Bristol Rhythm & Roots Fest Announces Initial 2024 Lineup
If you want to see some of the best damn artists and bands in all of country and roots music, but you don’t want to deal with the hassles of the emerging megafestivals or to fork your money over to the cretins at LiveNation, the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion in Bristol, TN/VA might be right for you. Brought to you by the Birthplace of Country Music Museum that’s an affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, attending Bristol Rhythm and Roots is a way to support a good cause.
But forget all the goody two-shoes reasons for a second. If you go to Bristol Rhythm and Roots in 2024, you’ll get your face rocked off by 49 Winchester, The Red Clay Strays, Silverada, and Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway—all of which are considered some of the best live bands in the business.
Add to that some of the most true honky tonkers around like Dale Watson and Jesse Daniel, bluegrass superpickers like AJ Lee & Blue Summit and Sam Bush, and excellent songwriters like Drayton Farley and Tommy Prine, Bristol Rhythm and Roots has it all. Along with the big headliners like Ashley McBryde, the festival offers a great opportunity at discovery. After all, the explosion of interest in 49 Winchester pretty much grew out of the festival.
Ever since The Bristol Sessions happened there in 1927, the town has been a cultural epicenter, and downtown turns into a full fledged performance space for three days, this year transpiring between September 13th and 15th.
This is just the initial lineup, with a bunch of other acts to be added in the coming months. But if you already excited enough to go ahead and pull the trigger, you can purchase tickets at bristolrhythm.com.
March 1, 2024 @ 7:40 am
…had it been “mike and the fudge rounds”, i could understand getting the name changed. this way, i still can’t keep that “seriously?” expression totally out of my face, when i hear or read “silverada”. what was wrong with occupying a full line of any line up with your sticky band name all by yourself? drunk dialling, drunk tattoo choosing or drunk name changing, which one is more regrettable?
March 1, 2024 @ 10:22 am
The problem is that we never even saw the name “Mike and the Moonpies” on any of these festival posters at all previously, let alone above the fold in big font like on this one. It’s still early, but I’m already seeing more pickup on this year’s festival circuit for these guys. That was the point of shaking things up.
March 1, 2024 @ 8:15 am
Oh that’s a tasty lineup. And just look at all the ladies in big font. Finally a festival figures out how to get the right mix.
I’ll probably get skewered for this again, but Elvie Shane dropped a helluva good song today called “Does Heaven Have a Creek.” Gospel-tinged piano slow burner that just builds to an all out revival. For fans of Red Clay Strays I think this song is right there with their gospel inspired stuff.
March 1, 2024 @ 8:22 am
Not to take away from this awesome festival yet again, but Joe Stamm just announced he’s releasing a record on April 5th with Charles Wesley Godwin and his band, The Allegheny High. It’s called “Allegheny.” This seems HUGE for Joe.
March 1, 2024 @ 8:47 am
Ha ha saw Wilderado and I thought oh no they spelled Silverada wrong! Love the “formerly known” note.
Sounds like a great fest.
March 1, 2024 @ 11:15 am
The 2027 festival is gonna be a blowout. That being the 100th birthday of Country Music in it’s birthplace. Hopefully there will be many acts celebrating the two original inventors of Country Music, The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers.
March 1, 2024 @ 1:14 pm
I’ve been to Bristol Rhythm and Roots 3 times. It’s an amazing festival. Kinda like a small town version of Austin city limits or South by Southwest (just the music part). Bristol is really cool city nestled in the mountains. The tickets are also a pretty great value compared to other festivals like it. Highly recommend and hop to go back soon!!
March 2, 2024 @ 8:12 pm
Agree. I’ve been there four times. Just a great festival and even for the biggest names the crowds aren’t as bad as other festivals. I’ve seen a number of non-headlining performers there for the first time that I’ve enjoyed including American Aquarium, 49 Winchester, JP Harris, Jamie Lin Wilson, Wild Reeds and Spirit Family Reunion who were a lot of fun. Unfortunately I won’t be able to make it this year as the lineup is looking really good.
March 2, 2024 @ 8:03 am
Just read a write up on roni stoneman who passed away quite recently. It was pretty good. Kind of surprised that it hadn’t been mentioned on this site given that the stoneman family is as responsible for rootsy or hillbilly type music as some say and of course bluegrass and country by proxy. I’ll admit I wasn’t up on them and her as I should have been.
March 2, 2024 @ 9:15 am
Here. Here you go, so you, and everyone else can summarily ignore it since you already know about her death, but can feel warm and fuzzy that I covered it.
https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/remembering-first-lady-of-the-banjo-roni-stoneman-rip/
As I said in another response to this comment:
Nobody is more disappointed that I didn’t have the time to write an obituary for Roni Stoneman than myself. I work 72 hours a week, and have made significant sacrifices in my life to keep this website going. Unfortunately, I just can’t cover everything. So what I try to do is cover the things nobody else is covering. Few if anyone covered this release by Jonathan Peyton. I did. Nobody was speaking up for the country legacy of Ray Charles, so I did. Nobody was standing up for the future of the Ernest Tubb Record Shop, so I did. No other outlet is covering Kimmi Bitter, so I will.
This is what Saving Country Music does. Like you said, Roni Stoneman got obituaries in the New York Times and Washington Post, as well as probably 100 other outlets. If I would have had the time, I would have written one too. But I didn’t. It’s strange to me that the biggest criticism I receive is always for things people already know about.
I am a one man operation. There are outlets with multiple employees and the backing of multi-million-dollar and multi-national corporations that produce half as much content as I do, and they never get criticized for what they don’t cover. I get attacked all the time because I didn’t review this album, or talk about that artist. It’s literally because I produce so much content that everyone expects me to cover everything. And when I don’t cover something, they take it as a slight toward that artist or subject.
I’m sorry for the rant, but websites are closing down left and right. 90% of the outlets in this space that were around 10 years ago are gone. Folks are going to have to start realizing the economic realities here, and be a little more grateful.
March 2, 2024 @ 9:46 am
Oh I didn’t mean anything by it far as on your end. I know you have lots going on. I just thought I would mention it since some times need like this slips through the cracks. The write up im referring to wasn’t really an obituary. I’m not sure where it came from. More just a personal perspective from someone that had covered her and her family. So sorry for any misunderstanding.
March 26, 2024 @ 8:45 am
Trigger – Have you been to this festival before? Was wondering if you happen to know if artists get multiple sets at this fest?
March 26, 2024 @ 9:01 am
I have not. I am hoping to go this year.