Before the first note: Rhythm and Roots Reunion Preview

From Sept.19th to Sept. 21st, State Street transforms into a festival designed to commemorate the heritage of country music in our twin cities.

For those of us who have grown up on Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion, the festival is an experience shared with family and friends that cultivates community, culture, and pride in a familiar space. We listen to live music through the lens of the streets we have wandered, ice cream we have eaten, and records we have bought.

This year’s lineup includes a wide variety of artists—everything from notable headliners to returning artists and loved local performances. With 12 stages, six headliners, and a multitude of bands, the hardest aspect of this year’s reunion might be choosing which shows to see.

If you’ve never been before, or even if you have and don’t know which band to try out, consider me your guide. I’ve been to the festival since 2013 and I’ve discovered countless new bands. I’ve interviewed a couple must-see local bands and talked to a few fellow festival-goers to give you tips on how to have the best weekend at this year’s festival.

First things first, you’ve got to get a ticket in. With day passes starting at $100 and weekend passes at $180, as a teenager it can be difficult to get a ticket. Some kids will save their money, have parents buy their tickets, or, let’s be honest, some will sneak in. Rest assured, if you don’t have $100 to spend, there are options, options that help us with college applications: volunteering.

Bristol Rhythm and Roots offers volunteer opportunities that will not only help you into the festival, but also help increase your community service hours. Students can volunteer for the festival’s green team, merchandise tent, be a ticket booth attendant, or to be a festival floater and help where any committee needs support. As a volunteer, you will be responsible for a four-hour (minimum) shift that will allow you a day pass for the rest of your time off.

“I believe heavily in giving back to your community, and it’s good for college resume’s, but Rhythm and Roots in particular is a nonprofit organization, and one that likely would not survive without the help of volunteers,” said Tara Russo, chair of the Merchandise Committee.

The festival also offers parking and shuttle service. Parking is available starting at $112 and shuttle passes are available at $30. While these are great options for people with accessibility needs, for most students, your weekend will be more cost effective by choosing to get dropped off at the festival.

If you’re volunteering for your ticket or can only afford a day pass, you’ll get the best bang for your buck on Saturday. That way, not only will you be able to hear Holy Roller at 1:30 at the State Street Stage, but you’ll also get to hear Alpine Motel at the Machiavelli’s Outdoor Stage at 4:30 AND the headliner, Carly Pearce, at the State Street Stage later that night at 9:15.

If you can get a weekend pass, on Friday shoot for Hippies and Cowboys on the State Street Stage at 5:00, Ramona and The Holy Smokes on the Cumberland stage at 7:00, and The Teskey Brothers on the Piedmont Stage at 9:30.

On Sunday, Cruz Contreras and The Black Lillies play a performance you won’t want to miss on the State Street Stage at 1:00, Isaac Hadden plays the Cumberland Stage at 1:30, Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley perform on the Piedmont Stage at 2:15, The Band Perry plays the State Street Stage at 3:00, and you can end your weekend with the legend Ricky Scaggs on the Piedmont Stage at 4:15.

Alpine Motel is one of the great, local bands that were willing to share their time with me for an interview. They return to Rhythm and Roots for their third year, bringing an experimental indie atmosphere to the lineup.

“It’s a great breeding ground for talent that it’s not yet been discovered that kind of shoots off from there,” Marcus Collins, singer and songwriter of Alpine Motel, said.

Alpine Motel is inspired by a variety of genres and artists, and the festival is an opportunity to show off their experimental music to a larger audience.

“We’re influenced by everything,” Collins said. There’s rock [and] indie stuff, of course, but there’s jazz, there’s soul-folk, there’s everything. 
And so I think that we don’t really try to accommodate [for the country music centered audience] Collins said.

An up-and-coming band, Holy Roller is also returning to Rhythm and Roots for their third year. Their electric “southern rock” has many festival-goers come in blind and leave with a new favorite song.

Brady Heck of Holly Roller explains how experiencing the festival as an artist is humbling.

“You get to meet some of your heroes, you get to meet some people that, like, you never would have thought you would meet. And they’re just people, you know?” Heck said.

At the heart of it, Rhythm and Roots isn’t just about the music; it’s also about the community. Wandering nostalgic streets, connecting with friends and family, and eating food that only comes once a year all while discovering music that leaves a drum in your heart long after the stages are empty.

Junior Branch Sword upholds this notion.

“Walking around downtown, that’s my favorite part,” Sword said. “Walking up and down [the] street and finding friends and hanging out with them for the whole night” is what makes the festival, Sword said.

Senior Hannah Morefield uses the festival as an opportunity to connect with her grandparents and feel closer to her grandfather after his passing.

“We were all raised on that kind of country music so it’s a big thing for us,” Morefield said. “Especially with my grandparents, I have the same music taste as them, and you don’t see bluegrass and folk and country all like that together really often.”

Junior Callie Baker enjoys nearly everything about the festival, but especially believes in the community support for local businesses and artists.

“I think it’s important to go because you’re helping somebody and, you know, that’s all downtown is really.”