Groove green at Music on the Mountaintop

          Music on the Mountain 2008, (courtesy www.musiconthemountaintop.com)

The second annual Music on the Mountaintop will be broadcasting green vibes from the Old Fairgrounds in Boone, North Carolina on August 29th.  It is the second coming of the one day event that promotes sustainable living through music.

The days headlining musical acts include the always captivating Keller Williams, the bluegrass legend Sam Bush, and the Acoustic Syndicate.  K-Dub as Williams fans refer to him is coming off a string of summer events where he has given some fantastic performances.  Sam Bush is returning for his second round brandishing his crown as the "King of New Grass," a progressive tributary of bluegrass music that he pioneered.  A majority of the rest of the acts come from the local areas of Boone and Asheville.  A personal favorite in Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band will be in attendance as well as the local Raleigh band Ascella Vega.

Music on the Mountaintop is the brainchild of ASU student and Raleigh native Jimmy Hunt.  Hunt originally created the idea for a business class when he realized that it was such a good idea he should bring it to life.  He then teamed up with friends and in 2008 the inaugural Music on the Mountain was born. 

The name may be different this year but the theme remains the same.  Music on the Mountaintop advocates renewable energy and sustainable living by having numerous non-profits and activities present to educate as well as entertain.  A river clean up project will be held the day before the festival in an effort to reach out to the community.  The festival is teamed up with AIRE (Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy) to create an accumulative effort in the region for new sources of alternative energy.  AIRE is a community based organization whose goal is to stop the massive mountaintop removal currently devastating greater Appalachia.

Music on the Mountaintop will also feature the Green Village, a group of non-profits including NC Green Power, Habitat for Humanity, the ASU Energy Center as well as several others.  The organizations will be passing out literature and showing examples of green living.  The ASU Energy Center has also donated it's very own solar and wind turbine dubbed Daisy.  The alternative source of power will be giving juice to the third stage in an effort to reduce the impact of the festival on the natural habitat.  The festivities will also feature a Live Environmental Forum, a chat between fans and artists about ways to promote and live more sustainable lives.

So whether you go for the cause or just a good old fashioned time, I recommend hitting up Music on the Mountaintop to not only help be a part of the solution but jam out in the beautiful high country of Boone, NC.

To find out more information about Music on the Mountaintop visit their website www.musiconthemountaintop.com/