paints!
Tickets to this painting-in-the-field event can be found here!
Check out Lea's incredible works of art here.
Water-coloring w/Wayflowering & Dani Antol
Come learn how to water color paint "en plain air" with the incredible local painter Dani Antol! Ticket price includes wondering among the flowers, cutting a bouquet and learning how to paint flowers with water colors!
Tickets to this Mother’s Day weekend kickoff event can be found here!
Mother’s Day Jam with The Faux Paws
Celebrate Mother’s Day with an afternoon of flowers, sparkling mead, fresh oysters, and exquisite music!
A Faux Paws live show is an explosive roller coaster ride that brings the audience along a journey across genres. Virtuosity on the fiddle, mandolin, guitar and saxophone, sure, but also vulnerability, personal lyrics, tight 3-part brother harmonies, playful interplay, intricately arranged details and soaring improvisations. With the considerable success and praise the band has seen since coming out of the pandemic the Paws decided to add long-time friend and collaborator Zoe Guigueno (Fish & Bird, Della Mae) to their touring outfit on upright bass whenever possible. Zoe only deepens the group’s already massive sound while freeing each member up for more creative expression on their various instruments.
Reserve your tickets HERE!
For more information: www.thefauxpawsmusic.com
Gia Ray Live at Thistlerock!
Gia Ray is a singer-songwriter based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Gia started her performing career as a child varying in everything from musical theatre & tv shows to dancing & modeling. At a young age she discovered her love of writing and hasn't stopped since. She has written plays, screenplays and countless unreleased songs. After living in LA & traveling the world as a professional model, Gia decided to return to Virginia and begin her career as a singer-songwriter.
Recorded in a cabin off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, Gia's music is an eclectic mix of songs ranging from folk to rock to vintage country. 'Bottom of the Barrel' and 'Marks on the wall' were produced by Bryan Elijah Smith, and are available on all STREAMING platforms.
Pints on Preston With The Charlottesville Ale Trail
The Charlottesville Ale Trail is partnering with the CVLEBIKEFEST, Rockfish Brewing and Fifth Season Gardening to present Pints on Preston. The event will take place in the parking lot of Rockfish Brewing and Fifth Season Gardening on Preston Avenue.
Beers, ciders, sake, spirits, and Mead, from members of the Charlottesville Ale Trail will be available for purchase. Come by early in the day to catch the end of the Cvle Bike Fest on Preston or a little later to enjoy the after party. You will also be able to take your drink into Fifth Season Gardening to shop for all your gardening needs.
Timeline: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (VIP), 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM (general admission).
Pricing:
○ $25 for 8 half-pints.
○ $45 for 16 half-pints.
○ $75 for VIP.
Mariana BelL Live at Thistlerock Amphitheatre
Cville native Mariana Bell is an award-winning singer/songwriter whose career has spanned several decades and genres, from acoustic folk to cinematic indie rock to EDM. Her evocative, soulful lyrics and powerful, crystal clear vocals have created a signature sound as she has evolved and toured from Charlottesville to Australia, Europe and beyond. Playful and jazzy, sultry and folky, or just a bit of rock, her unique live performances will keep your heart full and your ears engaged. A songwriting teacher at Village School, she believes the power of our words with music can transcend our traumas, elevate our joys, and allow creativity to give depth and meaning to our humanity. Mariana is thrilled and proud to present her 8th studio release, Still Not Sleeping, with an incredible local band.
Ticket Link Coming Soon!
An Afternoon with Gina Sobel Live AT TMC
Gina Sobel is a natural improviser. Accomplished on multiple instruments (flute, sax, voice), she radiates energy and excitement in her live performances and is sought after as a soloist with national and international performers. She is an award-winning songwriter and composer; in her own music, Sobel brings together elements of funk, jazz and American folk music into a fresh and compelling sound.
Viv & Riley Play Thistlerock
A bittersweet nostalgia lies at the heart of Imaginary People, the new album from Viv & Riley, coming September 15, 2023 on Free Dirt Records. Over ten tracks, the pair applies an indie roots sheen to newly composed pop gems. Rooted originally in the folk tradition, the pair reframe the production into experimental territory, crafting songs that speak to finding a path forward into adulthood in an uncertain world. Gifted songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno’s first album under the name Viv & Riley is a subtle masterpiece of thought and reflection.
