ROOTSY SUMMER FEST 22
ROOTSY SUMMER FEST 22
// NOT DARK YET //
FRIDAY 19/8 // NOT DARK YET //
As the clouds gathered on the banks of the Ätran, the stage was set for a celebration of life and love and music. The Rootsy team put together an exquisite smorgasbord of contemporary honky tonk heroes, topped off with some local legends. Falcons & Falconettes, fill up the glass and prepare for battle!
As the clouds gathered on the banks of the Ätran, the stage was set for a celebration of life and love and music. The Rootsy team put together an exquisite smorgasbord of contemporary honky tonk heroes, topped off with some local legends. Falcons & Falconettes, fill up the glass and prepare for battle!
Text: Ruben Bertrands, Photo: OrneIla La Brau [Link: ornebrau.photo]
ZG Smith
ZG Smith
ZG Smith, who would make several appearances throughout the day, fired the first shot. The Nashville based multi-instrumentalist may be a man of many colors - ‘the best pants in the business’, dixit Anna Tivel - his songwriting paves the road between the gravel of Shakey Graves and the craftsmanship of Waylon Jennings. Bonus points for the longest harmonica note of the day!
ZG Smith, who would make several appearances throughout the day, fired the first shot. The Nashville based multi-instrumentalist may be a man of many colors - ‘the best pants in the business’, dixit Anna Tivel - his songwriting paves the road between the gravel of Shakey Graves and the craftsmanship of Waylon Jennings. Bonus points for the longest harmonica note of the day!
Jeffrey Martin
Jeffrey Martin
Jeffrey Martin had a self-proclaimed water buffalo in his throat, but that didn’t hinder his vocal qualities all that much. Storytelling is an art, and ‘daddy was one long cigarette’ is a line that tells more than a psychologist is willing to reveal. Cultivate that garden in your mind, because we want to come and visit more often.
Jeffrey Martin had a self-proclaimed water buffalo in his throat, but that didn’t hinder his vocal qualities all that much. Storytelling is an art, and ‘daddy was one long cigarette’ is a line that tells more than a psychologist is willing to reveal. Cultivate that garden in your mind, because we want to come and visit more often.
Anna Tivel
Anna Tivel
The changing of the guards brought us Anna Tivel, the only fair voiced angel amidst the devil’s apprentices. Anna combines the soft touch of early Joni Mitchell with the confidence of a mermaid with many-a shipwreck on her permanent record.
The changing of the guards brought us Anna Tivel, the only fair voiced angel amidst the devil’s apprentices. Anna combines the soft touch of early Joni Mitchell with the confidence of a mermaid with many-a shipwreck on her permanent record.
Sara Schook & The Disarmers
Sara Schook & The Disarmers
Sara Schook & The Disarmers delivered a set of southern groove & fuzz that was inherently original. If Dolly Parton’s illegitimate daughter grew up on a Sonic Youth diet, she would follow this band to the end of the earth. ‘Drinking water tonight cause I drank all the whisky this morning’. Bottom’s up!
Sara Schook & The Disarmers delivered a set of southern groove & fuzz that was inherently original. If Dolly Parton’s illegitimate daughter grew up on a Sonic Youth diet, she would follow this band to the end of the earth. ‘Drinking water tonight cause I drank all the whisky this morning’. Bottom’s up!
Theo Lawrence
Theo Lawrence
If cryo chambers and time travel are a real thing, I’m putting my money on Theo Lawrence. He walked straight off the train onto the stage, breathing black and white & picking that guitar like a French lover… A sharp-dressed man that plays two murder ballads in a row will surely stand the test of time.
If cryo chambers and time travel are a real thing, I’m putting my money on Theo Lawrence. He walked straight off the train onto the stage, breathing black and white & picking that guitar like a French lover… A sharp-dressed man that plays two murder ballads in a row will surely stand the test of time.
True Strays
True Strays
True Strays brought all of their pub experience to Summer Fest, with immediate success: they had the crowd singing sweet melodies in no time, whilst channeling their inner Stooges and rocking that resonator till the juice ran down our leg… It’s very rare to have two lead singers in one band who are willing to share the limelight, but that might be the secret of this band: it’s a family affair.
True Strays brought all of their pub experience to Summer Fest, with immediate success: they had the crowd singing sweet melodies in no time, whilst channeling their inner Stooges and rocking that resonator till the juice ran down our leg… It’s very rare to have two lead singers in one band who are willing to share the limelight, but that might be the secret of this band: it’s a family affair.
Amythyst Kiah
Amythyst Kiah
Amythyst Kiah got a standing ovation for her soundcheck - Vera Hall’s ‘Trouble So Hard’. Rightly so: when Moby calls you to do a duet with Gregory Porter, you’re the real deal. She is now officially a Grammy winning artist, and I foresee more trophies on her chimney in the not so distant future.
Amythyst Kiah got a standing ovation for her soundcheck - Vera Hall’s ‘Trouble So Hard’. Rightly so: when Moby calls you to do a duet with Gregory Porter, you’re the real deal. She is now officially a Grammy winning artist, and I foresee more trophies on her chimney in the not so distant future.
Devon Gilfillian
Devon Gilfillian
Devon Gilfillian can break a heart of stone. The control that oozes from this man is exhilarating: sweet and soft backstage, an absolute machine on the buhne. Backed up by a toughened groove machine, he delivered a set that ranged from free flowin’ soul to down low blues. And that voice… sexy like Marvin Gaye on the town, rough like Ben Harper the day after. The grand finale - a postmodern remake of The Last Waltz with the lads from True Strays as special guests - was a worthy apotheosis of the first day at Rootsy Summer Fest: an explosion of joy and musicianship, paying tribute to the roots… real music for real people, as promised. F*ck Fake!
Devon Gilfillian can break a heart of stone. The control that oozes from this man is exhilarating: sweet and soft backstage, an absolute machine on the buhne. Backed up by a toughened groove machine, he delivered a set that ranged from free flowin’ soul to down low blues. And that voice… sexy like Marvin Gaye on the town, rough like Ben Harper the day after. The grand finale - a postmodern remake of The Last Waltz with the lads from True Strays as special guests - was a worthy apotheosis of the first day at Rootsy Summer Fest: an explosion of joy and musicianship, paying tribute to the roots… real music for real people, as promised. F*ck Fake!
Text: Ruben Bertrands
Photo: OrneIla La Brau [ornebrau.photo]