The Bristol Tennessee Rhythm and Roots Festival has become one of my favorite events in September and the Tri-Cities region of Northeast Tennessee has a truely spectacular music festival that keeps getting bigger and bigger.
I took the day off early on Friday, September 17th because my set with The Reagan Boggs Band started at 6pm at the State Line Bar and Grill on State Street in Bristol, TN. Last year, me, Reagan and Doug Habenna with Goose Creek Symphony performed on four different stages and this year we were back getting ready to perform Reagan’s newest songs on a stage I’ve never played before.
The afternoon was a little strange though. Closing the streets down to a $15 cover pushes the homeless people out a couple of blocks. An old man in soiled tan pants and a sweaty, thin short sleeved white short stared at me unloading my piano with sagging eyes that were pink and a cigarette smoldering microns away from his knuckles.
“What kind of music do you play?!? He said in an abrupt and battered tone. Before I could respond he busted out, ‘You don’t play that goddamn rap do you?!!!?
Now this caught me offguard. Noone was around and in many ways, this street demon seemed like a bad dream and it wasn’t easy for me to deliver a response. In my mind, there were several possibilities, but the only one that felt earnest was…”What if I did?”
Rap music doesn’t appeal to me, but this guy offended me and it was a curious response that obviously yeilded a continuing barrage of cursing and muddled rage that eventually died down when I smiled and said quietly – “I play piano.” For a moment he was calm stating he liked the piano, but he fell off into a lunatic ramble as he walked away with the comment. “Shit, I could tell something wasn’t right about you when I first saw you, you ain’t normal!”
My mind was reeling with this surreal episode greeting me in the back of the State Line parking lot and just moments away, Reagan and Tony Maggard yelled at me across the parking lot. A welcome sight too and I moved on down past Ireson’s pub to make my way through the front door of the bar.
That story is not the most important event of the weekend, but it did set the stage for an unusual Friday night and that was just the preamble.
The State Line Bar and Grill is a pretty cool bar. Lots of ambient wood images and the bar that is all the way in the back. On the way, the stage faces narrow walls and it’s not the best place for a live performance because of the way the short space reflects sound (it’s a tough mix), but you can see the stage from most any angle.
Richard, the owner of Classic Recording studio was setting up and right in front of my keyboards was a drunken man in his mid-thirties who told me he was stranded in Bristol from Katina. He was completely smashed at 4.30 and he wanted Reagan to say something from the stage for “Hatttteeeesssburrg!” I assured him we would, but that wasn’t enough. As we tried to get our gear unpacked he delivered his aggressive suggestion over and over and was an extension of the night’s unusual events.
Reagan started singing right at 6pm and we had a good crowd. (Hattisburg dude was happy) The State Line is one of the few places that serve alcohol on Bristol city streets so it makes a good watering hole and although the sound had a lot to be desired, we had a pretty good set.
The rest of the night – me and the guys hung around the bar drinking a combination of draft beers and our ‘red-headed sluts.’ Jason Crawford introduced these to us at The Clinic in Wytheville and ever since it has been the chosen elixer of the Reagan Boggs Band.
The streets were filled with people that night and all down State Street was the sound of music, the smell of food and funnel cakes with eclectic tents set up all along the way. Keith Smith was running the State Street stage under the Bristol sign and he was doing a great job. His audio was the best of the weekend and he had Donna The Buffalo sounding great.
My father attended the show with Reagan and was telling me about a cat named Junior Brown. He had been mentioned by several people and as the headliner of this show, I was eager to hear him play. He was everything everyone talked about too. He was playing the Piedmont Stage around 9pm and his little trio of a smiling drummer playing a snare drum, an upright bass player and his Texas Swing sound was a cool element to this Americana music festival. A combination of Duane Eddy and Buck Owens – he wailed on a slide and guitar with big round sounding notes and a scorching backbeat swing.
The State Line was packed most of the night and Bristol’s finest were out in full force. Each time I passed the club there were at least 10 officers watching the door. There were several other acts that I took in on Friday and wrapped it up with front row seats at Scott Miller and The Commonwealth.
Tony Maggard yelled at me from the Murial Stage and ushered me right up front. They had saved a seat and that was way cool. It was suprising to see my seat was right in front of WCYB’s Ann Carter and she was having a good time with her legs drapped over her boyfriend like shoestrings.
Scott’s show was pretty good. We had played with him at The Handlebar in South Carolina back in the summer and was impressed by the band’s tight sound. What impressed me the most about their performance was the connection he has with his audience. They all seem to know his lyrics which is a testament to his song writing abilities. The performance was fair though and after a while, I started to hear a lot of similarities with many other players playing the rockin bar room skiffle that crafts some Americana bands.
Our next gig at Bristol Rhythm and Roots was Saturday afternoon at 2pm. An early afternoon gig too, but plenty of concerts had already started at 11am. The bar was even more crowded and our show seemed to have a little more energy. Jason was playing up the street and joined us mid-set.
