Roots on The River 2012
Artist Bios

Barnstar!

      Roots on the River is lucky to have a rare performance by the Boston based bluegrass band Barnstar! at this year’s festival. According to Mark Erelli, “I have been playing in a quasi-imaginary bluegrass band called Barnstar! now for three years, featuring Zack Hickman (upright bass), Charlie Rose (banjo), Jake Amerding (fiddle) and his father Taylor Amerding (mandolin). Everyone in the band is so busy that we only do two or three gigs per year, usually in noisy bars, where we can’t really judge if we sound good enough to have as much fun as we do.”

      Of course most of us know Erelli as a talented singer-songwriter with a number of exceptional solo albums behind him as well as a sought after sideman for the likes of Lori McKenna and Josh Ritter. Jake and Taylor Amerding have deep bluegrass credentials, including years fronting Northern Lights. Hickman is a producer of note who has also played with Ritter and Kris Delmhorst. Banjo player Charlie Rose spent time with The Crooked Jades.

      The band was recently awarded an Iguana Fund Grant from Club Passim to record their first album. The result is C’mon! released in late 2011. The disc has all of the normal elements of a bluegrass album, fiddles, mandolins and great harmonies, but is fresh in its approach. Mixed in with a couple of bluegrass standards (like the Louvin Brother’s “Cash on the Barrelhead”) and some original songs are unique takes of songs by Neil Young (“Cowgirl in the Sand”) and Paul Simon (“Boy in the Bubble”). One reviewer calls the album “. . . song based (as opposed to sound based) non-traditional bluegrass – the roots of the Traveling Wilburys are as important as those of the Stanley Brothers . . . A collaboration as strong as its parts, the members of Barnstar! play off each other to create a cohesive sound that is mindful of traditional bluegrass-instrumental precision balanced by the ease of a living room jam, vocal harmonies that soar and blend, and songs that emphasize story over poetic ambiguity- while shape shifting within those confines.”

      Barnstar!’s motto is “Bluegrass for people who hate bluegrass.” Another great set under the big tent.

Blackie and the Rodeo Kings

      Tom Wilson, Stephen Fearing and Colin Linden first started Blackie and the Rodeo Kings (BARK) in 1996 as a one-off tribute to one of their favorite artists, singer-songwriter Willie P. Bennett. The name was taken from the title of Bennett’s 1978 album Blackie and the Rodeo King. The resulting album, titled High or Hurtin’: The Songs of Willie P. Bennett was such a critical and popular success that the band is still together after 16 years and seven albums.essful roots rock bands. What began as a project has turned into a real band recording original music. Their mix of country, rock and blues create a unique version of an alt-country sound. In 2000 their album Kings of Love won a Juno Award (the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy) for Best Roots and Traditional Album. Their most recent release Kings and Queens won as Best Roots Recording at the Hamilton Music Awards.

BARK is a true Canadian “Super Group” with all members having very successful solo careers as well. Wilson (aka LEe HARVeY OsMOND) began his musical career with The Florida Razors and was later a member of the much loved group Junkhouse. He has released a number of solo albums, including, a collaboration with Bob Lanois. Wilson also has a successful career as a painter. Stephen Fearing is a Juno Award winning artist, having released eight solo albums. He has collaborated with many artists including: Shawn Colvin, Richard Thompson, Sarah McLachlan and Margo Timmins. Colin Linden is a prolific solo artist and producer. He has recorded 11 solo albums and produced more than 70 for other artists- Bruce Cockburn among them. His songs have been covered by The Band, The Blind Boys of Alabama and Keb’ Mo’ and he has served as a sideman to the stars – playing guitar for the likes of Emmylou Harris, Bruce Cockburn and Robert Plant. As Wilson says, “the sum is indeed greater than the parts. . . and the parts are as good as they get.”

      The new album Kings of Love is a great example of the importance of BARK. Recorded over the course of three years, it includes collaborations with 14 of the best female performers in the music business – starting with a rocking version of “If I Can’t Have You” with Lucinda Williams. Other contributors include Sara Watkins, Rosanne Cash, Cassandra Wilson and Exene Cervenka. My favorite moment on the album is when Emmylou Harris harmonizes on the great Willie P. Bennett song, Step Away. As I listen I can imagine Willie P. smiling down upon us.

