Grassroots Still Rocks – In a Folkie Kinda Way

I was happy to attend Grassroots again this year. Not only was great music there, but the vibe of the people who attended was a great escape from the news headlines.

GrassRoots

Yes, one of my big takeaways this year is that Grassroots is a chance for me to celebrate life with people who care. Now, of course I know that we can’t speak in generalities about a crowd. All I can tell you is that everyone I spoke with or interacted with at the festival were kind hearted and loving people. I heard it in their voices and saw it in their eyes.

As always, the Dance Tent was home base. It provides a bit of shelter from the sunshine when our sunscreen is wearing off. Typically, it also offers a bit of a reprieve from rain. That was not the case this year.

No Rain

That’s right, we had no rain at all for the entire 4 days of Grassroots. Pretty amazing. My local co-workers were disappointed that they wouldn’t be getting the “Grassroots rain” on their lawns and gardens.

All joking aside, the lack of rain was mostly a blessing. We didn’t have to deal with soggy clothes and such. It also meant that the hot days were just plain hot.

Overall, the festival was a blast. As always, there was great music, fun (not healthy) food, and the wonderful people.

I wasn’t able to see every act I wanted to. But there were hidden gems far beyond the headliners.

One of my favorites was on the first day of the Grassroots festival. Sure enough, Road Man peaked my interest. Not only does the lead singer and songwriter, JP (John Petronzio), play a Hammond B3, but he had it hooked up to a genuine Leslie speaker.

If that means nothing to you, no worries. Suffice it to say: I was geeking out.

So Much Music

One set can never tell you all you need to know about a band. But the musicians I heard did their finest to put on a show and engage with the audience. Many of the players were impressive. Musical styles at this year’s Grassroots ranged from folk singer-songwriter to full-out rock.

Though it could still have been improved in many cases, the sound was better than the year before. In particular, I was impressed by the sound crew in The Cabaret. Their patience in getting sound checks “just so” was wonderful to witness.

Grassroots Soul

Another source of joy this year at Grassroots was the number and excellence of soul and R&B acts. Here are just a few of the awesome acts in or very near to this genre that I heard.

And the main/top photo on this post is Shawn Seals and SMX. What a great set they performed in The Infield!

Friends and More

As always, I hung out with my spouse, friends, and strangers. We danced, laughed, and may have indulged a bit more than usual. But it was definitely worth being there for the joy of community.

As I said, this year I was particularly in awe of the laughter and carefreeness I witnessed. In weird times like these, we can all use a little time to enjoy the spark of life at a music festival.

If you want more from Grassroots (including the Happiness Parade!), check out my threads on Instagram, BlueSky, Mastodon, and — you guessed it — Threads.