GrassRoots Festival Blog

Lost and Found!

2009-07-20T15:24:00.000-07:00

Hey all! What a great festival, eh? We're still a little too exhausted to go into a full recap, but a lot of people are getting in touch looking for various things that they lost. We've delivered everything of value that we've found thus far to the Trumansburg Police Department, who you can call at 607-387-6505 (their non-emergency number) if you have a lost item. We don't have a record of this stuff at our office; it's best to just call them directly.

Camping Information - If You're Camping, Please Read!

2009-06-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

If you've got your onsite vehicle and camping passes all ready to go, you're probably starting to wonder what the deal is with pre-festival parking on Rabbit Run Road. Well, we've got a definitive answer: the road will open up for parking on Tuesday, July 14 at 3:00 pm. Regular parking rules apply - all four tires off the pavement, watch for signs, and PLEASE respect the neighbors. This is all the same as last year, no changes.

Another camping note: if you were planning on camping at the camping area owned and operated by the Falls Tavern (our next-door neighbors North of the Fairgrounds on Route 96), you'll need to make other plans. This area will not be a campground this year, it will only be a parking area. Again, this change only affects the area owned and operated by the Falls Tavern, NOT any of our onsite camping.

That's all the news I've got for now! Let me know if you have questions!

Upping the Ante on Compost

2009-03-29T19:54:00.001-07:00

GrassRoots has always been proud of the fact that we compost. Many major festivals don't even offer recycling facilities, so the fact that we offset over 10,000 lbs. of waste last year by turning it back into dirt makes us feel pretty good. Last year was the first year that our hospitality barn (where we feed performers and staff) became a waste-free facility - all utensils and tableware were compostable, and everything else was recyclable - and this year, we're turning the dial all the way to eleven.

Food vendors will be serving up your delicious treats on the same sort of compostable tableware that we've been using backstage, so no matter what meal you purchase, you'll be able to compost all of your scraps afterward. We're giving you a heads-up on this now, and we'll remind you again later, because if this is your first experience with compostable flatware and cups, you might find it a little strange. Yes, that fork DOES look like it's plastic, but it's actually made out of corn starch, and you can go ahead and throw it in the blue bin. We also want you to keep this in mind when you're making your packing decisions. Yes, it's convenient to bring a big ol' sleeve of plastic cups for your campsite margaritas, but if you bring reusable cups (or even compostable ones - you actually can find them in some better-stocked organic grocery stores), you'll be part of the solution.

Festivals can be terrifying feats of excess, leaving giant piles of useless garbage in their wake, but they don't have to be. We can do our part to keep our footprint closer to neutral. Need a little inspiration? Check out this cool video that our Master Composters put together after last year's event:

Onsite Vehicle and RV Camping are SOLD OUT!

2009-02-26T07:48:00.000-08:00

We've set a new record, folks. Onsite vehicle and RV camping sold out in under two weeks after they went on sale, and the waiting list is also well over capacity, so we're not adding any more names.

There is still onsite tent camping available, if you really want to be on the festival site. You can buy that online or by calling our office at 607-387-5098.

For anyone who did order vehicle camping already, your tickets will be in the mail within a few weeks. For those of you who are on the waiting list, you'll be getting a call within a couple of days to let you know whether or not we're able to sell you a ticket.

Onsite Camping and Early Bird Tickets are On Sale NOW!

2009-02-14T09:28:00.000-08:00

... get 'em while they're hot! On-site camping tickets won't last long.

Early bird tickets are available through May 1.

Early Bird Tickets and Onsite Camping go on Sale Feb. 14

2009-01-26T20:58:00.000-08:00

Feb. 14 falls on a Saturday this year, but since we've ALWAYS put tickets on sale on Cupid Day, we didn't want to mess with anyone's calendar. Early bird tickets will be available online, over the phone, or at one of our ticket outlets (see the Tickets page on our website - we'll have outlets listed there soon, they'll mostly be the same as last year). Camping and youth tickets are only available online or over the phone.

