Every year the Floyd area hosts the biggest musical event in the area. Beginning in 2002, FloydFest has been receiving popular reviews each summer. With nationally and internationally known acts as well as a few events such as belly dancing and children’s entertainment, many people forget that FloydFest also offers an opportunity from regional acts.

For the local bands it is an honor to be asked to play at this event, which begins this Thursday, July 24, and runs through the weekend. A few of the local acts that will be at this year’s event include Midnight Ramblers, Mac and Jenny Traynham, Elizabeth Laprelle, No Speed Limit, Kat Mills, and Curious Strange.

Midnight Ramblers got its start when mandolin player and lead singer Austin Boggs played at a local talent show just a few years ago. The Wise County native then put together a Southwest Virginia group that has quickly been making a name for itself. Cherise Bates has been part of the group since the beginning and plays stand-up bass. Abram Mullins joined the group in 2006 playing the banjo. He has been playing the banjo since he was 12 years old. Marcus Johnson also joined the band that same year playing the guitar.

This young group ranges in age from 18 to 19 years old. These talented musicians always look forward to performing. The Midnight Ramblers perform a mix of originals and bluegrass classics.

Mac and Jenny Traynham are a husband-and-wife duo from Floyd County. They specialize in early country duet-style singing, playing mountain and old-time country music. Both are native to Virginia and have lived in the area since the 1970s.

In the 1990s they were instructors at a music camp for duet and harmony singing at such places as the Augusta Heritage Workshops in West Virginia, Pinewoods Folk Music Week in Massachusetts, and Swannanoa Gatherings in North Carolina.

Mac is a well-known instrumentalist and has taught workshops on the banjo and fiddle. He has also won various contests in the region such as Appalachian Stringband Festival.

Elizabeth Laprelle has been performing Appalachian ballads and old-time songs, and winning prizes for her singing at fiddlers’ conventions since a young age. She has an authentic style and a great respect for each song. Laprelle has been a ballad singer at festivals such as the National Folk Festival, the Smithsonian, and the Crooked Road West Coast Tour. She grew up in Rural Retreat, Va., and learned to sing from her family. Laprelle said she wants to sing the way her ancestors might have sung them when they were young. She also wants to sing the emotions that she feels when she hears the stories and the poetry in the music.

No Speed Limit got its start when Stevie Barr, the banjo player and well-known Galax musician, started jamming with bass player Jacob Eller and vocalist Amber Collins. After such a great response at the Galax Old Fiddler’s Convention they decided to turn the jam session into a career. The trio added MerleFest National Guitar Champion Josh Pickett and mandolin player Ryan Blevins to create a Southwest Virginia supergroup.

Governor Tim Kaine requested No Speed Limit to play at his Inaugural Concert and joined the band onstage playing the harmonica. The band has two albums thus far.

Kat Mills is an inspiration to all solo artists out there. She sings, writes, and plays music all on her own. With her great song-writing abilities and acoustic guitar in hand Mills is always great to see. Her powerful range and solid guitar work always keeps her audience captivated. She is currently based in Blacksburg. She is fully independent and has her own label, Sweetcut Music. Having performed at several FloydFests, for her, the event is home.

She has also shared the stage with The Matt Flinner Quartet, Northern Lights, Tom Pacheco, Leslie Ritter and Scott Petito, Barebones and Wildflowers, Pat Wictor, Paul Curreri, Michael DeLalla, Marly’s Angels, Michael Jerling and Mary Alice Wood.

Curious Strange offers a wide variety of music from rock, funk, blues, jazz soul, and southern rock. The band experiments with multi-layered harmony and alternating time signatures combined with catchy tunes and a dance friendly experience. If you enjoy jam bands such as Phish, Widespread Panic, the Greatful Dead and southern rockers such as the Allman Brothers, you will enjoy the sounds of this Blacksburg-based band.

These are just a handful of the acts that will perform FloydFest 2008, so come out and hear some music and enjoy the beautiful surrounds Floyd and the New River Valley.

Anna Keffer is spending her summer as an intern for the New River Voice.