Bow Thayer and Perfect Train Wreck

      “Bow Thayer and Perfect Train Wreck’s music come from a place that is rooted in the densely forested mountains of central Vermont. The result is a combination of no-nonsense traditionalism and forward-looking individualism that reflects the mythical stories of the people and rugged landscape of that state.” (bowthayer.com)

     The band is Bow Thayer (vocals, guitar, banjo, songwriter), Jeremy Curtis (vocals, bass), Jeff Berlin (drums), James Rohr (vocals, piano, organ) and Chris McGandy (pedal steel). They are recent winners of the 2012 Boston Rock ‘n’ Roll Rumble, besting 23 other bands in this legendary competition that has been held since 1979. One of the Thayer’s key supporters was the late Levon Helm of The Band. Perfect Train Wreck has played several of Levon’s Midnight Rambles and their most recent album Bottom of the Sky was recorded at Levon’s studio in Woodstock, NY.

      In April the band played a roaring set at the Bellows Falls Opera House. Those in attendance agree with the Rutland Herald’s assessment that Bow Thayer and Perfect Train Wreck “. . .will become Vermont’s third nationally acclaimed rock band, following in the steps of Phish and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.”

Brock Zeman

      “Brock Zeman is a master songwriter, who writes with a maturity far beyond his chronological age. He digs in dark places and comes back with diamonds. He belongs on stage with the big boys.” (Juno award winner- Lynn Miles).

       Zeman is one of the hardest working musicians in North America. A look at his tour schedule provides a travelogue of every small town bar and house concert venue across Canada and the United States. Rumor has it that he has averaged 250 gigs per year over the past decade. And over that time he has still managed to record nine albums. This is great news for those of us that love to hear gritty tales about the human experience put to music.

       As Zeman started to make his way in the music business he met Keith Glass of Prairie Oyster through a family connection. Glass was impressed with his early efforts and financed his first record. In Glass’s words: “Brock is a gifted artist who possesses a rare talent for lyrics, and a compelling voice to deliver them. . . an emerging Canadian powerhouse.” Glass went on to produce Zeman’s first four albums.

       Brock’s ninth album, released in 2011, is on his own imprint – Mud Records. He’s decided to go it on his own creating his own label, becoming his own producer and business manager. “There’s too much compromise in the music business. The good-looking pretty boy is still messing with us. The business is shifting. They’ve dumbed everything down. It’s not willing to take a chance on anything anymore, unless you’re a sure bet. That’s an attitude that’s caused me a lot of trouble. I’m going to do things my own way.” The resulting album, Me Then You is the best sounding of his career.

       Let’s let Paul Symes – owner of the Blacksheep Inn have the final words on Brock: “Zeman clearly ranks with the best emerging Texas/US songwriters we have encountered here at the Blacksheep: Adam Carroll, Hayes Carll, Chris Knight and Slaid Cleaves. Just like them, he’s got fistfuls of ferociously good songs and he’s not afraid to use ‘em. In many ways he reminds me of a kid Fred Eaglesmith: great stories, fine melodies, a wicked sense of humor. It is just a matter of time before the world gets it, so tune in now before we lose him to the U, S and Ayyy.

Crunchy Western Boys

       The New Hampshire based Crunchy Western Boys (CWB) play bluegrass music but they come at it from a rock ‘n’ roll angle. Instead of songs with the usual “Jesus and death” bluegrass themes the Boys deliver mostly original music about things like forbidden attraction, cold New Hampshire days and the loss of farmland to planned communities. There’s even one about bathtub gin – not a subject in Bill Monroe’s repertoire. They like to say that they are the loudest acoustic band on the planet.

       CWB gets around too. They have performed on New Hampshire Public Radio’s “the Folk Show”, were winners of the Northwest String Summit (Oregon) Band Competition in 2009 and appeared as extras in a movie by Ernest Thompson (On Golden Pond) and have a song on the soundtrack. They even have toured the Virgin Islands and Europe.

       The band is Morris Manning (guitar, dobro), Jim McHugh (mandolin, guitar), Jacob Stern (fiddle) and Steve McBrian (bass). They have released two albums 2008’s self-titled Crunchy Western Boys and Rumorville in 2011.

