The 14th annual Rhythm and Roots Festival is set for this Labor Day weekend, Friday through Sunday September 2-4 at the Ninigret State Park in Charlestown, Rhode Island.
The festival’s musical eclecticism continues this year, offering a mix of blues, country, swing, Cajun and zydeco, folk, and western swing.
Topping the lineup this year are Delbert McClinton, Steve Earle with wife Alison Moorer, Marcia Ball, along with the Grateful Dead sort of off-shot band the 7 Walkers, featuring ex Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann, George Porter, Jr, and Pap Mali. Also on the lineup are the great Richard Thompson and Raul Malo.
Returning favorite artists include among others, weekend hosts the Red Stick Ramblers, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Corey Ledet, and Preston Frank. As usual the Hot Tamale Brass Band keeps the grounds lively, moving through the crowd with a New Orleans second line feel.
Rhythm and Roots is a family friendly event, featuring a kid’s stage with story-tellers, a nightly movie, a hands-on Mardi Gras parade and mask making.
The Dance stage offers both Cajun and Zydeco dance instructors at the start of the day to lead the timid and uninitiated in the finer details of the two-step. By the time the next five bands play through to the end of the night, most novices seem to master the rudiments and mix well in the full dance floor.
Both camping and day passes are available, multiple food vendors are on hand, and the Charlestown ocean beaches are only steps away
