The Biggest Party on Two Wheels: Gears and Guitars festival celebrates its 10th year

The biggest party on two wheels keeps pushing the pedal toward the pavement as Gears & Guitars returns to Winston-Salem

August 4-6.

Blending the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic and the “Streets of Fire” sprint race accented by a weekend music festival, Gears & Guitars is stoked to celebrate 10 years — bringing the party vibes to cyclists and concert-goers alike for a weekend of bikes, tunes, and good times.

“We’re just going to have a party,” said Gears & Guitars chief operating o cer and event director Ray Boden. “I think last year was a party. And with another year of free admission, it adds to the feeling of it being one big party.”

Kicking things o , Cracker and Nine Days will rock Friday evening as the Streets of Fire rolls down 4th St. Clay Howard & the Silver Alerts, Dishwalla, and Soul Asylum o er a Saturday evening soundtrack for the Criterium races at Bailey Park. And locals rule the Sunday afternoon, with an afterparty concert featuring Heavy Peace, Dead Drag Motion, and The Hollirockets.

For Boden, the 10-year milestone comes with a sense of delight. “I’m just happy to get here,” he said, looking back over the bumps of pandemic pauses and comeback September sessions held in 2021 and 2022. It’s been quite the ride. “When covid happened, of course, we canceled for a year,” he explained. “We floated the days into September. And then the big thing — that’s including this year — is the concerts being free.”

The event itself, however, will shift to August. “We’re actually dictated by the cycling calendar,” Boden noted. “We’re trying to get back to spring. That’s our goal — without making a full leap in one year.” For Boden and Gears & Guitars, the focus remains the same, no matter the month: combining world-class racing, community rides, and a roster of live music into the biggest party on two wheels. With free admission, it’s a party to which everyone’s invited — with a notion of accessibility that goes beyond the stages to o er riding options fit for cyclists of all calibers (and who come from all corners). “I love getting the analytics for the cycling events,” Boden said. “Obviously our area of the state carries a certain percentage, but we have a measurable amount of riders from the Atlanta area. And from Knoxville. And from even, like, Colorado. We’re drawing cyclists from all over the country to come and race, it’s great.”

The festival also sees its share of hometown love. YES! Weekly readers voted Gears & Guitars “Best Live Triad Music Show of 2022” in the latest reader poll — an accolade for which Boden exuded gratitude, along with a ection for folks traveling to see the shows. “It’s harder to pinpoint the stats now that concerts are free, but there were years where more than half of ticket-buyers were from outside Triad zipcodes — we had people from Hawaii, North Dakota, South Dakota,” he beamed. “I remember I pulled all the data and sent it to the city manager and the folks at Visit Winston-Salem. It was like: look at these numbers. Look at the people who came here from so far away!’’

A music lover as much as a sportsman, Boden gets a bit giddy when discussing the concerts. There’s a passion. He’s a fan. “I mean, I travel for shows,” he said, recalling a trip to Jersey to see Springsteen and catching Pearl Jam in Seattle. “It was a big thing for me.”

The fandom might explain the 90s flair for this year (and in the past). But it’s a fandom Boden easily shares. “Nineties rock remains popular and we want people to have a good time,” he said. “We’ve skipped around with other genres before. We had a bluegrass night with The Infamous Stringdusters. And Trampled By Turtles one year. Gov’t Mule was awesome. And then there was Cold War Kids, Colony House, and Liza Anne. 2022 featured Dawes and Bahamas. So we skip around.”

“But this year, it’s the 10th anniversary,” he continued. “We want to chill and party, so we want bands where people know the songs and sing along.”

On Friday, Nine Days and Cracker will usher the opening night party vibes — getting low as the “Streets of Fire” sprint race gets lit.

Presented by Audi Winston-Salem, “Streets of Fire” made its acclaimed debut in 2022. “It was very successful and I really enjoyed it,” Boden said with a growing grin. “It’s a 600-ft sprint — it’s rare in cycling to just have a sprint event — and to me, it’s like a bike drag race.”

“It might be my favorite event,” he continued, “just a straight 600-ft of race. All out, all in.” Registrations must be completed by August 2, but otherwise, it’s laid out and open to anyone. “You can show up in jorts and a mountain bike and give it a shot,” he said.

