NewsComments Off on ROMP Festival Initial Lineup Announced
May122021
ROMP Festival Initial Lineup Announced!
Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, Robert Earl Keen, and Sam Bush are slated to headline ROMP Festival! Produced by the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, ROMP Festival takes place September 15-18, 2021 at Yellow Creek Park in Owensboro, Kentucky.
Additional artists on the lineup include The Infamous Stringdusters, Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange), Dan Tyminski, and We Banjo 3. The four-day music festival features bluegrass and roots music with onsite camping, artist workshops, food trucks, arts and crafts, kids activities, and more.
Tickets are on sale now. Four-day tickets are $170. RV camping passes are $150 for all four days in addition to a festival ticket. Tent camping passes are $25 per person for the entire festival, and VIP tickets are $425.
The rest of the lineup includes Town Mountain, The Lil Smokies, Balsam Range, Blue Highway, The Price Sisters, Mama Said String Band, Full Cord Bluegrass, Wolfpen Branch, Hot Brown Smack Down, The Josephines, and Giri and Uma Peters. More artists will be added to the lineup and announced at a future date.
Tickets can be purchased online at rompfest.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum or by calling 270-926-7891 during operating hours Wednesday through Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm.
Who’s ready for live music? Join us for ROMP September 15-18, 2021 in Owensboro, Kentucky! The initial lineup has been announced featuring headliners Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, Robert Earl Keen, Sam Bush, The Infamous Stringdusters, Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange) and many more. Ticket prices will be going up soon, so secure your tickets to ROMP today!
The best way to enjoy a music festival is by camping onsite! Yellow Creek Park is an expansive space as the host site for ROMP and features plenty of RV and tent camping areas. RV camping is $150 and includes everyone in your RV, and tent camping is $25 per person. A festival ticket must be purchased in addition to camping options. Check out this great mini-documentary produced by the Daviess County Public Library which explores many aspects of the festival, including how ROMP attendees set up their campsites!
Joining us for the fourth time at ROMP, The Infamous Stringdusters stand out as the rare group who can dig deep into their bluegrass roots with their eleventh full-length record, A Tribute to Bill Monroe, headline the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre, or perform alongside The Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh.
With a dedicated fanbase from around the world, the band have attracted a faithful international audience that continues to grow. Moreover, their powerful music and performances paved the way for a GRAMMY® Award win in the category of “Best Bluegrass Album” for 2017’s Laws of Gravity, and a number of International Bluegrass Music Awards in a variety of categories.
NewsComments Off on News On Podunk Bluegrass Festival.
May122021
“Bluegrass has brought more people together and made more friends than any music in the world. You meet people at festivals and renew acquaintances year after year”
Bill Monroe
Over here at Gary Hayes Country, we write about 275 festivals from many genre of music, and all over America. We scour the festival websites and social media for all of these different festivals, and groups.
Podunk is one of those festivals currently on their 24th year in 2021. Like many of the festivals I have done articles for this past week, they are TITANS of the Bluegrass festival circuit. They are juggernauts of the Bluegrass world, and I’m super proud to write articles for them.
They have the main stage for the bands, and regional acts on the showcase stage. There are so many other things to do at this one folks, and it’s one of the more prominent northeastern festivals.
It’s also one of the more popular festivals for what they call “back porch picking” which usually happens at every festival, but they actually designate an entire area for it. Every festival usually has campfire jams at each one, to be honest some of the best songs I’ve heard at festivals were intimate settings.
As with other festivals, I’m going to be launching other articles for them…and many, many more!
Our confidence is growing daily. The vaccination schedule for all adults in CT has been moved up a month to April 1st and the governor is expected to announce new loosening of restrictions in the next week or so.
Here’s Where We Stand at the Moment
Our talent team has worked very hard to bring back the same great lineup you were expecting in 2020 with only a couple adjustments. Click HERE to see the Main Stage artist list
We have frozen our ticket prices through June 30th. None of the normal price escalations will take place this spring.
We are extending our no-fee ticket offer through the month of April. If you buy the tickets directly on the Podunk site HERE now through April 30th instead of through Eventbrite we will absorb the fees.
Ticket sales have been brisk all month (30 AMP electric service is nearly sold out) so with the possibility that we might have to limit ticket sales based on state mandates at the time we suggest that you don’t wait too long to order.
We have decided to open up volunteer submissions. Go ahead and pick your crew but be aware that due to possible changes in how we might have to operate in August we may need to shuffle things around. Go here to get your name in – VOLUNTEER LINK
If we are a go we will of course take all the precautions necessary to keep everyone safe including strict enforcement of what ever mask and spacing mandates will be in place at the time. The festival may look different but the music will sound the same.