The album brings a reflectiveness to summertime jams that speak of uninhibited joy and creative camaraderie. Coming on the heels of their acclaimed earlier albums that showed preternaturally talented songwriting from such young artists, now the songs have caught up with their lives. Now in their mid-20s, the two are building a life together, creating a supportive community, and looking back on everything they’ve been through.
Based out of Durham, North Carolina, they’ve tapped into the area’s eclectic and collaborative music scene, recruiting Alex Bingham of Hiss Golden Messenger to produce the album. Bingham brings a sunny, lush sound to Viv & Riley’s music, moving beyond their earlier country roots and toward a layered sound and sonic experimentation. The songwriting has evolved as well, from the world-weary, stripped-down country songs they’re known for to indie songwriting at turns sweetly sad and gently sardonic. Ultimately, Imaginary People is about carrying and honoring our pasts, about letting that inform our new steps forward. No matter how much we might cling to where we are, sometimes we need to uproot and take a leap of faith, to open ourselves up to new experiences and ideas in order to grow and blossom.
TICKET LINK COMING SOON!
Changemaker Chat with Sophia Swire & Basima Abdulrahman
We’re thrilled to welcome two inspiring changemakers to Thistlerock this April: Sophia Swire and Basima Abdulrahman. For this special Changemaker Chat, Thistlerock’s John Kluge will interview Sophia and Basima about their work together, using a new investment vehicle to bring clean, green electricity to local communities including a Yazidi refugee camp in the Kurdish Region of Iraq (KRI). Together they’re combining smart investment with humanitarian action, creating a model that helps displaced people and empowers women and children, while also making sustainable business sense. The Changemaker Chat will be followed by community Q&A.
This event is free to attend.
Bios:
Sophia Swire is an award-winning social entrepreneur, documentary filmmaker, and impact investor whose life’s work has centered on empowering women and communities in crisis. With a career spanning three decades in some of the world’s most fragile states, Sophia has become a globally respected advocate for women and girls, particularly those displaced by conflict.
Her journey began in 1989 on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where she left a successful City finance career to establish 250 schools for girls—many of them daughters of Afghan refugees. These schools educated over 35,000 children (50% girls) at a time when female education was heavily restricted, offering hope, stability, and skills to families fleeing war and conflict. Later, through her non-profit Future Brilliance, Sophia expanded her work to vocational training programs for Afghan returnees, especially women. These programs equipped artisans with jewelry-making, business, and financial literacy skills—helping them generate income and rebuild their communities.
Since the fall of Kabul in 2021, Sophia has played a vital role in the evacuation and resettlement of Afghanistan’s most at-risk women, including Sharbat Gula, the iconic National Geographic cover girl. Working behind the scenes with governments and NGOs, she helped secure safe passage for over 500 individuals and provided support to more than 1,200 others. Today, she continues to support a school for 300 Afghan girls by sourcing laptops and online education in collaboration with Dell Computers and the University of Cambridge.
Sophia’s latest initiative, GEDI.VC (Gender Equity Diversity Investments), builds on her decades of experience by investing in women-led, tech-enabled startups in frontier markets. GEDI’s impact strategy includes a focus on empowering displaced populations through the provision of affordable green energy, education and financial inclusion, recognizing that refugees—particularly women—are powerful agents of change when given the right tools and support.
Through every chapter of her career, Sophia has demonstrated an unshakeable belief in the transformative power of education, entrepreneurship, and investment. Her work has helped thousands of refugees and asylum-seeking women escape cycles of poverty and dependence, giving them the means to rebuild their lives with dignity, resilience, and purpose.
Her message is simple but profound: when we invest in women, we invest in peace, stability, and a better future for all.
Basima Abdulrahman is a seasoned green tech entrepreneur with over 15 years of expertise in sustainable development. She is the Founder and CEO of KESK, the pioneering company in Iraq that fuses renewable energy solutions with software technologies for a smooth transitioning to sustainable energy generation. With a diverse range of accomplishments, Basima has served as a World Economic Forum Foundation Board Member between 2019-2022 and is a laureate of the prestigious Cartier Women's Initiative in the MENA Region and the ExpoLive Global Innovators Award.
