Festival Frenzy: Sorghum Festival & Chicken Festival

Sorghum Festival & Chicken Festival 9/25 and 9/26

The Sorghum Festival is held annually in West Liberty, KY and this was my second time performing there. In 2012, West Liberty was hit with a devastating tornado and it really took a toll on the area. The town is still in recovery but there have been wonderful facilities built thanks to donations and state and federal funding. I was able to sing in their new amphitheater facility and it was lovely!
Although the weather was chilly and it was sprinkling the rain, I had a great time!

There were a few ladies in the crowd that requested an old time gospel hymn and I asked them if "The Old Rugged Cross" would be okay. They said, "Of course! Can she sing with you?" referring to their friend. I told her to come on up and she made her way on the stage. I started singing and she sang harmony with me; I was blown away! She had a beautiful voice. She hugged me after the song and thanked me for letting her sing with me and for doing a gospel song. I love and appreciate opportunities like this one so much! I love getting the chance to get the audience involved and have them be as much a part of the show as I am. Here is a picture my mom(ager) snapped as we sang together. 

Immediately after the Sorghum Festival at West Liberty, we loaded back into the car and headed to London, KY for the Chicken Festival. 

I have been singing at the Chicken Festival since I was very young. We figured it up and we think I have performed there for over ten years! Obviously I love it, since I come back every year. This year I was able to perform three different times on two different stages. On Friday evening after the Sorghum Festival, I sang at 4:00pm on the Sander's Court Stage...right next to the world's largest frying pan. There was a guy with a rake, a RAKE, maneuvering the chicken around the pan (just to give you an idea of the size). 

After the 4:00 performance, I headed over to the 4th street stage near the Courthouse in London. There, my friend Dustin joined me again. We entertained from 8:00-9:00pm. This stage was under a huge tent and it was raining outside so as you can imagine, people were flocking to the tent seeking a dry place. Lucky for us, even after it stopped raining, the majority of the audience stayed to listen!

The next morning, I was scheduled for the Sander's Court stage at 1:00pm. There, I was joined by Dustin Wilson on guitar and vocals, and John Davis on the cajon. We had such a great time playing together, we actually played for an hour and a half instead of an hour. We tried some new things and I was very happy with the outcome (stay tuned to see what they are in coming videos). For now, click below to see a video from Saturday the 26th. 

Immediately following our performance was the chicken wing eating contest. Now that was something to see. There were bones flying everywhere! I couldn't take my eyes off the contestants. The chicken wings were donated by Old Town Grill. One cool bean will be awarded if you read my OTG blog post back in August http://www.taylordyemusic.com/2015/08/patio-pickin-at-old-town-grill.html .

As always, I enjoyed my time at the Chicken Festival and hope to be back next year! A huge thanks to Bridgett Gambrel with SAM 103.9 (http://sam1039.com/) and Rodney Hendrickson for having me out every year! 

Did you like this post? Share it on Facebook and like my page if you haven't already at www.facebook.com/tayloraustindye! Comment below and let's talk about music (or food, or clothes, or life, or anything ok I just like to talk). If you want to see more videos of me singing, head on over to www.youtube.com/taylordyemusic.

Festival Frenzy: Railroad Festival & More!

The Railroad Festival & UK v. Florida Tailgate 9/19

The Railroad Festival is held in Ravenna, KY annually. I was asked to sing on short notice for this festival, but everything worked out great! I made my way to Estill County around noon and I was scheduled to sing at 2:00. My friends from 104.9 WSKV (website) were running the sound in the park. There were several booths set up around the sidewalk trail where people could walk through, get a bite to eat, and sit down under the awning on picnic tables to listen to the entertainment. I sang for about an hour with a wide variety of music including Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, to Buddy Holly, to Tom Petty.

After I sang for an hour at the Railroad Festival, I made my way to Commonwealth Stadium to play at a tailgate party. Although it drizzled for a few minutes and was a little chilly, it turned out to be a great night! Except the Wildcats didn’t get that “W.” I was joined by my friend John Davis on the cajon/ I also met some new people who I later ended up singing with. See some of the spontaneous music we came up with below. 

PS. I couldn't stop laughing because of these crazy lyrics! 

                                                        (Reed Fields, myself, John Davis, and Kenny Purpose)

   

We took turns entertaining on and off from 5:00-7:30 until the game started. That day was a great day full of music and friends and that is always my favorite thing to have on the weekend. Thanks to Ethan Moore from WSKV for having me out to the RRF and John Davis for inviting me to entertain for the tailgate party!

Did you like this post? Share it on Facebook and like my page if you haven't already at www.facebook.com/tayloraustindye! Comment below and let's talk about music (or food, or clothes, or life, or anything ok I just like to talk). If you want to see more videos of me singing, head on over to www.youtube.com/taylordyemusic.

Festival Frenzy: Black Gold Festival

Black Gold Festival 9/18

I always look forward to entertaining for the Black Gold festival every year. They always have a great sound crew and an amazing stage set up. Keep reading for details of the show!

