OUR STORY

Buncearoo started as a bucket list inspired anniversary party with 6 of our favorite bands playing on a 20 x 20 stage in our backyard in 2010 and evolved over the last decade to over 250 shows. Our goal was to bring national touring artists to locations you normally wouldn’t expect to see a concert.  From craft distilleries and breweries to art galleries and performing arts centers each one became a unique venue for the night.

It’s this vibe that these unexpected locations created that helped drive Buncearoo Presents events forward. “We feel that music builds a community where strangers become friends and friends become family. “It’s really about the ability to connect with the artist, the people you meet at the show and the experience from the minute you walk in the door to the minute you walk out,” Cheryl Bunce said in an interview with the Loudoun Times Mirror.

We are avid live music fans and we go to as many shows as we can.  Our personal connection with artists started by attending shows at some of our local clubs in the DC/VA area.  Jammin Java, IOTA (rest in peace), the 9:30 Club, the Birchmere and Wolf Trap let us experience a variety of intimate shows to ones on a much larger scale.  We also travel to small clubs like The Southern in Charlottesville, The Poor House in Raleigh, The Evening Muse in Charlotte, Schubas in Chicago and the granddaddy of them all Rockwood Music Hall in NYC.

We were committed to arriving early to each show we attended to watch the opening artists.  Some of these talented bands are now playing on national and international stages.  One of the questions we are asked most often is “how do you know all these bands?”  If you know Cheryl at all, you know she is not shy and would always make the time to talk to the bands and get to know them a little better.

We also attend multiple music festivals a year.  They range from Newport Folk Fest in Rhode Island (where Dylan went electric in the 60’s) to grass roots charity focused festivals like Rock by the Sea in Florida.  We also attended a newer festival in South Carolina called High Water put on by Shovels & Rope.  Our favorites are not just about the line up it is about the experience.  Feeling connected to the music and the people and having the right balance between amenities and accessibility is of great importance to us.  Attention to customer service is paramount and some of the best lessons we learned we attribute to our friend Andy Levine who, along with his outstanding Sixthman team, founded one of our favorite festivals, The Rock Boat which is literally a floating music festival!

We are devoted listeners of Discover Weekly on Spotify harnessing the power of artificial intelligence.  If you’re not familiar with Discover Weekly, it’s a play list that Spotify creates for your automatically every week of songs you’ve never listened to on Spotify but Spotify thinks you might like based on other listeners preferences.  There are also great music related Pod Casts that give you insight, backstories and even exposure to new music artists are creating.  A great example is one we frequent hosted by Joe Pugg called The Working Songwriter.  We even got to watch him record live during Newport Folk Fest with artists playing the festival.

Over the last few years we’ve had the great honor to co-create several micro-festivals which have resulted in building communities that come together year after year to enjoy a weekend of amazing music.  These two-day events include a variety of artists, typically the friends of the host band, activities and excursions, meet and greets and a family picture as part of the experience.  There are even late-night jam sessions that have gone into the wee hours of the morning. From Off the Record to TFDI Fest to The Alternate Routes Getaway and our newest member to the family, SEALeaf hosted by Carbon Leaf, we look forward to the doors opening, seeing our guests smiling faces and hearing the music that fills us up with every note.  Not easily described until you experience it yourself.  One of our guests gave us a wonderful quote:

“The musical line up was amazing!  I went alone and had so many great conversations with fans and musicians.  All in all a great weekend and already looking forward to next year.  My heart is full!”