Railbird Festival 2023 Logo

Well, it's safe to say Railbird Festival is coming back hot for its 2023 instalment, heading for The Infield at Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky. 

 will headline the two-day festival, with Holler favourites 

On Saturday June 3rd, Weezer, Marcus Mumford, Sheryl Crow, Jenny Lewis and more also join. 

On Sunday June 4th, it's Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, The Head and The Heart, Goose, Nickel Creek, Amos Lee, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder and more on the bill. Dehd was originally scheduled to play on the Saturday, but they have been replaced by Bully. 

This time around, the array of performers will be heading to the festival's new home at The Infield at Red Mile, in Lexington, Kentucky. The dates have been confirmed as June 3-4.

As well as performing on June 3, Charley Crockett will also headline a special pre-party show at The Burl Outdoors the night before. 

Artist - Charley Crockett 2

Crockett's party-starting performance is due to take place at The Burl Outdoors on June 2. 

Charley Crockett To Kick Off Railbird Festival 2023 With Pre-Party Show

Here, we'll have all the up-to-date news on line-up announcements and all the latest ticket details for 2023. 

The equine, music and bourbon festival has become a fan-favourite since its inception in 2019. The overall experience takes centre stage, with dramatic horse races, unique stalls and brilliant music all coming together to create an unforgettable occasion. The fact that it happens in the unofficial ‘Horse Capital of the World’, Kentucky, only adds to its appeal.

In 2023, the event will be leaving behind its previous venue of The Grounds at Keeneland. The 2021 festival featured some of the most illustrious artists from the alt-country and folk space, with the likes of Tyler Childers, Hozier, The Raconteurs, 

Soon after the star-studded line-up was released, Railbird confirmed that all tickets had sold out. Fans still hoping to attend can sign up for the Waitlist 

For more information on tickets and for other country festivals set for 2023 and 2024 - head here.

For more coverage of Railbird Festival, see below:

Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers Will Headline Railbird Festival 2023

Charley Crockett to Kick Off Railbird Festival 2023 with Pre-Party Show 

All the latest line-up announcements, date confirmations and ticket details for Railbird Festival 2023.

Festival - Railbird Festival 1

Railbird Festival 2023

Bryan has eschewed Music City’s preferred producers and writers, in favour of crafting a sparse, unpolished sound that elevates magical storytelling above all else.

In 2019, just like any other day after a shift, Bryan and his Navy buddies sat down for a jam session. Only this time, they decided to record Bryan playing ‘Heading South’ and upload it to his socials, thinking nothing of it.

The video quickly went viral, and paved the way for Bryan to sign a recording contract with Warner Records two years later in 2021. The candid, lo-fi video would go on to set the tone for Bryan’s rustic, bare-bones aesthetic.

Following the release of his first two albums, 

in 2019 and 2020 respectively, Bryan released his 34-track magnum opus, 

 in 2022. It debuted at No. 5 on the US Billboard 200, and set a new 2022 record for the most single-day streams for a country album on Apple Music and Spotify.

‘Something in the Orange’ was the fourth single from 

, and the hauntingly ominous track became one of the defining country songs of the year. It marked Bryan’s first entry onto the Billboard Hot 100, as well as propelling him to the pinnacle of the Billboard Top Songwriters chart later in 2022.

In the summer of 2022, Zach Bryan continued this momentum by putting out his pensive 

EP, a project that would again veer away from the well-worn path of typical summer country releases. 

He continues to build a reputation for his unrivalled rate of releases, which has been magnified by a string of singles towards the end of 2022, including, ‘Burn, Burn, Burn’, ‘Starved’, ‘Fifth of May’ and ‘The Greatest Day of My Life’. 

Following a blockbuster 2022 tour, which involved a captivating, snow-hampered show at Red Rocks Amphitheater, Colorado, Bryan has already been confirmed for a slew of 2023 festivals.

Home of all the latest news, information and coverage of Zach Bryan on Holler

Zach

Since being honourably discharged from the US Navy in 2021, Zach Bryan’s journey to country’s upper echelons has been as quick as it has been unconventional.

Zach Bryan: News, Songs & Reviews | Holler

Graduating from the same high school as Chris Stapleton and Loretta Lynn, some might say Childers had no choice but to become a country music pioneer.