PODUNK TRADING POST WEBSTORE IS NOW OPEN
Support Podunk’s Veterans Appreciation Day at next year’s festival by purchasing this unbleached 100% cotton face mask embroidered with the Podunk logo.All masks are lined and have adjustable ear bands, copper nose wires and a filter pocket for a custom fit. Handcrafted by a local Connecticut sewist.
Free shipping and handling.
Limited quantities available at this time.
Applications are now being accepted for vendor spaces.
For more information go HERE or contact our Vendor Coordinator Mary at vendors@podunkbluegrass.com
We are too and we just couldn’t wait until August, so we decided to bring you a special 1-day preview show in June.
A Taste of Bluegrass
June 26th at the Hilltop Farm.
Site of the Former Paddle Faster Bluegrass Festival 1616 Mapleton Ave Suffield, CT 06078Gates open: 10am
Music begins 12pm
Ends around 8pm.
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
Grammy Award Winner.
12 time IBMA fiddle player of the year.
The Kevin Prater Band
The Rutabeggars
Rockhearts
Tickets are only $40 + $1.50 Fee
As of right now we are limiting the event to 200 tickets.
Parking $5.00 per car.
Parking proceeds go to Hilltop Farm Restoration Project.
Rain or shine.
All COVID guidelines in place at the time of the event will be strictly enforced.
Our talent team worked very hard to bring back the same great lineup you were expecting in 2020 with only a couple adjustments. Click HEREto see the Main Stage artist list
We have frozen our ticket prices through June 30th. None of the normal price escalations will take place this spring.
We are extending our no-fee ticket offer through the month of June. If you buy your tickets directly on the Podunk siteHERE now through April 30th instead of through Eventbrite we will absorb the fees.
Ticket sales have been brisk all month (30 & 50 AMP electric service is nearly sold out) so with the possibility that we still might have to limit ticket sales based on state mandates at the time we suggest that you don’t wait too long to order.
We have decided to open up volunteer submissions. Go ahead and pick your crew but be aware that due to possible changes in how we might have to operate in August we may need to shuffle things around. Go here to get your name in – VOLUNTEER LINK
If we are a go we will of course take all the precautions necessary to keep everyone safe including strict enforcement of what ever mask and spacing mandates will be in place at the time. The festival may look different but the music will sound the same.
A Taste of Bluegrass
June 26th at the Hilltop Farm.
Site of the Former
Paddle Faster Bluegrass Festival
NewsComments Off on Lara Hope And The Ark Tones Release “Here To Tell The Tale” in June.
May122021
“Here To Tell The Tale” is the 3rd studio album from Lara Hope & The Ark-Tones. This eleven track, ALL ORIGINAL ALBUM
will be released on June 25th!
You can now pre-order CDs/Vinyl/Tshirts (and much more) including a signed Gretsch guitar, a private home or virtual concert from the band, or even a guitar lesson from our wizard “Shreddie” Eddie Rion!
If you’d just like a digital download of the album, you can also get that HERE
Right now, I wanted to deviate a little off my regular path to feature some Rockabilly, and Miss Lara has been a friend for a few years through their music. I LOVE ME some Rockabilly when I am in the mood. When I received this album I expected nothing less from them.
They have certainly ventured out into different echelons of music in their past offerings, and this album truly branches off into a different direction. I am eager to see them hopefully be included on festival lineups.
The very first song on here is “Let’s Go!” (which is on video below) which is an upbeat intro song about life in the fast lane. I mean, Rockabilly is all about going fast and all in! As a man who also deems he has no time to waste, this song spoke to me on a few levels.
“Here To Tell The Tale” contains some mighty fine guitar solos, combined with a signature tone that solidifies this album as their finest offering yet. At a nice length of 11 songs, it is a solid addition to your music collection.
The song “Some Advice” is a swinging good toe tapper that compliments the album quite well. It pretty much deals with the crud we call adulthood, just general things like “pay your bills on time”. All of the dreadful things you try your hardest to teach your kids.
You have a spaghetti western theme opener on song called ‘Running In Circles”, that just about any of us can relate to in the adult world. We all run around like chickens to live paycheck to paycheck, asking ourselves “Will I ever get that done?” If you are a self proclaimed procrastinator, this song will speak to you.
Friends, I am in active sobriety and no longer drink or take pills. But I love those drinking songs, and the Rootsy sound of the closing song called “Drink Toy Your Health”. I enjoyed the song’s tempo and style, and how it rings true with me as a person.