It was cool to see Tom Bettini and Jared Bentley at this performance too. These good friends and incredibly talented people are humbling to see in an audience. Tom had never been to the festival so we spent the afternoon checking into the underground hangouts in Bristol.
When I was a kid, The Off Shore Cafe was the coolest pub in Bristol. It was always packed and some of the greatest local rock and roll acts played that club. Through college the club changed to 7th Street Saloon and a couple of years ago it become Ireson’s Pub. It’s a small place – probably only seats 50 people comfortably. The stage is in your face and the floors and walls are lathered in years of rowdy nights and weekends.
Vanessa Boyd is a striking woman and several months ago, she returned to the Tri-Cities from Texas. I had never heard her music and was eager to listen to her afternoon performance at Iresons. She had on a crimson pair of slacks and stood behind an aggressive rhythm guitar and emo-like lyrics that made her music passionate and thrilling. She was accompanied by a percussionist who seemed aloft in a trance shaking eggs and tambourines that complimented her work. I would have liked to haved stayed longer, but Tom’s time was short and we had lots of places to go. I did get some good pictures and a nice video of her performance.
Ras Alan and The Lions are nothing short of a phenomenon and it was a pleasure to see them on the Piedmont stage late Saturday afternoon. The unusual heat for this September day swaddled this street in the perfect, steamy radiance for an afternoon of reggae and it was a pleasure to hear Don Eanes play keyboards with the band.
I met Don for the first time a few weeks ago at Teddy Francisco’s funeral. His name and his music have always intrigued me and his performance today was great. An accurate and skillful pianist, his style was refreshing to hear from this Appalachian Reggae artist. Plenty of people were dancing on the streets for this set and it was probably the most unique sound from the entire festival.
By the time I made it to the murial stage for Bela Fleck, the crowd was so thick I had to listen and watch from the back, but it was a lesson from the masters. Bela was certainly the headliner for the weekend and when he and his trio began to play, the classical, jazz and mountain music was elevated to a higher academic level for this event.
Back at the State Line, it was fun to hang out with Greg Smith and earlier in the day, it was more enjoyable to listen to Blue Rapture. They recently added Jason Roller to their band and his aggressive jazz style was punchy. Sam Burke on bass is probably the best all around master on the four string and working with Jason, this rhythm section was hot. They even played my favorite original, “All the time in the world.”
UT was playing on the State Line Bar Big Screen and that caused an interuption during one of the band’s performances that night. When UT recovered a fumble, the crowd went crazy, but in the short small calm silence after the reveree, Jared Bentley stopped talking with me and yelled….”Son of A Bitch!!!” Jared knows how to get attention.
Late in the afternoon, The Divine Maggees were completely entertaining with their haunting and moving set of original music that was erotic, folky and expressive. Their lead vocalist played guitar and she was complimented by a tall shapely red headed violinist whose effects were so cool, she reminded me of the Edge playing with a bow. Nice tatoos on her back too…two f-clefs.
Later on, we talked in the crowd in front of the State Line and they told me their story of how they traveled all over and finally settled in Asheville. They have been making quite a brand for themselves lately and were exciting artisans that I look forward to hearing again.
I had been waiting all weekend to catch Virginia Ground at Ireson’s. I had heard them on Friday night at The State Line, but their sound was so fractured, I wanted another shot. It was wall to wall people too by the time I made it down 7th street, but I nudged my way into a sea of arms and elbows. Beer was teetering back and forth as the band warmed up and when they kicked off the first song, the energy level was out of control. Of all the concerts I heard at Bristol Rhythm and Roots, this one was – without a doubt – the only one that peaked the energy meter.
This video is small and distorted, but you get the picture.
Virginia Ground is a big favorite now and they continue to bring out new songs. Their new tune….’Blah, Blah,Blah’ is a real crowd pleaser and this place was thumping all night long. Outlaw Will was on trombone, the percussionist from Vanessa’s band was on stage too and it was a great way to top off the weekend.
On Sunday, Reagan, Greg, Jason and Kevin played an acoustic set at Java J’s coffee house. I had thought about going, but the weather was gorgeous and since I didn’t have to play, I went to the mountains.
Bristol Rhythm and Roots was a great success this year – morse so than it was last year. Saundra Reynolds, John and her staff are to be commended for supporting and organizing an event that will continue to be legendary. John told me on Saturday at 3pm, they had already passed their attendance and ticket sales from last year, so with a day and a half of “gravy,” Bristol has a great tourist attraction that has nothing to do with NASCAR.
Jim McGuiness and I were talking on the streets Saturday night. Sam Quinn with The everybodyfields was selling his CDs to a couple of adoring fans and Jim turned to me and said, ‘their real challenge will be to diversify their talent.’ In a way, I was puzzled, but as he explained- ‘where is the blues, where’s the country? Noone loves Americana better than me, but other folks would like to have more and since they have the crowd and the stages, they might want to consider a little more variety.”
Maybe next year, but nevertheless, Bristol was spendid!
CLICK HERE TO SEE SLIDE SHOW OF BRISTOL RHYTHM AND ROOTS PHOTOS