If you're in or near Ithaca, remember that our last State Theatre show of the season is coming up: The Flatlanders are coming to town on April 3. The Flatlanders are Butch Hancock, Joe Ely, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Some of you GrassRoots veterans will remember Jimmie Dale Gilmore's incredible performance from several years back - we're still talking about it. Butch Hancock and Joe Ely are just as amazing, and all together... well, let's just say it ain't no joke. We'll see you there!

Currently Listening: The Flatlanders - 'More a Legend Than a Band'

Currently Watching: The Big Lebowski (Jimmie Dale Gilmore plays Smokey in this movie)

Last Call for Holiday Special!

2009-01-13T11:57:00.001-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Have you gotten your tickets for GrassRoots 2009 yet? Remember that they're available at the super-cheap price of $65 for four days until January 15 - that's Thursday of this week! Get 'em while they're hot and save a few bucks. As always, early bird tickets and camping tickets will go on sale on February 14.

Did you know that you can follow the GrassRoots Festival on Twitter? We're at http://twitter.com/GrassRootsFest - so if you're a twitterer (tweeter? twit?) you can "follow" us and see what we're listening to, working on, etc. Nothing fancy, but it might give you some fun insider views on the strange musings of our team.

We've also got a Facebook fan page and a MySpace page, so if you do the social networking thang, join up with us at your network of choice!

We've also started a "lending group" with Kiva.org. If you don't know about Kiva, you should - they do really, really cool work in the emerging microlending/microfinancing sector. Basically, most regular people in third-world countries don't have the collateral or assets that large banking corporations require in order to fund a loan. What Kiva has done is make it possible, through smaller organizations called "field partners," for people in wealthier nations to directly fund small business loans for entrepreneurs in the third world. You make a loan of $25 to an entrepreneur of your choice (there are profiles set up on the website so you can choose what sort of business you'd like to help fund), and several other people join in with loans as well. Kiva distributes the money to the businessperson, who then repays the loan over a period of several months to a year. You get your money back, and you can re-loan it if you want, or just withdraw it. The entrepreneur gets funded in a good, honest, transparent way. Everybody wins! Kiva has won oodles of awards in the non-profit industry for the great work that they do, so we thought it'd be a fun thing to share with you. It's easy to join our lending group - once you've created an account, click on the word "community," do a search for "grassroots," and we're the first thing that comes up.

Looks like that's all the business we've got for today. Remember that you can post comments on this blog, so if you're thinking about anything in particular, feel free to leave a note and let us know!

GrassRoots Tickets Go On Sale TODAY!

2008-11-13T21:03:00.000-08:00

The GrassRoots Festival holiday ticket special is BACK and it starts TODAY! Yes, we can't believe it either - it seems like only yesterday that we were dancing in the infield, but it's winter now (we've even had snow a couple of times!) and we're battening down the hatches and getting ourselves set up for another GREAT festival! GrassRoots 2009 will be held July 16-19 at the Trumansburg Fairgrounds in Trumansburg, New York.

We know that economic times are tough, so we've decided to keep 2009 GrassRoots ticket prices the same as the 2008 prices. That means that, at the holiday special price, 4-day passes are only $65! Four days, four nights, four stages and over 70 bands... it's a steal of a deal, and they make a great present for everyone on your list. Tickets are ONLY available at the holiday price until January 14th. Early bird tickets and all camping goes on sale February 14th. In case you were wondering, that in-between month is when your neighborhood friendly GrassRoots office staff gets to catch up on sleep before the mad rush begins - your vacation is in mid-July, ours is in mid-January. You *might* be getting a better deal.

And hey, if you definitely want these to give as Christmas presents, you need to order them by December 12, in order for us to get them to you in the mail. If you want them for the first day of Hanukkah (Dec. 21), you should order them by December 10. If you celebrate another holiday and want them for gifts, use your good judgment and these relative guidelines to make sure you order them in time.