Do you want a sneak peek?! We released the first single, “Let’s Go”! Last week! You can stream or download it NOW!
NewsComments Off on Acousta Noir Releases His New EP “Lobo Sin Luna”.
May122021
Back in 2017 at Muddy Roots Music Festival, I ran into this gentleman here. Mr. Joshua James Esterline A.K.A. Acousta Noir. He is a one man wrecking machine on stage, with some wonderful Roots songs. Now, to begin this article, I’m going to re copy my coverage of his 2017 set.
Acousta Noir is also Mr. Joshua Esterline from Southern Oregon. Here is a website description of his work:
Coming from a background shaped by punk, rock and roll, roots, and various traditional folk styles, Acousta Noir brings a unique, yet oddly familiar, set of original songs to the table, along with his renditions of select and obscure covers.
Joshua first began playing music in 1994, and has been a part of a varied array of musical projects. These include punk bands (as a singer, guitarist, and drummer), singing for a heavy metal band, and a couple projects playing the upright bass.
Acousta Noir sets itself apart from the crowd by being akin to many acts, but defiantly unique from them all.
Life tends to work a little differently in Douglas County, Oregon, and Joshua works hard to embody that lifestyle in his music, while creatively utilizing his influences of traditional folk and country music, as well as punk rock and the good old story tellin’ side of things.
“Just how much punch can one guy pack into a set? You’ll be reeling as he blends raw bluesy soul with a rough and rowdy edge. If you like to dance, stomp your feet, or just have a good time, be there.”
So the sound in all of the tents in my opinion were not bad even though the weather and elements purposed a nefarious threat the first two days. I basically had a chair setup at all three stages the entire weekend and just bounced from stage to stage. I missed a few bands to be honest and I’ll have to find some helpers that will be willing to assist me with videos and pictures from this event. Speaking of videos let’s watch Acousta Noir.
His set contained a few strong Hank Williams Sr covers performed in a different dark demeanor that included the song “Ramblin Man” and he used the song “Angel Of Death” for an intro to the song “Radio Negrille”. He opened his set with “When The World Explodes” and went into “Wretchedness”.
This festival is choked full of great one man bands with a darkness to them and a morbid stomp of a one man kick drum and I look forward to supporting Mr. Joshua even further after this. “Tempest” was another song that displayed amazing rhythm ability from him today. He then played a song called “Firestorm” and another last song called “Bones”. See this event had so many bands that each band played a 30-45 minute set, and the first full day was rained out on stage 1 which forced them to move all of those bands into the tent stages.
This year I chose to linger longer at many of the bands instead of bouncing as much as I usually do and I’ll be up front and honest, I missed MANY of the bands last weekend…but I’ll do my best to cover as many as possible and I have tons of footage on both video and photo as well as notes.
So now, here is the new album that was released on February 1st 2021, and it contains four songs. He explained on his bandcamp website that these four songs were the first ones he wrote after he was hospitalized, and treated for throat cancer. I’m also going to include his own account of the EP here.
As a recovered addict of 19 months from pills and heroin, the song “Still Waters” spoke to me, as I worked my 12 steps of recovery. I lament pretty hard at my past mistakes, and even though I have forgiven my own self…I did things many haven’t forgiven me for. Just read this verse and tell me this isn’t a well written song…you’d be WRONG!
“This struggle I’ve carried through life
And the sins of an old time
Owned by a love hurt in past lives
I’ll do better next time”
“Shadow” was the final song here, and it too is very well written. You can use this song as a healing portion of your previous breakup. You can use it as a catalyst between you and your ex, by all means. Different people take songs on different echelons, and this man’s music can be understood in many ways..that’s why I like him!
From his website:
These are home demo recordings of the first 3 songs written by me after undergoing surgeries and radiation treatment for throat cancer in late 2019. The songs were written in the first few months of 2020 while I was recovering, and learning how to swallow, speak, and eventually sing again.
I also recorded a cover of “Eli the Barrow Boy” by The Decemberists. This song has been regularly included in my longer sets since 2010, and I really felt that it fit well with the theme presented by my original songs on Lobo Sin Luna.
I know it’s been a hard year on all of us in the music community, and so I just wanted to share these rough demo versions with all of you to show that we have not all been completely defeated.
It’s a slow start, but I’m still here, and I’m still trying. Hopefully the next year will be a little easier, and allow for some time in the studio to get these songs polished up and released along with many others for the full length LP.
Cheers, and much love to you all, Joshua.
