Sunday at Bristol Rhythm ’22 dominated by roots legends, strong indie undercard

Junior Brown kept the energy strong late afternoon on the Piedmont Stage on Sunday of Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion 2022. Photo by Bill Foster.

by Luke Brogden

Photos by Bill Foster

featuring a “Final Word” and photo from D-B EXCEL student reporter Ben Berry.


Another successful Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion has come and gone. The 21st installment of the beloved annual roots festival did not disappoint. A strong batch of unique up-and-comers like Vaden Landers and Miko Marks won over many new fans and warmed the crowd up for hot sets from established indie roots acts like The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, one of the biggest dark horse draws of the weekend.

But the day was arguably owned by some of the most iconic roots artists on the bill: Jim Lauderdale, Junior Brown, and Roseanne Cash.

The festival plowed through another brief rainy patch that the audience was inured to after the Saturday’s deluge; sundresses and tank tops came back out to flap in the sunny breezy afternoon air. The efficiency of these festival teams is astonishing, especially given how many are volunteers or workers for participating local businesses; the other stages were expertly timed to end one after the other like dominoes down State Street towards Cash’s closing set, with teams coming behind to dismantle the equipment and load it into tractor trailers shortly after the bands left the stages.

Cash’s headline set was such a magnetic draw that throngs of people swelled towards the stage for her set rather than leave early to beat traffic. A favorite of BLANK’s was the early set rendition of “The Long Black Veil” and singalong classics from Cash’s and her father’s era as well as old-time standards abounded, sending folks home happy like they’d been to a weekend retreat of the Roots Church.

BLANK’s interns from Dobyns-Bennett EXCEL STEM Academy gave their first festival experience rave reviews and in turn their contributions have received praise from folks around the community and we encourage you to scroll to the bottom and check out “The Last Word” by Ben Berry.

Thanks for following BLANK for the most comprehensive festival coverage, and we’ll see you next year!

Favorites on Sunday:

Jim Lauderdale helmed a band of classic country aces on the Piedmont Stage, just down the street from the stage that permanently bears his name and highlights just what a fixture he is in the roots world, from his solo work to songwriting for others to hosting shows like WDVXs Tennessee Shines in the past. Gracious and humble, Lauderdale is the consummate showman and gave the audience a big bang for their buck.

The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band brought the Near Moore Stage it’s biggest and rowdiest crowd of the weekend. A big personality, voice, and instrumental talent, the charismatic front man paced the stage like a tent revival preacher and his Big Damn Band pumped out a dynamic roots-funk instrumental mix. This show possibly had the most rabidly engaged crowd all weekend.

Fireside Collective brought high-energy jam grass to the Machiavelli’s Tent.

Dustbowl Revival put a progressive ska-funk spin on roots rock with a large ensemble of horn and string players compelling an outbreak of dance throughout the 7th Street Stage tent.

Jake Blount fused electronica and indie rock with classic old-time on the Lauderdale Stage.

MSG Acoustic Blues Trio were perfectly situated inside the pristine chamber of the Paramount Theater playing a gorgeously sparse acoustic old-time and blues -the three old friends were seated and on acoustic, mandolin, banjolele and other instruments alternating and shared jokes and stories like they were on a back porch with close friends.

Miko Marks

Miko Marks brought a joyful folk-soul noise and an inspiring story, informing listeners it’s never too late to chase their dreams, as she didn’t start performing until 30 and is beginning to ‘make it’ at 50.

Junior Brown was dressed to the nines and tearing up his combo lap steel and electric, continued his tradition of rockabilly revival to an adoring crowd of longtime fans. He’s getting long in the tooth but he can still rock with the best of them, even without allowing his drummer a kick drum (legend has it a fill-in drummer tried to show up with one once and Junior rolled the kick down some stairs).

Briston Maroney received the largest block of the “youth vote” of any performer all weekend, as younger indie-inclined folks flocked to the Cumberland Park Stage to hear his dynamic psychedelic/indie-inflected pop-rock. Former Subtle Clutch bandmate Devin Badgett has been touring with him playing some gnarly leads and the rest of his band was top-notch. This Knoxville artist continues to build momentum and may just be the next big thing.

Roseanne Cash

Roseanne Cash closed out Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion 2022 on the State Street Stage on Sunday evening.

The Last Word 

by D-B EXCEL STEM Academy Journalism I student Ben Berry

Vaden Landers in the Cameo Theatre on State Street in Downtown Bristol on Sunday of Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion 2022. Photo by D-B EXCEL STEM Academy Journalism I student Ben Berry.

Bristol Rhythm and Roots returned last weekend for its 21st year. For many people this was the return of a yearly tradition, but for me it was my first time experiencing it. In short, I really enjoyed the festival and had a lot of fun. One thing that surprised me initially was the massive amount of people at the festival. The music, of course, was a highlight of my experience. While I was at the festival on Saturday, I managed to see five artists, my favorites being Kyshona (soul and R&B) and Vaden Landers (country). I loved the environment and atmosphere of the place; it all-in-all felt very friendly. The only real gripe or negative remark I have about my experience was that initially I had trouble finding my way around. I think that maybe having a “you are here” marker on the larger maps scattered around the festival could help with any confusion. Besides that, if you’re a fan of country music or just music in general I would definitely recommend the Bristol Rhythm & Roots festival. 

 

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