But few could have conceived the other-worldly sonic sphere that Tyler Childers would invite his listeners into. After putting out his debut album, 

, in 2011 at the age of 20, Childers piqued the interest of fellow genre-outlaw, Sturgill Simpson. Simpson subsequently produced Childers’ boundary-shifting follow-up, 

The theologically inspired titles are not mere window dressing. Childers has knitted ecumenical conceptions of faith and religion into the fabric of most of his projects so far, none more strikingly so than his eccentric, thought-provoking 2022 record, 

 The project comprises eight core songs, each of which occurs in three different formats: a Hallelujah version, a Jubilee version and a Joyful Noise version, the sample-infused latter being arguably the most challenging of the three.

Tyler Childers’ experimental fusion of bluegrass and retro honky-tonk has set him apart as an outlier in the modern country terrain. But it seems the industry is ready to bring him in from the cold - 

 was met with widespread critical acclaim, and debuted at No. 8 on the US Billboard All-Genre Chart. Tyler is set to bring his unique sound to a number of states on his 2023 tour, which will also see him play two shows in London, UK, in February.

Home of all the latest news, information and coverage of Tyler Childers on Holler

Tyler

Tyler Childers grew up in Lawrence County, Kentucky, and has never shied away from his Appalachian roots - quite the opposite, actually. 

Tyler Childers: News, Songs & Reviews | Holler

Texas six-piece Whiskey Myers have marked out a sonic patch of turf that feels immediately recognisable as a concoction of Red Dirt and Southern Rock, with a healthy dose of straight-shooting Rock ‘n’ Roll thrown in for good measure.

Yet when you scratch beneath the surface of Whiskey Myers’ most popular tracks, the terrain becomes a lot harder to map. They’re not afraid to stray from the dirt-road tracks and surprise fans with a gospel-infused anthem or a bluesy twist.

Nonetheless, the songs that have gained the most prominence have been the grittier, Skynyrd-inspired anthems, epitomised on blazing tracks such as ‘Rolling Stone’, ‘Die Rockin’’ and ‘Frogman’.

in 2014 with mixed success, but saw their stock rise dramatically when they were chosen to be a part of the hit 

 TV series. Not only did they play on screen, but a number of songs, such as ‘Stone’, have made it onto the show’s hugely popular soundtrack.

This led to their whole catalogue being propelled into the Top Ten of the iTunes Country Chart, and helped to build momentum for a series of emphatic live shows across both the US and the UK.

, in the summer of 2022, a self-produced, guitar-driven and emotionally rich journey through Texas that again found the band testing out exciting new sonic waters.

Home of all the latest news, information and coverage of Whiskey Myers on Holler

Whiskey Myers

Whiskey Myers are not afraid to stray from the dirt-road tracks and surprise fans with a gospel-infused anthem or a bluesy twist.

Whiskey Myers: News, Songs & Reviews | Holler

Charley Crockett has an aura of myth about him. As the distant relative of American folk hero Davy Crockett, he's lived up to his ancestor's name, traveling all over the country and gathering its influences into what he describes as his 'Gulf + Western music', which blends traditional country, honky tonk, blues and soul.  

Crockett was born in 1984. He grew up in Texas, where he taught himself to play guitar and write songs without any formal training. He left home at 17, using music to support himself as he busked and played in New Orleans, New York, and across the U.S. 

His talents attracted attention from the music industry, including a two-year management deal with Sony Records, but that didn't pan out. Instead, he went to Northern California, where he worked on farms, before heading to France and Morocco. 

When he returned Stateside, Crockett self-released his debut album 

 in 2015. Over the next six years, he went on to release a total of ten albums. But it wasn't until the release of 2020's 

that he began attracting more national attention for his music.  

He followed that breakthrough with a tribute album in honor of James 'Slim' Hand called 

10 For Slim: Charley Crockett Sings James Hand, 

which he released in 2021. That same year, Crockett released his tenth studio album 

At the age of 37, he was named Emerging Artist of the Year at the Americana Music Awards in 2021. 

plus expansive American and European tours. 

Home of all the latest news, information and coverage of Charley Crockett on Holler.

Charley 

Charley Crockett has an aura of myth about him and describes his music as 'Gulf + Western Music' after travelling all over the country.

Charley Crockett: News, Songs & Reviews | Holler

 crisscrossed the country busking, enchanting audiences all over North America and Europe with her high-spirited and dazzling live performances. 

Eventually, Ferrell made her way to Nashville where her distinctive voice and songwriting began to attract fans and she signed with Rounder Records to release her debut studio album

Garnering both popular and critical acclaim for her jazz-inflected multi-instrumentalism and striking, timeless voice, Sierra Ferrell has reinvented the country wheel and shone as one of the brightest young luminaries in roots music today, bringing a little beautifully eccentric magic to everything she touches.