Dan Weber

       Dan Weber has only been performing for three years but in that short time he has accumulated a host of awards, accolades and followers. He was a national finalist in the 2010 Dave Carter Songwriting Contest, a 2012 Kerrville Folk Festival “New Folk” Finalist, won the 2009 West Coast Songwriter’s Performing Songwriter Competition and its Song of the Year award. Ramblin’ Jack Elliott says: “I love Dan’s songs and he tells really good stories.”

       Originally from Western New York some of Dan’s favorite memories were family road trips watching the scenery pass by, music playing on the radio. “There was something magical about those drives that made those songs and the stories in them come alive.” After a life time of moving around the country – including a stint as a park ranger in Utah, Weber realized his calling was as a singer-songwriter. “I didn’t know it yet, but all of that time searching for who I was and where I was supposed to be, it was right there all of the time.”

       Now based in Portland, Oregon, Dan’s debut album Ash and Bone was released earlier in 2012. The songs on the album are both funny and poignant. The album is sure to make many of the top 10 lists for 2012.

Danielle Miraglia

       “She’s an up and coming blues woman who doesn’t hide behind a huge band. . . she is definitely front and center with her in-your-face attitude. Combine that with her hot acoustic slide guitar and a voice with a Janis Joplin edge and you’ve got some great tunes that even a hard core Robert Johnson fan will love.” (Jamie Anderson – Minor7th).

       Revere, MA native Danielle Miraglia was influenced by a variety of popular music as she was growing up, from her parents Motown records to classic rock influences like the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Her love of the arts led her to Boston’s Emerson College to major in creative writing. But things didn’t work out that way. “I started playing guitar when I was thirteen. I wrote a few songs in high school, just joke songs, that kind of stuff. Then I went to Emerson for creative writing, and I got out and realized that that’s not what I wanted to do. I wanted to write but I didn’t want to be a novelist . . . So I just ended up writing a lot of songs, and decided to do an open mic. It happened from there, and then I got addicted to it. Couldn’t stop.”

       Danielle recorded her first EP, Bad Poetry, in 2001 followed by the full length, Just Wrong Enough the next year. From that point on the songs and gigs just kept rolling in. She tours extensively up and down the east coast performing at all of the most renowned folk and blues clubs. Places like Club Passim in Cambridge (where she recorded a live album in 2006). Miraglia calls her music a blend of blues, country and rock. Her songwriting and performance style have earned many accolades, including a listing as one of WUMB’s top 100 artists of 2011, Mountain Stage NewSong Northeast Regional Winner, Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist and Honorable Mention at Telluride.

       Box of Troubles, her new album (2011) is garnering rave reviews. “Danielle Miraglia’s guitar work keeps Delta traditions alive. Her steady thumb and playing style trace a direct line to the blues of the field and chicken shacks. Vocally, Danielle’s voice digs in, twisting within the delivery, seeming to break but more likely soaring before the fall. Box of Troubles balances good times with the bad, her characters roles’ defined and believable.” (Alternate Root).

Fred Eaglesmith

       The Fred Eaglesmith Traveling Steam Show will once again blaze into town to headline Roots on the River this year. In 2000 when we were all jammed into Nick’s Tavern on the first night of that first weekend none of us envisioned it would still be going on in 2012. The festival continues to prosper and grow in large part because of Fred’s creativity and energy and the devotion of his fan base – the Fred Heads. This year’s festival will feature two performances by Fred and his band – Saturday under the big tent and Sunday at the Rockingham Meeting House.

       Fred Eaglesmith may not be a household name but he is an internationally acclaimed songwriter and performer whose popularity continues to grow. He has won a Juno Award for Best Roots and Traditional Album, his songs have appeared in films by Martin Scorsese and James Caan, he has appeared on the Letterman show, he has written a #1 song on the bluegrass charts (“Thirty Years of Farming” recorded by James King) and his songs have been recorded by a number of mainstream country artists (Toby Keith, Alan Jackson and Miranda Lambert) as well as by alt country performers (Todd Snider, Mary Gauthier, Kasey Chambers and Chris Knight).