“Like anybody can pedal really fast. It’s just going in a straight line. I’m interested to see how it goes,” he continued, relating the experience to the “Joes vs Pros” seen in Dodgeball. “That’s how I feel it kind of lays out a little bit — it’s approachable to anyone — you don’t have to be anything but yourself. Just put your head down and pedal as hard as you can.”

Sprints will ignite in heats running from 7 to 9 p.m., starting at the 500-block of 4th Street (the corner of Poplar and 4th) and firing along “restaurant row” to the 200-block (at the corner of Trade and 4th). Meanwhile, the concert runs 7-10 p.m. at a stage on Marshall St. “The format worked really well last year — it’s a great, great location,” Boden said. “The taller buildings were in the background, and the moon was rising up above as music played,” he recalled. “The stage was set just right for a really nice event.”

Boden hopes to replicate the experience for 2023, with no discernible changes to the Streets of Fire or Criterium race elements. The Fondos, however, will move from Sunday afternoon to early Saturday morning. “The Fondo timing is the biggest change for this year,” he said. “We understand it’ll be warm, so we’re gonna go super early on Saturday morning and host the Criterium in the evening.”

Date change aside, the Fondos will still offer two road sessions (the scenic back roads around Lake Tomalex); and two gravel and greenway treks. Offered through sponsorship from Flow Auto- motive, the Fondos are open to riders of all ages; and the pace is personal, with riders meeting up at Bailey Park for Jimmy John’s sandwiches (included with registration) and cold bevies (a complimentary beer is offered for registrants over 21).

Meanwhile, back in Bailey Park, Criterium races rule the day: with sessions for amateurs and juniors running from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. The pros take over from 5:30 to 8:15 p.m. Tunes rock from 6 to 11 p.m. Sponsored by the Riazzi, Rhyne, and Swaim Investment Group, the total purse winnings are upwards of $30,000. “The racing is always exciting,” Boden said of the high stakes and high speeds. “Plus, I think the criterium route is the best one in the country. Not to brag — but because the U.S. is the dominant area for criterium racing--I mean, it might be the best crit route in the world, to be honest.”

As riders whirl around Bailey Park, the concerts take place in the Coalpit below. “I always have a great time with the music,” Boden noted. ”Hopefully we’ll get some good weather. But either way, we’ll race, ride and rock-n-roll.”

From bikes to blue cars — runaway trains to Silver Alerts — alt-rock rules the Saturday evening, with Dishwalla and Soul Asylum repping the national acts; along with a set from Clay Howard & the Silver Alerts in the opening slot.

As much as Gears & Guitars work to bring major shows to Winston-Salem, it also serves to show major crowds all that Winston has to offer.

“I wanted a longer Saturday concert and to host Clay in a gig that wasn’t with the Camel City Yacht Club — who I’m guilty of booking a lot,” Boden said. “I just really love that act — they hit lightning — but so does Clay’s original work.”

Howard reciprocated the affection. “I’m thrilled to be playing Gears & Guitars this year!” Howard said. “Ray puts on a wonderful, world-class event every year, and I am always grateful when he asks me to play on that big stage. It’s really cool to be playing on a Saturday night before Dishwalla and Soul Asylum.”

With something of a revolving cast, the Silver Alerts offer Howard an outlet for his solo tunes. “I sometimes joke that if you play an instrument in the Triad, you’re a Silver Alert. …or you will be…,” he said with a laugh — and a nod to Jody Ayers, Greg Hurley, and Tim Beeman, who’ll join him on the festival stage.

For 2023, Howard will have his latest release, “Summer Songs,” a cassetteexclusive EP, on hand. “It’s always a blast to see Winston-Salem come together and celebrate with music,” he said, reflecting on Gears & Guitars over the years. “The Silver Alerts played once before on the ‘local Sunday’ bill, about four years ago — maybe five? I’m getting old,” he continued with a laugh. “I guested with another band one year, on top of attending several times.”

