Rhythm and Roots Festival Returns Labor Day Weekend

Rhythm and Roots Festival Returns Labor Day Weekend

The joint will be rockin’ this Friday night in Charlestown as the Rhythm and Roots Festival arrives in town for the 18th annual three day celebration. The Festival is a nationally recognized event that serves as the musical grand finale of the Rhode Island summer.

Like many other performers, Rachael Price, lead singer of the popular band Lake Street Dive, can’t wait to play. It’s her first time at R&R and she is looking forward to the unique festival experience.

“Festivals have a different energy to them. All the musicians are excited to be hearing and sharing the stage with all the other great bands and the audience (especially if the moon and stars are out) has just a little bit more of a wild side to them,” explained Price.

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Lake Street Dive

New to the Festival this year, Lake Street Dive got their start on the streets on Boston. Their name actually refers to a street in guitarist Mike “McDuck” Olsen’s hometown of Minneapolis, where a number of “dive” bars can be found.

In an e-mail interview with lead vocalist Price, we learned a little more about how the band got its start playing Boston clubs.

“The music scene in Boston is a wonderfully open (and forgiving) scene. It enabled us to play messy shows in packed bars like Toad and The Lizard Lounge to fun crowds who were happy to watch us figure out how to be a band. The musicians there are all very welcoming and love to support and play with everyone else. If we hadn't had that environment, we might not be a band today.”

Expect the band to put the emphasis on the “Rhythm” aspect of the Festival; they’re a good fit for this dance friendly festival.

“Our influences span from the Beatles to Motown to Disco. We love a straightforward pop song, a good hook, and a beat that makes people want to dance,” said Price.

This band is all about having a good time - expect them to be a real highlight at this year’s festival. They are scheduled for the main Festival Stage on Friday night from 9:45 – 11.00.

To hear more Lake Street Dive, check out their recent album Bad Self Portraits and be sure to click on their viral video “I Want You Back,” recorded in 2012 on a street corner in Boston. Price also mentioned that the band expects to release a new album in 2016.

Returning Favorites

Among returning favorites, Rhode Island native Sarah Potenza stands out this year, fresh off her recent run on NBC’s The Voice. Potenza will play the Festival all three days, on Friday and Sunday with her band, and on Saturday afternoon with Jim Oblon, in a special tribute to Blues great Jimmy Reed.

Other headliners include The Mavericks, Los Lobos, Keb Mo and Royal Southern Brotherhood, all great bands that are the definition of rhythm and roots. All this takes place on four stages, and performance occasionally pop up in various locations around the festival grounds. Click here for the complete schedule.

Although the festival has grown in recent years, it still has a small town feel. There’s not much traffic, parking is free and close to the stages, and there’s room to spread out at Ninigret State Park. Artists mingle freely with fans in the crowd, and many stay an extra day or two to experience the Festival themselves.

Children’s Programming

Rhythm and Roots is considered the best festival for families in the region. The Children’s tent has activities and performances all day long from storytellers, musicians and artists. There are a couple of nice playgrounds on site and they’ve even got movies after sunset Saturday and Sunday night. Best of all, kids under 12 are free with a paid adult and teens pay half price.

If you’ve never attended Rhythm and Roots, the line-up is exceptional this year, with a variety of artists in different roots genres. It’s a great way to whet your roots music appetite. Great food and a wide variety of vendors will also be there. The festival runs Friday from 5PM to Midnight and Saturday and Sunday from Noon to Midnight. Single day tickets are $50 for Friday $70 for Saturday and Sunday – more details can be found here.

Ken Abrams reviews roots, rock and blues for GoLocal. E-Mail him here.