See Video of Full Sets from Holy Roller, Dylan Earl, at Farm & Funtime
- caseynicholson
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
If you've never been to Farm & Funtime in Bristol, you're missing out. The monthly show alternates locations between the Paramount Bristol in Bristol, Tennessee, and the Birthplace of Country Music Museum on the Virginia side of this Appalachian town where the TN/VA state line splits the downtown district between two states. The show is put on by Radio Bristol and hosted by Program Director Kris Truelsen, who opens the show with his house band Country Casserole. The January 2026 show featured two fantastic bands.
Holy Roller
The lead act for the sold out concert was Holy Roller, a group hailing from Richmond, Virginia who wowed us in 2025 at Bristol Rhythm and Roots–their third consecutive year playing the popular festival. The group of six plays a style that is hard to categorize, but can perhaps be summed up as Americana, though that doesn't quite do the band justice. The high energy set features a strong rock vibe, a hint of soul, and a Southern accent.
Front man Brady Heck sings the verse on most songs, alongside powerful licks on his goldtop Les Paul, one of several guitars played throughout the show. Heck's bandmate Rebekah Rafferty (main photo, above) joins Heck for co-leads and backing vocals. Rafferty helps keep rhythm on tambourine as Heck and lead guitarist Clay Massock take turns spinning around the stage in what can only be described as a Holy Roller dance party full of spirited joy. Massock also serves as the band's trombone player on a song or two. The beat is held down by Ryan Davis on drums, and bass player Peter Carson, with Bryce Doyle rounding out the sound on keyboard.
The group played a short set for this show, which is broadcast online and filmed for publication at a later date on PBS. Our only complaint is we didn't get to hear "When the Rain Came Down", one of our favorite songs. We'll be on the lookout for it when the group returns for their fourth year at Rhythm and Roots in September.
See the setlist from the Holy Roller set here.
Dylan Earl
Earlier in the evening, Arkansas native Dylan Earl and his band offered up another lively performance, albeit one that had a more intentionally country sound. The five piece group featured steel guitar throughout their set of half a dozen songs that made for a fantastic two-for-one evening of great entertainment.
See the setlist from Dylan Earl's set here.
Eleven Years of Farm & Funtime
Normally the Farm & Funtime show features "The Farm Report", a video presentation of a family owned farm in the local Tri-Cities area, with the video serving the twin purpose of connecting the spotlight on country music with the farming culture that so much of the music comes from, alongside also giving the show's crew time for a quick changeover as the two bands of the evening swap out equipment. For this wintertime show in mid-January, The Farm Report was tabled in favor of a look back at the history of Farm & Funtime itself, which is now entering its 11th Year being broadcast on Radio Bristol.
Full Video From the Show
Farm and Funtime airs live online via Radio Bristol's streaming feed, you can watch full shows from ten seasons of Farm & Funtime for free at the station's YouTube channel. Check out the full stream from the Holy Roller and Dylan Earl show here:
You can catch Holy Roller at the Golden Pony in Harrisonburg, VA on April 9, 2026. The next night they play at Hub City Vinyl in Hagerstown, MD. Check their full tour dates here. Dylan Earl's closest tour date for the coming months is Charlotte, NC on February 8th. Farm & Funtime's next show is set for March 2026, with the artist lineup set to be announced soon.
All photos by Casey Nicholson
Video embedded from Radio Bristol via YouTube