       Eaglesmith was raised in a family of nine children on a farm in Ontario. After the family lost the farm he set out on his own at age 15 to hone his craft as a singer and songwriter – hitchhiking and hopping trains to travel across North America. His music is a reflection of that life – populist themes about the trials and tribulations of everyday life, about trains, about cars and about relationships. Thematically he has been compared to Springsteen, but the difference is that instead of being an image on a JumboTron in a large stadium Eaglesmith brings his blend of country, rock and bluegrass (and whatever other style he chooses to throw in) directly to his fans in more than 200 performances each year. His shows are a legendary mix of his ever expanding catalog of songs combined with his knack for storytelling.

       Since last year’s festival Fred has released his 19th album, 6 Volts. The album takes its name from the battery that powered the transistor radio. It was recorded live in the studio with one microphone onto a one-track reel to reel recorder reflecting the technology of an older time. “That era really felt like that was a powerful place to refer back to. I did not want it to sound like, say, 1963. I wanted it to sound like a record that referenced that but was still made in 2011.” The album has spawned a number of new Eaglesmith classics like “Johnny Cash”, “Stars” and “Cemetery Road” and has quickly become a fan favorite.

       Let’s leave it to Fred to sum things up. “We just play rock ’n’ roll. The root of it all is my little bit of creativity, that little bit of fire inside me. I just do what feels like the truth to me. And when it feels like the truth it’s really not that hard to do or hard to listen to. I’m gonna play good, sing good and act good.”

Hayes Carll

       “He spins a yarn with fresh wit, details a failure with unflinching honesty, and everything in between remains admiringly cliché free.” (Los Angeles Times)

       “. . .extends a worthy Texas tradition: the weathered, hard- drinking, weary but clear- eyed troubadour.” (New York Times)

       2011 was a great year for Hayes Carll. His latest album, KMAG YOYO was released on Lost Highway records and eventually made its way onto the country, pop and rock charts. American Songwriter named KMAG #6 on its Top 50 list for 2011 and The Americana Music Association nominated Hayes for Artist of the Year and Song of the Year. Now add to that media performances on the Tonight Show, Austin City Limits and Imus in the Morning. Oh – and don’t forget performances at the Bonnaroo Festival and Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble. It was a pretty good year indeed.

       Hayes is from The Woodlands, TX, just outside of Houston. After a stint at Hendrix College in Arkansas he turned to music to make his living. To hear Hayes tell it “I sort of sabotaged my career options to the point where, by the time I was out of school, I was pretty much unemployable and had no choice but to be a musician.” He moved to Crystal Beach, TX, where he began honing his craft in the bars along the Gulf Coast eventually working his way into gigs at the more serious listening clubs like the Old Quarter in Galveston.

       His first trip to Roots on the River in 2003 is part of the festival’s lore. He was playing to a sparse crowd that knew nothing about him on New Faces Night. Within the first few minutes he had them in the palm of his hand. They were laughing at his dry, self -depreciating humor and listening intently to his well-crafted songs. By the next day the buzz had spread around the festival and the crowd for his Friday set at PK’s flowed out into the street. A ROTR star was born. Hayes remembers this fondly as well. When being interviewed at Bonnaroo he mentioned ROTR as a favorite festival memory and as the place the first gave him hope that he could really do this for a living.

       Since those early days Hayes has had a lot of success. His 2005 album Little Rock reached #1 on the Americana Charts and 2008’s Trouble in Mind made him the Americana Music Association’s Most Played Artist of the Year and spawned the Song of the Year – “She Left Me for Jesus”. As evidence of the respect of his peers he was recently chosen to contribute to the songwriter tribute album to Guy Clark, joining the likes of Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Willie Nelson and Rosanne Cash. Kindred spirit Ray Wylie Hubbard has said, “I always like writing with Hayes, because he’s fearless.”

       Rumor has it that Hayes began 2012 writing some songs for a new project. Saturday’s set is sure to include some of those, some old favorites and maybe a tall tale or two. Don’t miss it.

Hot Mustard

       Expect Hot Mustard to add some bluegrass swagger to the music under the tent on Saturday. The band began as a New Hampshire Arts Grant project for Bruce Stockwell and Bill Jubett. They put together a number of double-banjo arrangements over the course of the grant and decided to take their show on the road. Filling out the band are their wives April Jubett on guitar and Kelly Stockwell on double bass.