As a thought leader in the Greentech sector, Basima was featured in renowned publications such as TIME magazine, Inhabitat, Forbes, WEF Agenda, CNN, and the National, among others. She was named as one of the 100 most influential women by the BBC in 2023. Since 2018, she has been sought after as an international speaker on entrepreneurship, climate change, greentech, and environmental issues in the Middle East. Basima holds a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering and a master's degree in Structural Engineering from Auburn University/USA. She is an accredited professional by the U.S. Green Building Council since 2016.
Sundowners With Sue Harlow
Sue Harlow is an Americana-Folk Singer/Songwriter whose haunting vocals delve into the depths of what makes people real. A thread of emotion runs through Sue's music and binds together life's moments. Sue's songs cut down to the bone and take you on a journey of human heartache and heartbreak to hope and healing to joy and love. It makes you feel something, a brief glimpse of what lies in all of us that carry us through what we call living, and this fragile thing we call life.
Sue started her musical journey singing in church. Music she heard as a child, especially music that tells stories, has shaped her songwriting and love of music. Influences include Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton.
World Water Day With Redd And The Paper Flowers
Redd Daugherty began as a solo artist during the 2020 pandemic, while teaching high school English at L&N STEM Academy in Knoxville, TN. During this time, she appeared on Season 19 of American Idol; released her first, solo album Monsters & Mothers; quit teaching to pursue music full time; and began working alongside her mentor and close friend, Adam Ivy.
Redd met members Gavin Gregg, Katie Adams, and Colleen d'Alelio through friends and at open mics. The group quickly realized they had similar goals and began making and playing music together almost immediately. Founding members of the band Redd and Gavin, recognize and owe initial success to former bassist Will Ross.
The group landed on the band name Redd & the Paper Flowers as Redd still releases solo music. The group is extremely excited to release their first collaborative album in 2023.
The show is FREE but in honor of World Water Day, we will have a suggested donation of $10 (or more!) supporting the Rivanna Conservation Alliance.
Witches, Midwives, and Nurses: An Evening Honoring the history of the healers who came before us
Celebrate the winter solstice with us! Witches, Midwives, and Nurses: which is based off of a book by the same name…together with our friends at Planned Parenthood, we will draw connections between medicine, health care, abortion, and witches and women healers and the persecution of all of these things while…
Discussing the book Witches, Midwives, & Nurses and raffle off a copy;
Honoring the history of the healers who came before us;
Uplifting our Constitutional Amendment for Abortion Access work;
Crafting wreaths or spell jars!
Matthew O'Donnell
Known as “The Blue Ridge Bard,” Matthew O'Donnell is a singer, multi-instrumentalist and performer of traditional Celtic music based in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA, sharing songs and tunes for all people and all places.
An experienced practitioner of the classic pub singer’s trade, Matthew brings a modern energy to traditional drinking songs, sea shanties, Irish jigs & reels, timeless folk favorites and original songs. A typical live show sees Matthew switching between the accordion, bouzouki, cittern, guitar, banjo, fiddle, bodhran and tin whistle as he roars out singable choruses to the rhythm of kick drum and tambourine (played with his feet).
Matthew’s familiarity with a wide range of musical styles allows him to mix flavors of rock, pop, country and jazz music as side dishes to the main course of traditional folk music. Matthew’s expansive repertoire of 1,000+ songs & instrumental tunes, and penchant for variety, ensures that no two shows are ever quite alike. Matthew treats every performance, be it for 10 or 10,000, as a warm gathering of close friends, full of humor, storytelling, interaction, camaraderie, optimism and tenderness, and Matthew invites all who might hear to rediscover the joys of social music and communal singing.
Admission to this concert is free of charge.
Kinnfolk Live at the Tavern
Husband and wife duo of Josh and Julie Kinn weave octave mandolin, bodhrán (Irish drum), and smooth vocal harmonies into their Celtic folk music from the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. From sea shanties and working songs, to trad tunes and Old Time favorites, Kinnfolk’s fresh take on classics blends seamlessly with their original compositions. They share stories as enduring as tartan, spinning yarns steeped in Appalachian charm and enjoying playful banter with the audience. Their shows feel like a kitchen party, where everyone is family, and there’s always room for a dancer.
Harry Potter Trivia
Join us for a thrilling afternoon of Harry Potter-inspired trivia as we take you on a journey from 4 Privet Drive through Diagon Alley to the magical world of Hogwarts!
We’ll have great prizes and giveaways throughout the afternoon! Dress up as your favorite character from the Potter books (or films) to win a grand prize!