With a musical upbringing that included playing everywhere from truck stops and boxcars to New Orleans street corners, her music is an eclectic rag-bag of freewheeling bluegrass and old-timey country folk.

She won the Emerging Act of the Year prize at the Americana Honors & Awards in 2022, before scooping the Artist of the Year award and the Album of the Year award in 2024 for 

She has collaborated with everyone from Margo Price and Old Crow Medicine Show to Benjamin Tod and Zach Bryan.

Home of all the latest news, information and coverage of Sierra Ferrell on Holler

Sierra

Americana singer/songwriter Sierra Ferrell may hail from West Virginia, but her music captures influences both far and wide. 

Sierra Ferrell: News, Songs & Reviews | Holler'

Charles Wesley Godwin’s rustic imagery and traditional-leaning Americana sound has spawned comparisons with contemporaries such as Tyler Childers. While this assessment is an oversimplification, there is a notable similarity in the way that Godwin does not make any attempt to meet the listener where they are; if they want to enjoy the music, they’ll have to follow Godwin on a rocky trail through his Appalachian soundscape and into an entirely unique world full of enchanting characters.

Although he pointedly refuses to pander to mainstream impulses, the palette with which Godwin paints is nonetheless easy on the eye, and proves accessible to cosmic-country die-hards and boyfriend-country flag-bearers alike.

, was met with resounding acclaim, as the West Virginia native crafted a sound that felt expansive and cinematic, while at the same time being lucidly tuned-in to the details and specificities of the subject matter.

The project stood largely as an ode to his Morgantown roots, and Godwin maintained his charmingly grounded sensibilities throughout his follow-up 2021 album, 

. However, his 2021 offering widened the canvas and tested out new territory - both thematically and sonically.

The driving force that underpins Charles Wesley Godwin’s musical mission statement - and what many would argue should be at the heart of all country music - is a love of timeless storytelling. The listener meets a host of bewitching characters throughout Godwin’s discography, from the tragic tale of Claire, the mayor’s daughter, in ‘Cranes of Potter’, to the embattled protagonist of ‘Seneca Creek’.

Godwin continues to bring the soft, Autumnal glow of his warm melodies and wistful lap steel guitar to crowds across the US, having recently finished a hugely successful tour supporting fellow country-folk progressive, Zach Bryan.

Home of all the latest news, information and coverage of Charles Wesley Godwin on Holler.

Charles Wesley

Godwin refuses to cater to mainstream impulses and asks that his fans follow him through his Appalachian soundscape and into a unique world of enchanting characters.

Charles Wesley Godwin: News, Songs & Reviews | Holler

Railbird Festival 2023: Line-Up, Dates and Tickets

Maxim is a Country Music Journalist and Holler’s News Editor based in London, UK. 

After gaining a Masters with Merit from the University of Oxford, he wrote 

, which will be published on Mud Pie Books. 

During lockdown, Maxim created the Happiness x Music Project and co-founded Mindful Melody magazine in 2020, both of which explored the intersection between music and wellbeing. H

e’s written for publications such as Country Music People and has served as Music Editor of the Cherwell Newspaper and Phaser Magazine, during which time he set up Phaser’s first podcast series. 

Over the past few years, Maxim has interviewed some of his favourite artists, including Kelsea Ballerini, HARDY, Riley Green, Bailey Zimmerman, Midland, Ernest, Molly Tuttle and more. 

Since joining Holler towards the end of 2022, he has expanded the news output and introduced new article formats such as Lyrics & Meaning pieces, Exclusive Q&As and Album Hub Pages. 

Maxim enjoys staying on the pulse of the latest releases, and is a country aficionado and avid listener of anything by Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, George Strait, Florida Georgia Line, Niko Moon, Megan Moroney and Zach Bryan, as well as keenly covering Post Malone’s transition into country music. 

Above all, Maxim considers himself Kenny Chesney’s No. 1 fan.

Maxim

Contrib - Maxim

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A handy, chronological list guide to the country music festivals taking place across the world in 2024 and 2025.

A handy, chronological list guide to the country music 

 taking place across the world in 2024 and 2025.

Railbird Festival 2023

Crockett's party-starting performance is due to take place at The Burl Outdoors on June 2.

READ MORE:

Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers Will Headline Railbird Festival 2023

Review: Railbird Festival

OPINION•Preview: 10 Artists to see at Railbird Festival 2021

Charley Crockett To Kick Off Railbird Festival 2023 With Pre-Party Show