So head on over to our website and pick up your tickets now - we can even ship them straight to your giftee, complete with a nondenominational holiday card. While you're at the website, have a look around. You'll notice that we've fancied up a bit and added a new GrassRoots gift shop - t-shirts, Klean Kanteen water bottles, and more... if you forgot to pick up your shirt at this year's festival, you can get one now! And in other exciting news, we've moved from our old slowwwww credit card system to PayPal, which means we are finally able to take all four of the major credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express, and it'll make it faster for you and much less likely that there'll be mistakes at either of our ends. Woo hoo!

Until next summer, keep visions of GrassRoots dancing in your head - that's how we stay warm, and we're pretty sure it'll work for you, too.

Post-Festival Housekeeping: Trumansburg Fair, State Theatre, and more!

2008-08-15T09:21:00.000-07:00

The festival afterglow is starting to fade, and here in the GrassRoots office, we're starting to get very excited for some of our late-summer plans, as well as some of the fun stuff we've got going this winter.

TRUMANSBURG FAIR MUSIC NIGHT - August 21

Keeping up with our favorite new tradition, this year will mark the second annual incarnation of the Ithaca music extravaganza at the Trumansburg Fair. It'll involve a slew of your favorite local musicians - Jeb Puryear, Tara Nevins, Sim Redmond, Hank Roberts, Crow Greenspun, Richie Stearns, Johnny Dowd, Kevin Kinsella, Mary Lorson, J-San, Trevor MacDonald, Rising Sun and E-Rich, and too many more to be named. It's going to be AWESOME, and the best part? It's free! You have to pay admission to the fair itself (which is a very affordable $4 and includes parking), but otherwise, it's a gift to the community from GrassRoots and these exceptional musicians. We'll see you there!

STATE THEATRE SERIES - Beginning Sept. 11

Kicking off this year's GrassRoots at the State Theatre will be an evening with Steve Earle and Allison Moorer. Those names speak for themselves, I think, and we're beside ourselves with excitement.

Also in the series will be Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings on November 1, and The Flatlanders on April 1 of next year. This series was ludicrously fun for us last year, and we can't wait for them to start this year. Well, we actually can wait, because once it's State time, that means that summer is over. But at least these shows will be a great balm for the end of my favorite season.

And now, for some happy memories...

My personal favorite memory of the festival is as follows:

It's about 7:00 am on Sunday morning. I'm still awake, having zydeco danced until dawn. A group of musicians and festival staffers and friends find ourselves some pizza and perch ourselves on a pair of golf carts, gossiping and teasing each other about our various states of late-festival disarray. Suddenly, I hear what sounds like a gang war happening on the infield. It was very loud yelling, coming from two groups that were obviously opposing each other in some way. I kicked the masses off of my golf cart, and headed over to check out the scene and make sure things were okay. What did I discover? A large-scale kickball game! KICKBALL! If I hadn't been wearing flip-flops, I would've SO joined in. I love kickball. And what a wholesome, non-destructive way to burn off excessive alcohol before bedtime (actually, I had a feeling that about 50% of the players were still up, and the other 50% were the early-to-bed, early-to-rise types who had just woken up). Next year, I'm definitely campaigning for more kickball at GrassRoots. It's just awesome.

... and for those of you who need a slightly more visual experience to kick-start your memory, check out some of these videos:

GRASSROOTS COMPOSTING EFFORTS:

A NICE VIDEO FROM OLIVIER CONRARDY, A BELGIAN FILMMAKER:

Online Videos by Veoh.com

... and there are many more. And now it's your turn! What is your favorite memory of GrassRoots 2008? Leave a comment and let us know!

Last-Minute FAQs - Please Read!

2008-07-16T15:21:00.002-07:00

We've shut down the GrassRoots main office and we're all headed out to the Fairgrounds to finish our last-minute preparations. Therefore, phone calls will not be answered, starting now and lasting until sometime on Monday. We can't wait to see you all out there!

We do know that 95% of the phone calls we get at this time are folks asking the following questions, though, so here are the answers:

I ordered my tickets on July 1, and they still haven't arrived! What do I do?

