• in 95 days
  • The Greensboro Summer Solstice Festival looks forward to seeing you on June 22nd, 2024, 2-10 pm!!!

    2023 Performers

    Triad Musicians Matter Triad Musicians Matter – 2024 Non-Profit Sponsor
    The Summer Solstice Festival is proud to announce a partnership with Triad Musicians Matter, a local non profit organization founded to help musicians in a time of need. In many cases in our community, it’s the musicians who are the first to offer their time and talents to help raise funds for many worthy local and global causes. It is the purpose of Triad Musicians Matter to be a vehicle to which the community can give back to those generous and artistic people when they themselves are in need.
    Triad Musicians Matter, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit corporation created in 2011 for the purpose of providing Triad North Carolina musicians and their families financial support in cases of sudden illness, hospitalization, accident, death, or displacement from home due to fire or natural disasters. Visit Triad Musicians Matter to learn how you can donate or apply for assistance.

     

    Renee Henry Renee Henry
    Renee’s a veteran performer who has been fortunate enough to bring her harp and vocals to every Solstice festival, except those interrupted by Covid. Part of the fabled “Awake the White and Wintry Queen” cast, Renee brings over 30 years of performance experience to the stage. In 2020, she was chosen best female vocalist in “Triad City Beat’s Best of” edition. In addition to her Celtic and traditional music, she has performed Americana, jazz, swing, folk and currently is lead singer and plays keys in the band GypsySoul, Her ongoing passion is music that creates a vibe of healing in her listeners. She chooses her songs to touch their hearts, minds and souls. “I am a multi-instrumentalist, though I primarily perform with Celtic harp and guitar at the Solstice Festival. My primary instrument is my voice, accompanied by piano, Celtic harp, or guitar. I am one of 3 lead singers with the band GypsySoul. Music is life to me, and I aspire to touch those who hear me for the highest good of all concerned.”

     

    Crystal Bright Crystal Bright
    Award winning singer/songwriter, ethnomusicologist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and new twin mom, Crystal Bright, has played over 1000 shows from Canada to Austin, and New Orleans to Seattle and Thailand since 2010. Bright performed with the North Carolina Symphony in 2011 on an arrangement of her song “Toy Hammer,” and has performed at various festivals around the country (SXSW, Savannah Stopover, FloydFest, DragonCon, LEAF, Midpoint Music Fest, The Steampunk World’s Fair, The International Steampunk Symposium, Shakori Hills, and many others.) She took Runner Up for On the Rise at Floydfest 2013 for returning sets in 2014 and 2015, and was named Best Singer in 2012, Best Songwriter in 2014, and Best Musician in the Triad in 2015 by Greensboro’s Yes Weekly. This year she is accompanied by the legendary Jazz pianist to serenade you with some originals and sultry jazz compositions. Don’t miss out on her jazz “sawlos!”

     

    SunQueen Kelcey SunQueen Kelcey and the Soular Flares
    SunQueen Kelcey has two things at the center of her music: body positivity and radical self love. These are more than ingredients to her lyrics, they are her soul; and she has such a strong calling to these tenets that watching her at the mic is more than a concert. Her musical style is a genre-bending collage of hip-hop, soul, rock, and contemporary R&B, call it soul-rock. She delivers an energetic and passionate performance complete with her live band The Soular Flares. Specializing in blending her original music with Top Billboard Hit covers, she is the center of a universal sound that aims to unite her listeners over a shared experience. On her album, “See Attached” available on all streaming platforms – her lyrics and artistry have been described as “visceral, elemental, emotional and raw” by her listeners. That magic is only enhanced by heavy bass lines dripping with sensuality, bluesy guitar strums, bright tones on the piano and clean drum hits to make your heart stop. She began her performance career with Dalton Village, a group that blended R&B and rap. As their lead vocalist, she gained experience performing live, but after the band broke up she was launched on a solo career. She decided to create a backing band for her music with the former guitarist of Dalton Village, Kolin Robinson, and called it SunQueen and the Soular Flares. Creating this group was a pivotal moment that led to her receiving the 2017 R&B Artist of the Year Award by the Artist Bloc. The band has two guitarists (Malcom Dickens & Kolin Robinson), a bassist (Darion Jones), keyboardist/trombone player (Tyrissa Swilley) and drummer (Jamese Moses). Every member is multi-talented, either bringing other instruments into the mix or by adding to the group through graphic design. The band grooves and together they add flare to the original lyrics created by Kelcey and accomplish dynamic covers.

     

    A.J. and Company A.J. and Company
    Born Arnet Jerome Diggs on June 5th 1956 to Eula Mae Johnson & William Kessler Diggs in Philadelphia, Pa., I learned music at an early age. In this family of 10, all of my brothers and sisters either sang or played an instrument. Inheriting love for gospel, jazz, R&B and entertaining from mom and dad, I started a musical journey that hasn’t waned even though it’s taken all of the changes in direction that musicians take. I took violin lessons in the 3rd grade only to find that the cello squeaked a lot less. I played cello all through my school years, became a music magnet student and was good enough for “All City Orchestra” in high school. Also during that period, I had practiced long and hard enough to learn bass, guitar, drums, piano, theory, composition and acoustics. Over the years since school, my influences had grown from Mozart through Motown through Miles eras to the more prevalent sounds of the electronic generation and virtuosity. I began to listen to Hendrix, Billy Preston, James Taylor, Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire, Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, Quincy Jones, Larry Graham, Stanley Clarke and you get the picture. I was fortunate to survive a military period, marriage and becoming a single parent to a mildly disabled son. I’ve performed with many national and international artists,(i.e. The Blue Notes, The Dreamlovers, and Bill Pinkney and The Original Drifters) and when called upon, play for icons like Grammy Winner, William Bell, the Queen of the Blues, the legendary Barbara Carr and Blues Icon, Producer and International artist, Roy Roberts. ( www.royrobertsblues.com ) My current cd, “Already In Progress” is still making moderate progress in the beach and blues circuits and is available at CDBaby, itunes, amazon, soundclick, myspace, YouTube and of course from me. Need more?……Google me! You can expect a new cd from me soon and Universe willing, I’ll see you @ the show. PEACE, PROSPERITY & ONENESS…AJ

     

    Liontracks Liontracks Reggae Band
    Liontracks Roots Reggae Band is a homegrown, grassroots reggae band born in Winston-Salem NC. Liontracks Roots Reggae Band has entertained fans for over three decades with hundreds of original songs with their most recent CD “Monumental” located on all major music platforms. Liontracks Roots Reggae Band brings a timeless reggae sound that is embraced by fans all over the world and will have you dancing on your feet.

     

    Johnny-O Johnny-O and the Jump Out Boys
    Since 2016, Johnny-O and the Jump-Out Boys have bringing the blues of the 50’s and 60’s back into the spotlight here in NC! Brandishing a Chicago style, the band covers many familiar blues tunes, as well as a few that you probably never knew existed. Come join them at the BHHS Yost & Little Stage as they take the music (and you) “back-a-ways”!

     

    Unheard Project GSO Unheard Project GSO
    #JazzFusion with a twist. Gospel, funk, R&B, rock, latin vibes. Greensboro, NC-based #collective advocating fair wages, creative freedom & diversity



     

    Jessie Dunks Jessie Dunks
    While blending elements of pop and folk rock with her unique sound, singer-songwriter Jessie Dunks is lyrically based, soulfully felt, and playfully intimate.



     

    Housewife Housewife
    Based in winston / greensboro, a genre bending cocktail of neo-soul, R&B and punk.