Although the weather may be less-than-stellar and the sun seems to be missing from most places, there's still hope for festival-goers hoping to catch some live music before the year is up.

Warren Hayes returns for the twentieth time for the anniversary of his annual Christmas Jam Festival. The man himself has been around for a long time in the rock world and has been named one of the best guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. But his loyalty to the genre hasn't stopped him from reaching across the divide to other artists to not only beef up the quality of his festival but reach a wider audience of listeners.

This two-day affair includes classic musicians like Allman Brothers, but also makes room for big names like Ben Harper and Michael Franti. Ben Harper will be performing with his band Relentless7, an L.A.-based quartet that is currently touring through California before heading over to North Carolina for the Christmas Jam. This band has recorded cover songs from well-known artists including a studio-version of Prince's "Purple Rain." The roster shows Michael Franti performing with Jay Bowman on acoustic guitar with no mention of Spearhead being in tow to join him.

Overall, the festival promises about 11 scheduled performances with more than 15 special guests slated to make appearances throughout the event.