Lineups announced for Christmas Jam

You have to hand it to Western North Carolina: it has two of the better and longer-running concert events in America. A lot of people know of Wilkesboro's MerleFest, but perhaps equally impressive is Warren Haynes' annual Christmas Jam in Asheville.

Haynes has mentioned of late that he really wanted to step up the talent for this year's Jam, which will take place Dec. 12-13 at the Asheville Civic Center.

Um, I think he did.

"The Allman Brothers Band, Derek Trucks, Marty Stuart, Travis Tritt and Steve Earle are among the acts playing at this year's Warren Haynes Christmas Jam, event organizers announced," says the Citizen-Times.

But that's not all.

"Also booked are Joan Osborne, Johnny Winter, J.J. Grey, the Del McCoury Band, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, Ruthie Foster, a Michael Franti acoustic show featuring Jay Bowman, Col. Bruce Hampton, Robert Kearns, Kevn Kinney, Eric Krasno and Mickey Raphael. More performers will be announced."

The Jam is a two-night affair this year, with an "invitation-only pre-jam on Dec. 11 at The Orange Peel on Biltmore Avenue."

It is Asheville's single-biggest entertainment event of the year and has raised more than $650,000 for Habitat for Humanity, which works to build affordable housing.

“Warren promised that this year's jam would be the biggest yet, and it looks pretty good to me,” said Rick Rice, announcer at Asheville's Rock 104 radio station. “I think there are three or four acts there that could be headliners.”