All tickets ordered after July 1st are being held at the gate at Will Call. Unless you've received an email or phone call indicating that there is something wrong with your order, they'll be there. Please bring some photo ID to pick them up.

I ordered Thursday day passes and they still haven't arrived! What do I do?

No day passes were mailed out in advance, they are ALL being held at Will Call. Again, bring some photo ID and you can pick them up when you get here.

Help! I have an emergency and I need to reach my friend/child/sister/etc. at the festival! What do I do?

Call the Trumansburg Police Department non-emergency number (607-387-6505). We are in constant contact with the local law enforcement agencies and they'll pass on the information to us, and we will do our best to find that person.

I lost my tent camping ticket! What do I do?

No you didn't, silly goose. We didn't mail them out this year; they're all being held at Will Call. You can pick 'em up when you get here.

Are you SURE you don't have any Onsite Camping sites left over that you could sell me?

Yes.

Pllllllleeeeeease?

No.

Well, what am I supposed to do if I don't have Onsite Camping?

Camp at our beautiful offsite camping area at Agard Road in Trumansburg. If you're headed South on 96, you're going to pass the festival on your right and keep going about 3/4 mile (through a big dippy hill, and then just a bit further). Follow the signs and turn left onto Agard Road. You'll hit offsite camping in about 1/2 mile. If you're coming North on 96, you're going to make a right-hand turn on Agard Road shortly after Stover Lumber and the Mini-Golf Course. It's $50, which you can pay for when you get there (cash or check), and that gets you a car and two tents on your site. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Where do I park?

We only recommend two specific parking areas. One is our offsite parking area at Agard Road (follow the directions above) - it's free and constantly serviced by an air-conditioned shuttle bus. The other is sort of kitty-corner from the festival, between the Shur-Save Grocery store and Maguire Auto. That one is run by the 8th Grade Class as a fundraiser. It's $10 for the day or $40 for the weekend, and the money all goes to help pay for their field trip to Washington, D.C., where they visit the Smithsonian and Holocaust Museum and other important places. I was a kid in Trumansburg once upon a time - it's a lovely town, but it's really cool to see big, historical places once in awhile. It's a good cause, for sure, so support them!

Other parking lots are available, but we will not vouch for (nor talk poorly about) any of them - we just don't know. Street-side parking exists, but I can't recommend it... it's very easy to get towed in these here parts, and it's an expensive proposition.

Which gate do I go to?

If you're a ticketbuyer who isn't camping, a tent camping pass-holder, press, or a volunteer, you'll be entering into the front gate (Route 96). That's where the shuttle bus drops you off. If you're a musician, band guest, or vehicle camper, you'll be entering through the back gate (Rabbit Run Road). Once your wristband and camping situation is all set, you can enter or exit through either gate.

Do you have an ATM onsite?

Why, yes! It has run out before, though, so make sure you at least have enough cash on you for a meal or two.

Do you take credit cards at the gate?

We take credit cards at the front gate only. Otherwise, cash or check.

Will the festival sell out?

It is extremely unlikely. It has never happened before (we've never even approached the number where it would happen), so we have no inclination whatsoever that it would happen this year.

I can't come to the festival after all. Can I get a refund?

Nope, sorry.

Are you still accepting volunteers?

We do accept some walk-up volunteers each year, but there's no guarantee that you'll get one of those spots. You also need to be prepared to make a deposit, so have either a check or money order (for $110) or a credit card ready.

I have this really complicated ticket problem, where one of my tickets didn't come and another one came late but wasn't the right one and.... (etc.) What do I do?

It's soooooo much better to call us well in advance of the festival if you've got ticket problems. However. The best thing to do at this juncture is to arrive at the gate, go to the Will Call window and we'll do our best to clear it up.

CONFIRMED: Tuesday at 3:00

2008-07-12T05:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, so yesterday the Ithaca Journal ran an article that claimed that Rabbit Run Road would be opened at 3:30 pm on Wednesday. This is INCORRECT. The road WILL be opened on Tuesday at 3:00. Thanks for sitting tight; we just want to make sure everyone has the most complete information possible!

