Ah…. late summer in Middle Tennessee. Do I hear banjos? Banjos and guitars, and so much more… The call of the whippoorwill, that old barn owl warning it’s mate and babies of the incoming cat, and the the sound of the fire crackling ‘neath that old copper hopper full of fresh corn whiskey sound like home to me!

The weather is beginning to cool, the leaves are slowly turning their myriad colors and the hills are alive with the sound of music from every shed, barn, porch and back deck. What a wonderful time of year it is!

This year there’s something extry-special mixing in with all the above. That’s right, complete with snow machines and craft beers, Music in the Middle will rock the hills and hollers of Woodbury, TN the first weekend in October.

On the 4th, 5th, and 6th an astounding lineup of local and mid-tier bands will meet up at Short Mountain Distillery for a weekend party unlike the area has ever seen. Right in the middle of it all will be the Great American Craft Beer Tour doing their thing surrounded by laser shows and snow, art and fun of all sorts.

“…You’ll probably know a lot of names on the lineup, and there will probably be a few names you don’t know. That’s the whole point: We want you to come to Music In The Middle to see the musicians you already love, and also discover new ones,” says festival organizer Cameron Sloan.

“We could not be happier about the scope of talent we have this year. We want to encourage people to listen to the artists they don’t know of in the lineup prior to the festival. We have some great additions of side projects that we are very honored to premier such as Ryan Ross from Panic at the Disco, and Julian Casablancas’ new project COLOR,” Sloan said about the lineup.

“In addition,” he continued, “all of our local musicians are extremely good and we are excited about showcasing them and helping to further their careers as musicians. We feel we have a very diverse selection of music and have something to offer just about anyone.” – Murfreesboro Post

Wellllllll…. All this writer can say is “I’ll be there with bells on! Oh, and the same big blue hat that Bonnaroo regulars recognize me by.” Yup! Middle Tennessee Music are already gearing up to cover this one with the same gusto that you’ve seen with MusicTree , I Am What I Am, and many more.

Not far from Manchester, TN ( home of Bonnaroo ) Woodbury is an idyllic town and the Short Mountain area should be a perfect place for this grand time!

The festival is presented by music blog Earmilk.com, which promotes a similar mix of indie rock, electronic music, hip hop, singer/songwriter fare and more.

Early-bird tickets are available now for $75 at www.musicinthemiddlefest.com. Camping passes are $50, and admission to the fest’s “Great American Craft Beer Tour” costs an additional $35.