Brightwood Live @TMC Tavern
Brightwood (Brenda Bowen Cox, Mimi Vidaver-Davis, and Tes Slominski) are a Charlottesville-based trio of Irish musicians who delight in performing for audiences of all ages. With carefully crafted instrumental music on Celtic harp, Irish flute, and fiddle—and the occasional interlude of Irish and Cape Breton step dance!—Brightwood is passionate about the music of Ireland and its neighbors. Each member of the trio brings decades of experience. Brenda is a highly regarded harp player in the southeastern United States and in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, where she spends several months every year. Mimi is an experienced Irish and Cape Breton step dancer and teacher in addition to her prowess on the Irish flute and tin whistle. Tes co-founded the Blue Ridge Irish Music School (BRIMS) in 1999 and went on to receive a Ph.D. in Music. All three members of Brightwood teach at the Blue Ridge Irish Music School and can be seen performing throughout Central Virginia.
5th Annual Samhuinn Fest 2024
Halloween began as an ancient Celtic fire festival called Samhuinn (pronounced "sow-in"), celebrated over 2,000 years ago. Marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, Samhuinn was a time when the Celts believed the veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest. Bonfires were lit, costumes were worn to ward off spirits, and offerings were made to appease the otherworldly beings.
Join us for our 5th Annual Samhuinn celebration as we honor our ancestors by carrying on this ancient tradition. Tickets available here.
Open to all ages, this year's Samhuinn celebration will feature:
Music and Dance
Albemarle Pipes and Drums 2PM (confirmed)
Community Ceili called by Lori Madden, BRIMS 3PM
The Donnybrooks 330-630PM (confirmed)
House of Hamill 7-9PM (confirmed)
Samhuinn Procession & Ceremony 9-10PM (confirmed)
Making, Magic, & Learning
Pumpkin Carving Contest
Tarot Readings and Samhuinn Ceremony With Meg Madden (confirmed)
Fairy House Workshop w Elizabeth Culbertson (confirmed)
Harvest Crown Workshop with Wayflowering (confirmed)
Viking Living History (invited)
Historical European Longsword Lessons & Live Combat Demonstration (confirmed)
Herbalism with the Elderberry
Gothic Art Gallery x Kailey Reid
Feasting and Drinking
Mead x Thistlerock & Special Guests
Craft Beer (Guest Vendor, TBC)
Fire-Cooked Feast
Sugar Belt 2024: Bee Line to Richmond
SugarBelt is an Annual ALL-YOU-CAN-DRINK Mead Festival hosted by our friends at Funktastic Meads and The Answer Brewpub. The Thistlerock team will be serving several of our estate meads at this year’s Sugarbelt event in Richmond so don’t miss out!
Tickets are required but can be purchased here.
Location: The Answer Brewpub, 6008 West Broad Street Richmond, VA 23230
Honkey Tonk Night w Conley Ray and the Joneses
Come join us for our inaugural Honkey Tonk Night! Come out and cut a rug over for one of the best nights of live country music with Conley Ray & The Joneses at Thistlerock Amphitheater!
Gordonsville Fried Chicken Festival
Gordonsville is famous for its fried chicken, which was served to passengers of trains stopping in town during the late 19th and early 20th centuries by local women carrying platters of the delicacy on their heads. Nationally-known at that time, Gordonsville’s fried chicken earned the town the nickname of “chicken-leg center of the universe”.
To celebrate this special heritage, the Town of Gordonsville will hold its Famous Fried Chicken Festival on Saturday, October 7, 2023 from 11 am – 5 pm at the Gordonsville Fire Company Fair Grounds. The event will feature a fried chicken and pie contest, wine (AND MEAD) garden, and numerous craft and artisan vendors.
Free to attend!
More Details: https://www.townofgordonsville.org/events/index.php
C3's Party for the Planet!
Our partners at the Community Climate Collaborative are hosting this free community event once again to recognize climate leadership and success right here in Charlottesville!
Join us on Friday, October 6, at IX Art Park from 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. to celebrate Charlottesville’s progress toward becoming a healthy, clean, climate-conscious community. Thistlerock will of course be on site pouring our net-zero meads!
Invite your friends and family to come enjoy local food trucks, live music by Vibe Riot, prizes, and much more. You’ll also have a chance to learn more about other local organizations that are pushing for climate action and how you can get involved.