       You’ll notice two things different between Hot Mustard and most bluegrass bands. Bluegrass tends to be a musical style dominated by male voices. But the blending of the four voices and April’s turns on lead vocal gives the band a unique mix. The two banjo sound also makes Hot Mustard stand apart. Bruce says: “Having two banjos in the band could sound like World War III . . . but we make a serious attempt to stay out of each other’s way.”

       Bruce Stockwell comes from a musical family and has taught banjo for years in Putney, VT where he is often heard telling musicians to “put the mustard to it” meaning to play the next tune with extra spice. He is a winner of the 2005 Merlefest Banjo Contest. Bill and April have been singing those high-lonesome harmonies together in local bluegrass bands and around the house for a few years. April actually got interested in bluegrass from singing with her father as a child. Bill’s initial interest in banjo was through old time and folk music but eventually was drawn to bluegrass by Earl Scruggs and his three finger style. Kelly lugs her bass all over New England and can be found thumping away at jams, picking parties and festivals. She is the heartbeat of Hot Mustard.

       In a short time the band has gained a lot of accolades around the New England bluegrass community. They won the 2010 Jenny Brook Bluegrass band contest and have performed at a number of festivals, including: Joe Val Festival, Strawberry Park Bluegrass Festival, Mineral Springs Bluegrass Festival and the Ossipee Bluegrass Festival.

       Expect to hear them put some mustard to it on Saturday afternoon.

Mark Mandeville and Raianne Richards

       Mark Mandeville and Raianne Richards are a folk duo from Massachusetts that began their careers playing in the basements, coffee shops and art spaces of New England. Their music can be classified as Americana with a heavy dose of old country sounds thrown in. As their popularity has grown they have toured nationally and are often heard playing traditional folk venues and bar rooms from Boston to Austin to Denver to Nashville to Ashville. They are regular performers on WICN’s “Folk Revival” show and have landed a spot at the Wachusett Valley Folk Festival this summer.

       Mandeville and Richards are signed to indie label Nobody’s Favorite Records and are currently touring to promote their 2011 album, Mark Mandeville and Old Constitution. All the songs on the new album were written by Mandeville and most feature his lead vocals mixed with Raianne’s harmonies. Reviewers have likened the sound and feel of the album to alt country bands like the Jayhawks and Uncle Tupelo.

Mary Gauthier

       Festival favorite Mary Gauthier returns to open the Sunday show at the historic Rockingham Meeting House. Mary’s songs come straight from the heart and many reflect her difficult early life. Orphaned in New Orleans in 1962 she was eventually adopted by a couple from Thibodaux, LA and was raised in Baton Rouge. “I felt like I was dying. My father was an alcoholic. My mother cried all the time. Both of them were suicidal. There was chaos and pandemonium in the family.” At age 15 Mary stole her parents’ car and hit the road – beginning a downward spiral of substance abuse, multiple stints in detox and time spent sleeping on sofas in the homes of friends. Her 18th birthday was celebrated in a jail cell in Salina, Kansas.

       Mary ended up in Boston’s Back Bay where she took a counter job at a small café. She eventually was promoted to manager. Friends helped her get into school at the Cambridge School of Culinary arts and upon graduation Mary opened up a successful Cajun restaurant called the Dixie Kitchen. Around that time she also began writing songs which led to the release of her first album – also called Dixie Kitchen – in 1997. The success of her first offering propelled her into music on a full time basis. Since that time she has played all the major festivals (including Newport), landed a publishing deal with Harlan Howard Songs, secured a record deal with Lost Highway and won a number of awards, including New Artist of the Year by the Americana Music Association in 2005. Her third album, “Filth and Fire” was named Best Indy CD of the year by the New York Times in 2002. In 2005 her first major label release, “Mercy Now”, landed on many top 10 lists, including Billboard Magazine, the LA Times and the New York Times.

       Mary’s most recent album, The Foundling, was released in 2010. It is a gripping song cycle that tells the story of her life. Mary says: “For years I have wanted to write a collection of songs that tells a story, and I’ve finally done it. . . On The Foundling, songs tell the story of a kid abandoned at birth who spent a year in an orphanage and was adopted, who ran away from the adopted home and ended up in show business, who searched for birth parents late in life and found one and was rejected, and who came through the other side of all of this still believing in love. Yea, it’s my story.”

       For festival regulars Mary’s set is always one of the highlights. For new comers the Meeting House is the best place to experience her for the first time. Great songs, great voice and great stories.

