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ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. —  The season for outdoor entertainment is upon us, and May 17 marks the return of the popular Mill Music Ses ions presented by Braswell Family Farms with Get Funky and The Groove Street Band playing a free concert on Rocky Mount Mills’ scenic lawn. New this year, the concert series will also introduce Mill Music Mini-Sessions, pop-up events featuring smaller acts throughout the campus. The first mini-session on April 26, Jazz at the Mills with John Brown and the Little Big Band, will take place in the Power House, an indoor event space inside the historic mill. All concerts are free and open to the public.

Several of the scheduled acts will highlight groups from the North Carolina African American Music Trail, the NC Arts Council’s ongoing project to help travelers explore the rich African American musical heritage of the state. Now in its third year, the Mill Music Sessions aim to bring visitors and locals alike to the innovative Rocky Mount Mills campus, Eastern North Carolina’s cutting edge mixed-use development featuring the regions only brewery incubator, restaurants, event venues, and the world’s largest tiny house hotel. 

Designed to foster community and take advantage of the expansive green space and unique venues on the Mills campus, organizers from Schoolkids Records and the NC Arts Council have pulled together a rollicking lineup of family-friendly musical entertainment featuring national acts Purple School Bus, the Billy Walton Band and New Reveille. 

“The Mill Music Sessions is a perfect way for folks to interact with this place that has so much to offer our community, from our gorgeous outdoor spaces to the amazing restaurants and breweries located right here,” says Evan Covington Chavez, Real Estate Development Manager at Rocky Mount Mills. “But what’s even more exciting about this year’s series is our partnership with the NC Arts Council to be a part of the African American Music Trail project. Our local community has a proud history of incredibly talented African American musicians, and we hope that these performances are a way that our surrounding community can come together in celebration of the music and traditions that make this area so special.” 

The Mill Music Session lineup fills in a robust spring and summer events calendar and pairs nicely with the June 1st opening of River and Twine, a tiny house hotel located on the Rocky Mount Mills campus, an addition that gives event goers a truly unique option for making a night of it. 

Mill Music Sessions

• Friday, May 17 – Get Funky at the Mills with the Groove Shop Band*
• Friday, June 7 – Purple School Bus
• Friday, August 9 – Billy Walton Band
• Saturday, September 14 – New Reveille

Mill Music Mini-Sessions 

• Saturday, April 26 – Jazz at the Mills with John Brown and the Little Big Band*
• Saturday, June 1 – Saxophonist Eric Dawson and regional musicians perform jazz, funk, rhythm and blues*
• Saturday, July 20 – Blues at The Mills with Jon Shain and Randy McQuay

*Denotes sessions featuring The African American Music Trail presented by NC Arts Council

The third annual concert series is presented by Braswell Family Farms. “We are thankful to have Rocky Mount Mills in our community and to be able to partner with them in bringing this enjoyable event series,” said Trey Braswell, President of Braswell Family Farms. “Family and community are very important to us, so it’s great to have the Mill Music Sessions to bring family and friends together for fellowship and fun.”

See more about the Mill Music Sessions, sponsored by the N.C. Arts Council and Schoolkids Records, and other events here.

About Rocky Mount Mills:
Located along the Falls of the beautiful Tar River, Rocky Mount Mills is a development of historic proportions, bringing together residential, commercial, cultural, and entertainment amenities in one unique destination. The 82-acre campus of this restored cotton mill showcases a bold approach to historic preservation that honors the past while also breathing new life into this storied place. It’s a place to wander, to explore and be surprised — a place to craft your own story. www.rockymountmills.com

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CONTACT:

Margo Knight Metzger
riverandtwine@gmail.com
919-413-8884