SCHEDULE CHANGE: Please Welcome the Lee Boys!

2008-07-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

The Lee Boys are coming to GrassRoots! This should be big news for anyone who's seen them at any of their amazing performances. This powerhouse sacred steel gospel band will fit right in here, and raise the roof off the Grandstand at 5:00 pm on Friday, and the Dance Tent at 4:00 on Saturday. These spots were going to be the Allen Boys, but they have canceled their appearance.

So here's a little something to get you excited, y'all! Here's a video of the Lee Boys playing at the Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Festival last summer:

Field Trip to the Fairgrounds

2008-07-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

So a couple of us headed on down to the T-burg Fairgrounds yesterday for our last pre-setup field trip. We were there on dull business (getting phone lines set up and turned on so the ATM and credit card machines will work), but I took my Flip video camera (highly recommended, by the way), and did a little video tour of the site as it was yesterday. Some fun moments include the infield stage trailer (yes, the infield stage is actually essentially a super-fancy engineered pop-up camper) and the giant blank field where the dance tent lives. Have a look:

Volunteers Still Needed!

2008-07-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

Update: 7/13/2008 - We're stopping volunteer signups for this year, so we have a few days to process everyone who has signed up. If you still want to volunteer, it may be possible to do so as a "walk-up" during the festival itself; feel free to check out that option by visiting the Volunteer tent after 5:00 pm on Thursday.

... but time is running short (it takes a couple of days to process each worker and get them scheduled), so sign up now! We still need lots and lots of people for lots and lots of different jobs. What's your story? I bet we can find a great volunteer gig to match it!

One new volunteer scenario we have going this year is the "Lunch Angel" position. For an explanation, we'll turn to our beautiful redheaded hospitality coordinator and maternal advice-giver extraordinaire, Katy:

Be an angel.

Help us keep the GrassRoots Festival set-up and building crew happy and full. Make a nutritious and filling lunch or dinner for 30 people and get two 4-day festival passes in return. We provide the paper, plastic, and clean up. You deliver and set-up. Contact us for dates and times needed (all take place on the days BEFORE the festival starts). DO NOT just show up with food.

Katy
Hospitality Coordinator

This is a great way to earn your tickets, especially if you're a local and a good cook. If you're interested, email me at promo@grassrootsfest.org (give me your phone number, too), and I'll put you in touch with her.

And if you're interested in doing your part during the festival, in exchange for a ticket, holler at us here.

See you all soooooooon!

NEW RULES - Vehicle Campers, Please Read!

2008-06-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

Hi, vehicle campers! Thank you for behaving yourselves and reading this post, like I just told you to.

So, you may have received a postcard from us in the mail (if you haven't, you'll either receive it within a day or two, or you threw it out with the junk mail already). That postcard delineates a very important new rule regarding vehicle camping:

YOU CANNOT PARK ON RABBIT RUN ROAD BEFORE TUESDAY (July 15) AT 3:00 PM.

That means that the happy-party-fun-time that used to happen on Rabbit Run Road starting on Sunday night before the festival (or Saturday afternoon, as was the case last year) CANNOT HAPPEN this year. So let's rock the rest of this FAQ-style:

WHEN CAN I LINE UP?

You can start lining up on Tuesday at 3:00 PM.

WHERE CAN I GO BEFORE THEN?

You will need to find legal parking or camping accommodations elsewhere. We recommend checking out some of our beautiful local state parks (check them out at our camping page under "Additional Camping Options"), or spend a couple of days exploring the beautiful Finger Lakes Wine Region. Fun!

CAN I CAMP AT THE OFFSITE PARKING LOT UNTIL TUESDAY?

Sorry, but no. Our permit regulations and insurance don't allow us to let anyone camp or park at our Agard Road lot until the morning of Thursday, July 17.

WHY IS THIS THE NEW RULE?