Melissa Ferrick

       “When you think ‘singer-songwriter’, you think of an artist like Melissa Ferrick. Someone who can pick up an acoustic guitar and wow you with both their lyrical dexterity and instrumental prowess.” (Evan Schlansky, American Songwriter)

       Melissa Ferrick is a veteran singer/songwriter that has been working for two decades in the music industry. She comes to Bellows Falls this year on the heels of the release of her 17th album Still Right Here. This is Melissa’s first album of original music since 2008’s Goodbye Youth and includes contributions from Ani DeFranco and Kaki King. Upon its release Still Right Here debuted at #35 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Album Chart.

       Raised in Ipswich, MA, Melissa had music instilled in her life by her father, a school teacher that managed several free-jazz bands on the side. She would travel with him to clubs on Boston’s North Shore to watch the bands. Melissa began taking violin lessons at the age of five and eventually learned piano, trumpet and bass. She began writing songs at a young age, “I really started writing songs that I intended to sing on stage when I was about 14. Some of them were good right away. . . The good songs come from somewhere else, they are gifts and then I work on them.” She taught herself to play acoustic guitar while as a student at Berklee College of Music.

       Her professional music career actually began playing and singing in the coffee houses of East Village in New York City. She first gained notoriety when she was added as a last minute replacement as opening act on tour with the singer Morrissey in 1991. This led to a recording contract with Atlantic Records and the release of her first album, Massive Blur, in 1993. In 2000 Ferrick launched her own company, Right On Records to put out her own music. Relying on her fan base, word of mouth and positive reviews she released the label’s first album, Valentine Heartache.

       Still Right Here marks the start of a new direction for Ferrick. It comes after a difficult period marked by the end of a long term relationship and the end of a business partnership. She has signed a three album deal with MPress records and has come out of that period stronger than ever – releasing what many feel is her finest work. “It’s a testament to an independent artist who’s making meaningful music that carries with it the kind of gravitas and joy as it did when Ferrick stepped up to the mic for the first time all those years ago. It’s an important record that doesn’t drown in its own importance, from an artist about whom one can say the same.” (PopMatters).

Michael Hertz

       Local guitarist Michael Hertz began playing in high school by listening to great fingerpickers like Mississippi John Hurt, Dave Van Ronk and Doc Watson and has been at it ever since. In the 1970’s he played guitar and banjo in an eclectic bluegrass band called Gravel Roads performing throughout Windham and Windsor counties at places like the Chelsea House in West Brattleboro and the Gazebo in Putney. As a solo artist he continues to play locally and has performed at the Boston Folk Festival, the Marlboro Fair and many area businesses.

       Michael’s influences include Rev. Gary Davis, Blind Black, Blind Willie McTell and Merle Travis. He categorizes his music as acoustic folk, blues and ragtime. Included in his performances are many instrumental tunes such as Cannonball Rag and Maple Leaf Rag.

Phil Bosley

       Phil Bosley makes his solo debut at this year’s Roots on the River, but the Port Colborne, ON native is not a newcomer to the festival, having performed here many times as a member of the Roger Marin Band and often found at the after hours picking parties around the Everyday Inn.

       Bosley began playing music at the age of seven, did his stints in the “usual gamut of angst-ridden 90’s garage bands” in high school and eventually got a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from York. He says his real musical education occurred in his five year stint with Marin’s band. That time “. . . taught me more about music, and real life, than four years of a university program ever could. I got a Bachelor of Arts from York, but the Roger Marin Band gave me a Master’s degree. It also brought a new appreciation for things like songwriting, country music, Southern cuisine (and auto mechanics!).

       Now to the music. Some of Phil’s friends call it Cobain-Country. Phil’s own descriptions follows:

       “Somewhere between Texas and Seattle, Phil decided that Americana needed louder guitars and Grunge needed better lyrics.

      Imagine if Buck Owens joined Big Sugar. This is guitar-driven alt-country, with introspective heartbroken vocals. If you are looking for slick, overproduced Pablum Country, we suggest looking elsewhere.” “Imagine if Curt Cobain smiled a little more and left his distortion pedal and band at home. Now add some creative folk sounds, a beard and flannel.”

       Phil has recently released an EP titled Valentina and is currently working on this third full length CD – tentatively titled Funeral Blues.

