Rhythm & Roots Festival Line-Up Announced

The 13th annual Rhythm & Roots Festival announces its spectacular all-star lineup for 2010.  Held at Ninigret Park in Charlestown, Rhode Island every Labor Day weekend, the festival has become a destination event drawing roots music and dance fans from all over the country.  This year the festival is held Sept 3-5, 2010. Ninigret Park is located at 4890A Old Post Rd, (just off Route 1), Charlestown, RI  02813.  For tickets and info:  www.rhythmandroots.com, 1-888-855-6940.  Hours:  Friday, 5:00 pm to midnight and noon to midnight on Saturday and Sunday.

Debuting this year­as host band­is Horace Trahan & the New Ossun Express. Trahan, who has been described as the best young traditional accordion player to come along in his generation, got his start playing Cajun music with the legendary D.L. Menard and Felix Richard. After switching to zydeco, and stirring up a whole lot of flack along the way, he took a hiatus from playing altogether.  Now back stronger than ever, Horace and his band members are making their first appearance ever outside Louisiana.  Horace might not be known outside his home state, but Rhythm and Roots aims to change all that.  This red-hot band will be firing up the Main Stage and dance floor all weekend long.

Headlining on Saturday and making their only New England appearance is the legendary band, The Texas Tornados.  The Tornados recently reformed at the urging of Shawn Sahm, who incredibly channels the singing of his late father, and founding member, Doug Sahm.  The Tornados have a brand new CD – their first original recording since 1996.  Esta Bueno, released in March, was begun in 2006 and features the late Freddie Fender who died later that year.  The current Tornados lineup features all the remaining members including Flaco Jimenez and Augie Meyers.  A one-of-a-kind all-star jam will take place on Saturday night with the Tornados and members of Marcia Ball’s band and Johnny Nicholas & the Texas All-Stars.

Burning up the stage on Sunday will be Robert Randolph & the Family Band.  Randolph, known for his jaw dropping pyrotechnics on the pedal steel guitar, is inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Sly & the Family Stone.  With the band’s very first album, they attracted the attention of Eric Clapton and subsequently toured with him.  In 2003, Randolph was listed on the Top 100 Guitarists of All Time list by ROLLING STONE.   He is also currently appearing as Bo Diddley in the new movie , “Who Do You Love?” The band is currently working on their 4th album with famed producer T Bone Burnett (Crazy Heart).

This year’s lineup keeps on sizzling with Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women.  2006 Grammy winner Alvin has been roaming the highways of American music for over a quarter century both with roots rock stars, The Blasters and his own solo projects which mined the depths of country, folk and blues.  A mainstay during much of this journey has been his electrifying band, The Guilty Men.  Following the death of Dave’s best friend and Guilty Men accordionist Chris Gaffney in 2008, Alvin decided to move in an exciting new musical direction.  In October 2008 he stepped onto the stage of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco with an all-star, all-female group.   The set with what was later dubbed The Guilty Women was so thrilling that they were besieged to make a record.  Their enthralling mix of blues, folk, R&B, rockabilly and more will debut on the Main Stage this year.

An exciting addition to this year’s festival, Little Freddie King (aka Fread E. Martin), has been playing the blues for 50 years.  A regular at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest, this master bluesman drives the crowd wild even with an 11 am set.   A Mississippi native who transplanted to New Orleans, his hard living was filled with shootings, stabbings, jail sentences, all night rambling and plenty of hard work.   He has been playing his rural electric blues in the lowest bowels of New Orleans’ now devastated Ninth Ward for years. His cracked, heavily lived-in voice delivers an old style R&B feel, and his gnarling nasty chords recall the heyday of Lightning Hopkins and John Lee Hooker, with whom he toured Europe for the first time.  His 2005 CD, You Don’t Know What I Know was #1 on the Red Licks blues listing in England.  His new CD, a live performance at the Thirsty Ear Festival was released last month entitled, Gotta Walk With Da King.

Geoff Muldaur & the Texas Sheiks formed in the face of adversity – to give artistic diversion to the late Stephen Bruton, who was ailing with cancer. The CD was one of the last 2 projects that Bruton completed before his death in 2009. When Muldaur made the call, they all came:  Johnny Nicholas (Asleep at the Wheel), Bruce Hughes (Jason Mraz, Poi Dog Pondering, The Resentments), Cindy Cashdollar (Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Asleep at the Wheel, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison), Suzy Thompson (California Cajun Orchestra), and special guest “sheik emeritus,” Jim Kweskin, Muldaur’s Jim Kweskin Jug Band partner.  Recently featured on National Public Radio, the band offers masterful new versions of Delta blues, Western Swing, and ragtime music.

Unique is the word for many of the artists this year and Bonerama is no exception.  Just awarded Best Rock Band of 2009 at the Big Easy Awards in New Orleans, they bring the brass band concept to places unknown with their fusion of rock, funk and power brass.  They deliver both originals and covers of songs like Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” and Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid,” doubling guitar riffs with multiple trombones. Those who have seen it call it an “immensely exciting” experience.

The Danny Barnes Trio rounds out the debuting artists on this year’s lineup.  Banjo player Barnes (Dave Matthews, Bad Livers) is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and genre-bending artists of his craft with his inventive take on bluegrass, country, folk, rock and jazz.  He will be spotlighted in an upcoming National Public Radio feature.

Many of the most popular Rhythm & Roots artists will also be back this year: Marcia Ball, Uncle Earl, Donna the Buffalo, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Johnny Nicholas & the Texas All-Stars (featuring Joel Guzman & Al Gomez), CJ Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band, Red Stick Ramblers, Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys, Ed Poullard & Preston Frank, Magnolia, Planet Zydeco and Hot Tamale Brass Band.  Occidental Gypsy Jazz Quartet also returns after garnering many new fans with their debut at the festival in last year’s workshop tent.

A special early bird discount price is in effect until June 30th for full weekend passes with camping.  Camping is limited to 1500 so advance purchase is recommended.

Submitted by Full House Promotions

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