It's not our rule, so we're honestly not 100% clear on the reasons. The Town of Ulysses (which is the official name of the township in which the Village of Trumansburg resides) has decided that it's in the best interest of everyone to disallow camping and parking on that road during the week leading up to the festival. I guess it has to do with neighbor complaints, as well as concerns about safety - both perfectly reasonable.

BUT... WHY!!?!?! IT'S NOT FAIR!!!!

Stop asking me stuff! I don't know! I just write the blog, I don't even work here! Okay, I do work here, but I try very hard not to make any important decisions, because I hate responsibility!

WILL I BE ABLE TO PARK THERE DURING THE FESTIVAL?

We kind of think so, but we're still waiting on the results of a final Town Board meeting that will take place this week. If not, parking at Agard Road will still be available, and still be free.

I FEEL THE NEED TO REBEL, AND I'M CONSIDERING LINING UP ON RABBIT RUN ROAD EARLY NO MATTER WHAT. WHAT BAD THINGS MIGHT HAPPEN TO ME?

Well, first of all, your car will get towed, and that's super-annoying and really expensive and not a very fun way to start your festival. Then, you'll probably be struck by lightning. Then, some internet hacker will find their way into your checking account and rob you blind. Then, a group of hippopotamuses will stampede through your house. Then, I'll slap you around for awhile while screaming, "I told you so!" So... don't do it. Please.

WILL THE BACK GATE STILL OPEN AT THE SAME TIME?

Yeah, around noonish on Thursday morning. We'll have our band of merry men and women walking down the line to greet your car starting around 8:00 am, and get you stickered and ready to roll in all orderly-like when the gates actually open. We have been known to open the gates a bit early, if we're feeling like things are in good order and ready to go, so it's worth being prepared for that scenario as well. Meaning, be somewhere in the vicinity of your car and don't start drinking Bloody Marys until you're inside.

WHICH DO YOU LIKE BETTER, HORSEYS OR PUPPIES?

Definitely horseys.

Feel free to leave a comment and ask any other questions - I'll try my darnedest to answer them as completely as I can.

Schedule Posted!

2008-06-18T07:01:00.001-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for... the 2008 GrassRoots Schedule has been posted. Now you can stop calling me on my cell phone on the weekends to ask when Lucinda's playing. Hee hee.

Seriously, though, get your highlighters out and ready, because this year is gonna be RAGING. We've actually shortened the band list a little bit this year, so some of your favorites are actually playing twice - make sure you look carefully!

We'll have an alphabetized list of who's when coming soon.

Schedule on the way SOON!

2008-06-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Because of a couple of last-minute changes and some performer scheduling conflicts, it's taken us a little longer than usual to get the schedule up on the web - the last time we posted it before it was finalized, some major changes happened and people were none too pleased, so we want to make sure you get the information right the first time.

However, to tide you over for just a couple more days, we do have some solid information about some of the out-of-town acts and which days they're playing. I've listed just a few of them here, in order to give you a "feel" for each day, especially if you're thinking about buying a day pass. This is NOT intended to be a complete list in any way - just a little guideline. The full schedule will be in your hands VERY SOON!

THURSDAY:

Lucinda Williams
Eilen Jewell
Hackensaw Boys
Donna the Buffalo
(lots of others)

FRIDAY:

Luminescent Orchestrii
Hackensaw Boys
Allen Boys
Etran Finatawa
Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Nation Beat
John Brown's Body
MC Lars
(lots of others)

SATURDAY:

Nation Beat
Allen Boys
Toby Foyeh and Orchestra Africa
The Meditations
Cyro Baptista and Beat the Donkey
Plena Libre
Donna the Buffalo
(lots of others)

SUNDAY:

Big Leg Emma
Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad
Beat the Donkey Workshop
Donna the Buffalo
(lots of others)

MC Lars Added to the Lineup

2008-06-13T08:10:00.000-07:00

MC Lars, everyone's favorite post-punk laptop rapper, has officially been added to the lineup. Here's the thing about MC Lars - generally speaking, I feel as though I'm fairly "with it", as far as music goes. You might even call me a music nerd. I can talk for hours about obscure 1930's delta blues and its influence on all popular music of today. I can ramble on and on about the evolution of old-time music into bluegrass and the further evolution and devolution into country. I can name all of Bob Marley's children and all of the Balfa Brothers. I write one of the most popular websites about world music on the internet. I'm pretty much a hard-core music nerd, and I make it my business to know what's going on in the world and folk music scenes.

