Railbird: 10 acts to catch before Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll take the stage

With its third year at the Red Mile’s massive infield at hand, what does Railbird — now fully enshrined as the true Big Daddy of Lexington music festivals — have in store for us?

Well, the big news, at least for Saturday, is that the ladies will take charge. Country star Lainey Wilson will headline, although the heart of the day could be subtitled “A Tale of Two Sierras.”

The joyous roots music matriarch Sierra Ferrell, who gets my vote as the most arresting female artist to rise in Americana circles since Margo Price, will return as the afternoon eases into evening. Ferrell knows this turf well. The singer was a show-stealing artist when she first played Railbird two years ago.

Before her Saturday set, though, we get a full performance by the adult version of Sierra Hull, the bluegrass cannonball that began playing Lexington when she was 10 (see accompanying story.) And if that wasn’t enough, the brilliant rock, folk, blues and all-points between sister act Larkin Poe will take the reins for an interlude between the Sierras.

The headliners? Well, they have commercial appeal, to be sure. Wilson’s visibility has heightened considerably since she was booked into Rupp Arena to open a Jason Aldean concert in 2021. A few hits (“Watermelon Moonshine” and “4x4xU”), along with a recurring role on the TV series “Yellowstone” secured the growth spurt.

Similarly, Sunday headliner Jelly Roll has been a commanding presence on radio and on the charts since making the move from rap to country over the course of his last two albums. But one can’t help wonder if Lexington audiences might be in danger of a Jelly Roll overload. Railbird will mark his third local arena/festival level outing in under three years.

The prime appeal of this year’s Railbird roster, though, will be the acts prefacing the headliners. Here is a roundup examining 10 of them, each as intriguing and recommended as the marquee names that will close both evenings. That’s where I’m placing my bets.

Post time is at hand, everyone. Railbird is about to tear out of the starting gate again. Here are my projected winners.

Saturday, May 31

▪ Sierra Hull: A child prodigy on bluegrass mandolin whose technical command has only become more scholarly with age, an astute singer with a voice that shifts confidently from grace to grit and a performer possessing a jubilance as honest and rich as her music, Hull stands as one of the most recommended early bird acts at Railbird. She comes to Lexington hot off the Outlaw Music Festival, having rubbed stage shoulders there with Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and Billy Strings.

▪ Larkin Poe: Georgia sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell have roots in folk and won a 2024 Grammy in the contemporary blues category. But the duo is best viewed as a no-frills rock ‘n’ roll troupe with sharp and worldly songs, Rebecca’s conversationally rustic vocals and Megan’s tasteful but commanding drive on lap steel guitar. Larkin Poe’s set will fall between performances by the high Sierras on Saturday, but consider their set a must-see.

▪ Sierra Ferrell: Possibly the single most essential act to catch on the entire two-day Railbird bill, Ferrell is a roots music typhoon. West Virginia born and versed in all manners of bluegrass and country music, she is also one of Americana’s bravest progressives. She can spin swing, folk, tango-infused blues and myriad roots rock references into music vintage in design but thoroughly modern in execution. That blend earned her a whopping four Grammy Awards earlier this year.

▪ Richy Mitch and the Coal Miners: Based in Seattle but with roots in Colorado and Montana, Richy Mitch and the Coal Miners are regularly tagged as an indie folk troupe. While the band’s new “Colorado’s On Fire Again” album (its first in over five years) is laced with a sense of acoustic fancy, the record kicks up a storm of psychedelia when prompted. Longtime friends Mitch Cutts, Nic Haughn and Jakob Ervin formed this Richy collective nearly a decade ago.

▪ Cody Jinks: An Americana stylist with a substantial fanbase that has remained devoted to his roots as an independent artist (the closest thing he’s made to a major label record was the 2018 album “Lifers” for Rounder), Jinks is also a new generational outlaw country torchbearer. His music is electrically tough-knuckled enough to compete with his contemporaries, but stands narratively reflective enough to do his Texas roots proud.

Sunday, June 1

▪ Christone “Kingfish” Ingram: Hailing from the roots music Mecca of Clarksdale, Mississippi, Grammy-winning guitar dynamo Ingram stands as one of the most recognized blues journeyman of his generation. But expect a thoroughly modern mix of guitar-charged funk and churchy soul to ignite a strong-as-oak guitar sound charge as much as the blues when he hits Railbird — kind of like Lonnie Mack meeting Stevie Wonder. He’s no slouch as a singer, either.

▪ Mojo Thunder: It’s easy with Railbird’s influx of nationally acclaimed touring acts to overlook the fact that local and regional music has regularly rounded out the roster since the festival began. A prime example is Lexington/Louisville’s Mojo Thunder, a band whose mix of rootsy intuition and high-volume immediacy is reflected in its name. Mojo Thunder has regularly played Europe through the years, but on Sunday, will provide a three-alarm home state wake-up call.

▪ Jesse Welles: Few songs bear a face-slap sobering enough to match the generational reality check Jesse Welles summons on “Olympics” — a folksy renegade yarn that tags modern life as a “big bitchin’ bonafide baby boomer battle.” In short, Welles is a literate, witty and commanding protest singer. The New York Times did a major feature on him in February while Dave Matthews introduced Welles at Farm Aid 2025 as “one of the best songwriters I’ve ever heard.”

▪ Blackberry Smoke: Atlanta rockers Blackberry Smoke — and especially their ultra-audience friendly frontman Charlie Starr — have been favorites of Lexington audiences for much of their quarter century history. Though country at times in sentiment, Blackberry Smoke is all retro-savvy, Southern stewed rock and soul on record and especially onstage, making it a natural fit for the kind of king-sized crowd Railbird will provide.

▪ The Red Clay Strays: Returnees from Railbird 2024, Alabama’s Red Clay Strays are now the prime pick of the Saturday bill. Sure, the name suggests homey folk and bluegrass, but shift the musical focus to a more rustic, country-crooning terrain while keeping a grassroots charm and you get a better idea of the band’s profile. The Strays can easily kick up an electric fuss, but the heart of its music sits in the reserved and modestly retro-suited appeal of singer/frontman Brandon Coleman.

Railbird

When: 1 p.m. May 31-June 1. Gates open at 12 noon.

Where: The Infield at The Red Mile, 1200 Red Mile Rd.

Performing:

▪ May 31: Lainey Wilson, Bailey Zimmerman, Shaboozey, Cody Jinks, Sierra Ferrell, Wyatt Flores, Luke Grimes, Larkin Poe, Ricky Mitch and the Cola Miners, Ruston Kelly, Josh Meloy, Maggie Antone, Sierra Hill, Infinity Song, Rattlesnake Milk, Mama Said String Band.

▪ June 1: Jelly Roll, Riley Green, The Red Clay Strays, Ryan Bingham and the Texas Gentlemen, Treaty Oak Revival, Gavin Adcock, Blackberry Smoke, Thee cq Sacred Souls, Max McNown, Ole 60, Jesse Welles, The Castellows, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Chaparelle, Bendigo Fletcher, Noeline Hofmann, Mojo Thunder.

General admission tickets: $150-$425 with VIP packages running considerably higher. Go to railbirdfest.com/tickets.

Additional info: railbirdfest.com