(photo credit to audience member Jeff Strong) 

The Black Gold festival is held in Hazard, KY every year. Black Gold is a reference to coal, which is very important and historic to our region of eastern Kentucky. This year, I was lucky enough to get a Friday night slot at 6:00; just before country stars “Restless Heart” took the stage at 8:00. There was a huge crowd at the outside amphitheater. I arrived early to ensure that I had plenty of time to sound check, etc. I got the pleasure of hearing Timothy Baker (check him out here) before I took the stage, and he has a beautiful voice along with some crazy guitar skill. I performed for an hour and towards the end of my set, there was standing room only! I was so thankful for a beautiful day and a great crowd. Check out some songs from my performance here: 

See more videos on my Facebook page, www.facebook.com/tayloraustindye 

The Hazard Herald also featured me in their newspaper and I just love this article! You can read it here: 

http://hazard-herald.com/features/lifestyle/853/taylor-dye-performs#.VgG1FGBVS90.facebook

Outfit brought to you by: www.buckle.com

Festival Finds:

Every year, it is inevitable. I have to get a bloomin’ onion. My best friend and I have a tradition to get one every year. Although she couldn’t make it this year, my parents and I ate one in her honor. I did it for you, Laken. Not only did we partake in the traditional bloomin’ onion, my fiancé got a funnel cake too! Of course, I had to sample it a few times. I can definitely say, the greasiness and calories are definitely worth it for a Black Gold bloomin’ onion. 

Did you like this post? Share it on Facebook and like my page if you haven't already at www.facebook.com/tayloraustindye! Comment below and let's talk about music (or food, or clothes, or life, or anything ok I just like to talk). If you want to see more videos of me singing, head on over to www.youtube.com/taylordyemusic.

OC Fair and Old Town Grill

The Owsley County Fair & Old Town Grill 9/11 and 9/12

The annual fair is held in Owsley County around the first to second week of September. It is a weeklong event including contests at the schools, rides, talent shows, and a community night. I performed on the fair grounds on Community Night, September 11^th. Keep reading for the details of the show!

Community Night is a wonderful thing at the fair. Businesses, non-profits, and school related booths, set up tables on the fair grounds and have door prize entries and freebies for their customers. I sang with my friend, Dustin Wilson, from 6:00-7:30 while the citizens of Booneville made their way around, table to table, to enter for the door prizes and collect their free pens and goodies.

Our set included a few duets, harmonies, and solo songs. We even tried a new song we had never sung before and it turned out great! People were requesting lots of songs, so of course; we tried our best to fulfill their wishes.  A lot of people in our hometown really enjoy country music, so songs like “Folsom Prison Blues,” and “It’s Your Love” were crowd favorites. Although, this audience member was a huge fan of "Girl Crush." Thanks, Jennifer. :)

The next day, September 12^th, I was scheduled to sing again at Old Town Grill. We made our way up to London, set up our equipment and I began singing. 

For anyone who remembers this night, it was absolutely freezing. The stage is set up on an outside patio, so I had to sit outside. At first, there were several loyal listeners that stayed outside to listen for about an hour. After that, they confessed they were just too cold to stay out anymore and returned inside. Although I was scheduled from 7-10, myself, along with the management, decided that it would be best to shut down the outside activities around 8:30.  We grabbed a bite to eat and headed home with the heat cranked up all the way!

Did you like this post? Share it on Facebook and like my page if you haven't already at www.facebook.com/tayloraustindye! Comment below and let's talk about music (or food, or clothes, or life, or anything ok I just like to talk). If you want to see more videos of me singing, head on over to www.youtube.com/taylordyemusic.

Revive River Drive

Revive River Drive - Irvine, KY 9/5/15

Revive River Drive is in it’s 4^th annual year, but this is the first time I have ever entertained for it. The whole day is filled with hot-rodding, food, and live entertainment. Keep reading for details from the show!

I was absolutely thrilled to perform at Revive River Drive in Irvine, Ky. My friends at WSKV 104.9 were broadcasting it live on the air and I would be joining the Jenkins Twins and Dirty Windows on stage. We did a “round robin” set up where one band would play three songs at a time and then the next band would get up and play three songs, and so on and so forth for three hours. During the fourth hour, we all got on stage together and worked up songs to play together on the fly. Keep in mind we didn’t even know each other before this. If you want to see me singing one of the songs during the 3-band jam session, click on the video below.

To listen to the entire live broadcast from the night, click on this audio clip by WSKV. 

 http://www.wskvfm.com/uploads/2/4/0/4/24043803/revive_river_dirve_lq.mp3

The atmosphere at this event was very enjoyable, especially if you love old cars and music. I spent the whole time watching the classic cars go by and burn out down the street. Although it was a bit distracting and loud while I was singing, I loved every minute of it. I can’t wait to see what next year’s RRD5 has in store for Irvine. I can definitely say I’ll be going back to get my fill!

If you are interested in my outfit details, they will be in the link below!

Shirt: Lucky Brand http://www.hm.com/us/product/92637?article=92637-A&cm_mmc=pla-_-us-_-ladies_modern_classics_shirts-_-92637&cm_mmc=adwords-_-us-_-brand-_-&gclid=CJaN_enp9scCFQiLaQodqF0I_A (similar)

Jeans: Rock Revival http://www.buckle.com/rock-revival-betty-boot-stretch-jean/prd-784359162B215/sku-1154372532

Boots: Buckle http://www.buckle.com/corral-fringe-cowboy-boot/prd-23226C2880/sku-9282464550

Glasses: Ray Bans Club Masters http://www.ray-ban.com/usa/sunglasses/clubmaster/clv

Did you like this post? Share it on Facebook! Comment below and let's talk about music (or food, or clothes, or life, or anything ok I just like to talk). If you want to see more videos of me singing, head on over to www.youtube.com/taylordyemusic.