The lineup for the second annual Word of South Festival has been revealed, and Grammy-Award-nominee Jason Isbell will be headlining.
Jason Isbell is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Green Hill, Ala. His sound fluctuates between Americana, rock, alternative, country, classic country and Southern rock. He has two Grammy nominations for Best American Roots Song for his hit record “24 Frames” and the Best Americana Album for “Something More Than Free”.
Isbell is just one of the 26 musicians performing at Word of South.
Word of South is a festival of literature and music presented by Tallahassee Community College. It was first held April 11-12, 2015 at Cascades Park with more than 100 performers in attendance.
Creating any new festival is a massive undertaking. Word of South is getting an ambitious start with nationally known artists, local favorites and a full lineup of entertainment for children. The festival is the result of more than two years of planning by dozens of volunteers and founder Mark Mustian, a former Tallahassee city commissioner and author, according to a 2015 article in the Tallahassee Democrat.
“We anticipate an even bigger event in 2016 than 2015, as more people are now familiar with the festival and all of our different events, from gospel to poetry to rock music to kids’ stuff. It should be great!,” Mustian, Word of South Festival president, said
The festival’s website said it is a unique blend of writers and musicians and an exploration of the relationship between the two disciplines. The festival features authors who write about music, musicians who also are authors, authors and musicians appearing together, and everything in between.
There will be performances catering to all genres and age groups. They are holding a short story writing contest for elementary school students as well. The winner’s work will be performed live on stage.
“It has just come to my attention that there’s a music and literature festival happening in April. I’m excited to go and see what all it has to offer,” Sterling Owens, a fourth-year business administration student from Dallas, TX., said.
This year the festival will be held April 8-10 at Cascades Park. All performances are free, except for the Jason Isbell show. Tickets are on sale now starting at $26.