Freddy Jackson, founder of LoveNoEgo, will be our emcee for the night!
Where: IX Art Park, 522 2nd St SE, Charlottesville, VA 22902
Tolkien Trivia at Thistlerock Tavern
Travel to Middle Earth for an afternoon celebrating Bilbo Baggins’ 111th Birthday!
We’re journeying into the mind, life and work of J.R.R Tolkien as we celebrate the lore of hobbits, wizards, elves, and all things Middle-earth. Dive deep into riveting questions spanning "The Lord of the Rings," "The Hobbit," and the rich mythology crafted by Tolkien himself.
There will be winners, prizes, and very much merriment. Hobbit attire optional.
Get ready for an unforgettable afternoon of Tolkien Trivia with our friends at Tagteam Entertainment!
Siempre Puente Live at Thistlerock Amphitheatre
Siempre Puente was founded in Córdoba, Argentina in 2018 by Franco Martino and Sol Vidales Beduchaud, based in Buenos Aires, currently traveling in North America. The band’s name comes from the concept of “forever” (Siempre) being a “Bridge” (Puente), something that connects people amongst and within ourselves.
Franco Martino is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and music producer. He is the guitarist of the Grammy-nominated band Che Apalache. Sol is an astrologer, writer, singer and songwriter. They both work together writing and recording songs that cross different rhythms and styles of music, sharing a diverse taste of folk music from all over the world, especially music from Argentina, South America and the Appalachian region.
On the performance side, while traveling, they present themselves as an acoustic duet and during the show the audience is invited to a journey across different folklores and stories.
Siempre Puente has released many songs and their latest release album was “Historias de un embarque” (2021).
Franco and Sol have been lately traveling around the Appalachian mountains and filling themselves with inspiration and stories that today color the upcoming album (“Se Abre al Cerrar” translated as “Opens when Closed”) that’s going to be released this September 1st.
TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE HERE
Siempre Puente’s website
Droof-Valenzuela Wedding (Private Event)
Interested in hosting your wedding ceremony or rehearsal dinner amidst thousands of blooms? It would be our honor to help you celebrate one of life’s greatest moments. There’s also deep traditions across many cultures of celebrating weddings with mead! Whether right or wrong, many believe that mead has close ties to the post-marriage celebration and is the reason we have the term “Honeymoon” to this day.
Within many cultures including Welsh, German and Scandinavian mead was often consumed during the wedding celebration as a toast to the bride and groom. After the wedding the couple was given enough mead to continue the toasting for one month following the wedding, or one cycle of the moon – hence the term “honeymoon” – One month of honey wine.
Not only was mead great for toasting and celebrating, it was also considered an aphrodisiac and was said to increase fertility and virility. What more do you need on a honeymoon? It was believed that by drinking mead for that first month, the bride would become fruitful and a child would be born within the year. Often, the groom filled with his fair share of Mead, was carried to the bedside of his bride. If nine months later, a baby was born, credit was given to the Mead.
So if you are getting married, grab a generous supply of mead and celebrate the history of the occasion!
The Gothard Sisters Live at Thistlerock Amphitheater
Join us for an unforgettable night of music with The Gothard Sisters live at Thistlerock!
Matthew O'Donnell
Known as “The Blue Ridge Bard,” Matthew O'Donnell is a singer, multi-instrumentalist and performer of traditional Celtic music based in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA, sharing songs and tunes for all people and all places.
An experienced practitioner of the classic pub singer’s trade, Matthew brings a modern energy to traditional drinking songs, sea shanties, Irish jigs & reels, timeless folk favorites and original songs. A typical live show sees Matthew switching between the accordion, bouzouki, cittern, guitar, banjo, fiddle, bodhran and tin whistle as he roars out singable choruses to the rhythm of kick drum and tambourine (played with his feet).
Matthew’s familiarity with a wide range of musical styles allows him to mix flavors of rock, pop, country and jazz music as side dishes to the main course of traditional folk music. Matthew’s expansive repertoire of 1,000+ songs & instrumental tunes, and penchant for variety, ensures that no two shows are ever quite alike. Matthew treats every performance, be it for 10 or 10,000, as a warm gathering of close friends, full of humor, storytelling, interaction, camaraderie, optimism and tenderness, and Matthew invites all who might hear to rediscover the joys of social music and communal singing.
Admission to this concert is free of charge.