Red Molly

       A festival favorite, Red Molly, returns to ROTR for the first time since 2009. Laurie MacAllister (guitar Banjo, bass) , Abbie Gardner (dobro, guitar) and Carolann Solebello (guitar, bass) formed the band accidently in 2004 when each of them performed as solo artists at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. The three of them sat around at an after hours campfire singing and talking about their favorite songwriters. They realized that they had stumbled into something extraordinary and Red Molly was born.

       Since their formation Red Molly has been touring the country, performing music that the Boston Globe says includes “. . . tick-tight arrangements, crystalline vocals and caramel harmonies.” They regularly play all of the major folk festivals, including Falcon Ridge, Merlefest and the Philadelphia Folk Festival and have appeared on NPR’s Mountain Stage. The past eight years have also seen the release of an EP and four full length albums. 2008’s Love and Other Tragedies spent ten weeks in the top 15 of the Americana music chart and 2010’s James spent four months on the Americana Charts – peaking at #4.

       In 2010 founding member Carolann Sorbello announced that she was leaving Red Molly to spend more time with her family and to pursue solo opportunities. She has been replaced by Austin based singer- songwriter Molly Venter. Molly is a 2008 finalist in the Kerrville Folk Festival’s New Folk competition and took second place at the Rocky Mountain Folk Fest Songwriter Showcase (also in 2008). MacAllister says, “Molly has a unique, edgy tone to her voice. Her sound is a bit pop-oriented, and while it hasn’t changed our overall sound, I’d say it’s a bit more gutsy, upbeat and modern.”

       Red Molly is now touring to support their new album Light in the Sky, a 14 track collection of a cappella ballads, bluegrass-tinged folk and jazzy western swing. The new album is generating some national excitement and in January was #1 on the Folk DJ list and stood at #10 on the Americana Chart.

       We welcome Red Molly’s great three part harmonies and warm and engaging stage presence back to the festival.

Roger Marin Band

       “The young man is a modern day traveling minstrel. He is the epitome of roots music because he gets to the soul of the matter: a song that everyone relates to because he’s tapping into the human condition. He charms his audience by singing about Texas moons, road trips. . .” (gilliangates.com).

       Festival veteran Roger Marin returns to Roots on the River for the 13th time in 2012. Roger began his career at the age of 14 playing the bars of Ontario with his father and uncle. “I was too young to be in bars, so I’d have to sit in the kitchen on breaks.” That experience built up in him a love of the musician’s life and it became clear what his path would be.

       Eventually he landed a spot playing lead guitar and pedal steel in Fred Eaglesmith’s band. This began a period of heavy international touring and a honing of his craft. On Eaglesmith’s importance to his career: “He has been the biggest influence on my career. For example, I never wrote a song till I was 23. I did not understand how until I joined his band. He has always been a big mentor to me.”

       After six years of touring and recording with Fred, Marin branched out on his own to start a solo career. He has released three solo albums (Roger Marin Jr., High Road and Silvertown), tours North America constantly with his own band and hosts the Cicada Fest music festival. In addition, he is a sought after sideman, adding his talents to recordings by Mark Jungers, Gordie Tentrees, Alun Piggins and Scott Nolan.

       Roger’s music falls into the alt-country/ roots rock genres. “When people call me a country musician, they are thinking Tim McGraw. To me that’s not really country, to me country is Buck Owens. I’m more influenced by outlaw country.” Most of what he does is original music and he has co-written songs with some of the best (Willie P. Bennett, Eaglesmith and Adam Carroll). “Most of my music is pretty honest, because everything I write I have gone through growing up on the road. When you live 300 days of the year on the road, you tend to write honestly about the ups and downs of the lifestyle.”

       Over the years we have watched Roger grow and mature as a performer and songwriter. His set under the tent on Saturday is sure to be one of the highlights of the festival.

Steel Wheels

       Steel Wheels belongs to that hazy music genre known as Americana. A look at their instrumentation brings bluegrass to mind, but that does them a disservice. Their music is actually a unique mix of blues, bluegrass, fiddle tunes with maybe a bit of gospel inflection thrown in. Clearly they are musical innovators that won’t allow easy categorization. John Walker of Americana Roots describes them as follows: “Imagine a blend of the passion of the Avett Brothers, the instrumentals of Old Crow Medicine Show, and then sprinkle in the backwoods feel of The Legendary Shack Shakers. In truth, attempting to compare (the Steel Wheels) to anyone is an injustice, since after one listen you can hear that they stand very well on their own perch.”