Praising those experiences and the local support from the festival, Howard urges a similar sense of support for local rock from the audience. “We write and record because we love it, and playing those songs in public is the icing on the cake,” he said. “Take a chance on a band you’ve never heard of, and I’ll bet everyone will be pleasantly surprised at all of the great music being released in the Triad.”

It’s a bet Boden also sees as a win, with the locals showcase serving a Sunday afternoon afterparty, 12-4 p.m. in the Coalpit, featuring Heavy Peace, Dead Drag Motion, and the Hollirockets. “Sunday is for local bands, pure and simple,” he said.

“Heavy Peace is a powerhouse — and they’re the rhythm section of Big Daddy Love,” he continued, and then both Dead Drag Motion and the Hollirockets are just really cool.”

Rock’n’roll continues its reign all afternoon, with Dead Drag Motion offering a “sort of bluesy sort of Southern-y, but definitely rock” set mixing originals and “tasty” covers. “We’re thrilled to be a part of Gears & Guitars,” said vocalist and guitarist Chris Myers. “None of us are cyclists but we enjoy the atmosphere and the vibe.”

For their own vibe, Dead Drag Motion pulls together sounds of the 1960 and

70s; taking influences from the Beatles, Allman Brothers, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. The outfit features a quintet of vocal harmonies, with Muddy Creek Revival’s Mike Blizard on guitar, Thomas Baucom on guitar and keys, Scott Southerland on bass, and Will Baucom on drums.

Taking cues from the decade prior, the Hollirockets are set to close the festival with their brand of acoustic-electric Elvis inflections. “We’re a three-piece acoustic band that presents like an electric band: two acoustic guitars with e ects and a full drum kit,” explained guitarist Kris Kriofske.

Often praised for their arrangements, the group — which includes guitarist Matt Kirk and drummer Dan Barrett — started as an Elvis holiday tribute before evolving into their blend of a cover-act experience. “I honestly hate calling it a cover band, even though all we play is covers,” Kriofske admitted. “But we have our own spin, our own unique take on songs and showmanship that o ers a di erent feel.”

With a full light show in-tow (thanks to “fourth member” Tim Clark on sound and lights) the Hollirockets twist, shout, and mashup their source material. “We keep a heavy focus on Elvis and The Grateful Dead,” Kriofske explained, “even when we’re doing a cover by The Cure or Roy Orbison or Exile or the Violent Femmes. Or even during a Bob Dylan-Aerosmith mashup, there’s a lot of Jerry Garcia and Elvis Presley influence coming through.”

As for the festival, “I can only speak for myself here, but I live in the West End and have participated in Gears & Guitars since its inception as a fan,” Kriofske said. “Me and the family walk downtown and dive right into the festivities. My most memorable experience was watching Blues Traveller in the pounding rain a few years ago after the race around Bailey Park ended. The band killed it and the crowd hung in there the whole time.”

Turning to the band, “We can’t wait!” he added. “The combination of worldclass rock-n-roll and world-class cycling makes Winston come alive like no other time of year. We’ve wanted to be a part of the Gears & Guitars weekend for a long time to feed o that energy. We’re bringing it home Sunday in the Coal Pit; and we’re going to bring that curtain down in style.”

Gears & Guitars 2023 draws to a close on August 6, but the Coalpit stays hot. Folks looking to rock can enjoy festival veterans Crenshaw Pentecostal and The Deluge on July 29; Drivin N Cryin plays the pit on September 2; and Appetite for Destruction is scheduled for September 16.

Boden lights up when talking about CoalPit Live — the seasonal music series he co-founded and currently directs down in the Coalpit. “I keep looking at di erent ways to do stu — to me it’s an amphitheater,” he said, “and we’re going to figure out how to make it bigger and better.”

“It’s such a unique and amazing venue,” he continued. “There’s nothing like it. We’ve done about 30-40 shows now, and I consider myself lucky. It’s an incredible spot. And my vision is much bigger.”

As his gears keep turning, Boden beams at the future for Gears & Guitars — while enjoying the present. “Again, I’m just happy to be here,” he said, “and hopefully we’ll be here for another 10 years or more.”

Get on your bikes and ride as Gears & Guitars returns to downtown WinstonSalem August 4-6. !