However, in a 10-minute phone conversation with MC Lars, he stumped me about 8 times. I asked him how someone was doing, and he said, "Oh, he's doing great, he's working with *Insert Band Name I Can't Remember* - you've heard of them, right?" No. No, MC Lars, I have not heard of them. Top 10 Hit, you say? Huh. As it turns out, I don't know everything. In fact, I know next to nothing about what most people my age are evidently listening to.

Now don't go thinking this makes me feel bad. I LOVE that there are people out there who geek out at the same level I do, but for totally different music. And I super-love that we have those sorts of encyclopedia-brains bringing their viewpoint to our festival. And I super-ultra-love that MC Lars is actually totally into learning about all the different stuff that we've got going on at our festival - last year, though he was only there for an evening, he made a point of seeing Nawal, Vieux Farka Touré, and Los Pochos. Cool, right?

There is a moral to this absurd, rambling story. Cultural crossover doesn't always look like what you expect it to look like. And that's the beauty of something like GrassRoots, where the crowd is as diverse as the musicians, where there are as many viewpoints as there are faces, and where we've all got something to learn from each other.

Get Well Soon, Jim Lauderdale!

2008-06-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

We received some bad news yesterday: our good friend and faithful festival performer Jim Lauderdale has been having some problems with his vocal cords, and is under doctor's orders for strict vocal rest for the whole summer - including GrassRoots. It's a really scary thing for a musician to have to go through, so keep him in your thoughts. We are confident that he will be back, spangly cowboy suit and all, for GrassRoots '09, and until then, we wish him a speedy recovery and lots of love!

GrassRoots and State Theatre Announce Season Lineup!

2008-05-21T12:48:00.000-07:00

Ithaca's Historic State Theatre is one of our oldest and bestest friends. Seriously. GrassRoots actually started in 1990 as a benefit concert at the State, featuring Donna the Buffalo, The Horse Flies, and Neon Baptist. It was a benefit for AIDSWork, a local charity who provided support and education about HIV/AIDS. They raised around $10,000 that night, and thought a festival might be the next logical step. We stayed friends, and in the late '90s, when the State was condemned and about to be torn down, we made them one of our charitable partners, and put lots of money toward restoring it. We still stayed friends, and did an occasional GrassRoots-presented show here and there.

However, last year, we had the pleasure of co-promoting our first actual concert series with the State. We had a blast, sold enough tickets to keep ourselves encouraged, made lots of new friends, had lots of chatter and backstage beers with old ones - all in all, a rousing success. It was a given that we had to do it again this year, so we're very excited to announce the first three shows of our co-promoted season. They're reeeeally good ones, too.

On September 11, GrassRoots and the State will present the first musical show of the season, Steve Earle. Steve is saucy, political, hard-driving and obscenely talented. We can't wait to hear what he has to say or what he has to play. Joining him on the bill will be his lovely and talented wife, Allison Moorer, who is no slouch either - she's a Grammy nominated singer-songwriter who has an awesome new album called Mockingbird which you should run out and buy this very second.