       The band’s beginnings were in 2004 when Trent Wagler (vocals, guitar, banjo) opened a show for Jay Lapp’s (mandolin, guitar, vocals) band The Goldmine Pickers. Jay hopped on stage and the two formed a musical bond that has now lasted eight years and spawned five albums (solo, duo and Steel Wheels). The other members of the band are Brian Dickel (bass, vocals) and Eric Brubaker (fiddle, vocals).

       Steel Wheels is based in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia. They travel extensively and are a festival favorite- having performed at the Rhythm and Roots Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival, Ocrafolk, Floydfest and the Appalachian Uprising. Their success is in major part due to their live performances. “There is purity and power in the sound of this band that few come close to tapping. Tight pickin’, passionate energy, and Wagler’s voice soars like an eagle.” (Martin Anderson, WNCW).

       2010 was a break-through year for Steel Wheels. The band’s album, Red Wing, spent 13 weeks on the Americana Charts – peaking at #15 and also cracked the EuroAmericana top ten. It received five nominations at the Independent Music Awards, with the song “Nothing You Can’t Lose” winning for Best Country Song. Red Wing was also named one of the best albums of the year by Maverick magazine.

       In 2011 the band followed Red Wing with a live album, The Steel Wheels – Live at Goose Creek. Recorded at the Franklin Park Performing Arts Center in Western Loudoun County, Virginia, Stuart Martin (Goose Creek Music) says, “The band performed with great dynamics and tight ensemble play that night. It’s unusual for a band to play so flawlessly that every song can be published with a single take. When we started looking for things to cut, we couldn’t find a single song we could live without, so we put the entire concert on the album.”

       Steel Wheels comes to Roots on the River on the heels of their March 2012 release of their new album Lay Down, Lay Low.

Tall Heights

       Tall Heights is a fixture in the Boston folk music scene but it wasn’t always that way. In the summer of 2010 Tim Harrington (guitar and vocals) and Paul Wright (cello and vocals) were playing for spare change in Boston’s Faneuil Hall. In less than two years they have graduated to sharing stages with national acts like David Wilcox, Ryan Montbleau, Andrew Belle and Barefoot Truth, sold over 2,000 copies of their debut record, headlined packed houses across New England, and toured Boston to Austin to showcase at the South by Southwest Music Festival.

       Tall Heights debut album Smoke Signals was released in 2010. They come to Roots on the River supporting their 2011 EP Rafters. No less than David Wilcox says “. . . beautiful harmonies, exquisite musicianship, intricate songwriting. I love it when the bar is set so high.”

The Break Maids

       The Break Maids are a trio of talented women from Andover and Chester, Vermont that formed into a band in March of 2012. Ida Mae Sprecker plays fiddle, washboard and drums. Faith Wood and Emily Burkland both play electric bass and guitar. All three contribute vocals.

       Fresh off the hill, these local gals are gaining momentum with their raw and powerful original music. Combining their contagious energy and fearless vocals, the Break Maids serve a sweet mix of ballad blues and glam rock ‘n’ roll with a heavy splash of folk-punk.

Waylon Speed

       “Filthy rotten underground outlaw dirt rock” is how Waylon Speed describes their music. Brothers Justin and Noah Crowther, Kelly Raven and Reverend Chitwood Hammaker have been busy since they rocked downtown Bellows Falls at last year’s Roots on the River Festival. In addition to relentless touring they released the EP The Boots in the fall of 2011 and come to the festival this year on the heels of the April 28 release of their new disc Valance.

       The band has shared stages with the likes of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Little Feat, Jane’s Addiction and Blues Traveler. Their debut release was 2009’s Georgia Overdrive, described as “Gas on the fire of the current music scene, it’s heavy, fiery country rock, for those who like their punk rock with some twang in it- but also appreciate high quality, intelligent songwriting.”

       Waylon Speed lists influences ranging from Motorhead to the Drive By Truckers to Frank Zappa – but make no mistake their sound is original. They will have the mill rocking on Thursday night.