Next up is Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, who'll be performing on November 1. The Dap-Kings are basically the best band in the world. Basically. Even if you haven't heard the name, you've probably heard their funk/blues stylings - they're the backing band on Amy Winehouse's Back to Black, but they're even better when they're out there with Sharon Jones. Sharon has a crazy story. She was turned away by record labels when she was a teenager because she didn't have the right "look". So she went on with her life, working "regular" jobs (if you call being a prison guard at Riker's Island regular), until she received a career break in 1996 and began recording. Her breakthrough record was 2007's 100 Days, 100 Nights, which is receiving major radio airplay throughout the country as we speak. Also, they're playing this summer at Bonnaroo and Aspen Jazz and Roskilde and Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits Festival and on the Conan O'Brien Show and... you get the idea. Basically, if you haven't heard this group yet, you're about to and, unless you have no soul, you're gonna love them!

And in the early spring (April 3), The Flatlanders will be rocking the house. The Flatlanders are Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely and Butch Hancock, and they (no joke) invented "alternative country" as we know it. Jimmie Dale has actually played GrassRoots before, but it was awhile ago (1995 - I didn't even have all of my molars yet), but this is the first time he's been back through since then. Also (I wasn't supposed to mention this), he played Smokey, the "fragile" pacifist in The Big Lebowski, so I assure you that I will be insufferably quoting that movie up until the minute that show starts, because it's one of my favorites EVER! "Don't be fatuous, Jeffrey." "Obviously, you're not a golfer." "That rug really tied the room together." "No, Donny, these men are nihilists. There's nothing to be afraid of." I CAN'T STOP! So anyway. These three guys are total legends, and the show is going to be amazing.

We'll also likely add one more show to the series as the season goes on, but we're feeling pretty darn good about this lineup so far! Subscription ticket sales for the State go on sale on June 9, and individual ticket sales start on July 14 (which will be a busy week!), so write it on your calendar, and git yer GrassRoots on all year 'round! And while you're sitting there, just imagining the good times we're gonna have this summer, why not check out the State Theatre Lineup for the season... they'll add more shows as time goes on, but it's already incredible - aside from our shows, they've got Citizen Cope, Andrew Bird, David Crosby and Graham Nash, The Soweto Gospel Choir, and all sorts of other awesome stuff. It's an amazing place, and it's where we spend a great deal of time during the winter months. We're proud to be their friends!

Nation Beat Announces Animation Contest

2008-05-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

We're excited to have the Afro-Brazilian-Americana-Tronica band Nation Beat coming to GrassRoots for the first time this year. We think they're very hip, very edgy, and they'll fit in like nobody's business here at our humble little event. They're also releasing an album, Legends of the Preacher, on July 15th, just a couple of days before the festival starts, so they will be on fire, undoubtedly. Also, they share our sense of charitable musical fundraising - 10% of their album proceeds will go to benefit Corpos Percussivos, "an organization dedicated to uplifting the underprivileged children of Recife, Brazil through music, art, education and culture." We LOVE it!!

And it gets cooler. As part of their album release, they've announced an animation contest. All the details are available at Modiba Productions, their record label. Basically, they've got fancy little cartoon characters already drawn up, and downloadable chunks of songs. All you have to do is get creative! So if you're the type who knows what's what when it comes to video animation, why not make up a little something, post it to YouTube, and see if you can't win yourself a tidy $500 (not to mention eternal flame and glory)?

If you're not the animating type, why don't you enjoy this video of the group at Galapagos (a really amazing self-sustaining art space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn that you should be sure to check out as well, if you're in them there parts):

Currently Listening: The Nation Beat - Maracatuniversal

Band Bios Are Posted!

2008-05-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, you've seen the band list, but since everyone on there isn't necessarily a household name, you might (ahem) actually want to know who some of these folks are. Fear not - the band bios are here. Get a sense for who's who, what's what and start drooling over who you can't wait to see. My personal ohmigodicantwaittosee band (if I must pick just one) is Etran Finatawa - who's yours?

Currently Listening: Etran Finatawa - "Desert Crossroads"

Plena Libre Added to Band List

2008-05-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

We've added one more headlining artist - the unbelievably talented Plena Libre. Plena Libre is a 13-piece Afro-Latin orchestra from San Juan, Puerto Rico. They rock out on the Afro-Rican genres of bomba and plena, and have been nominated for a heap o' Grammy Awards. Have a look at this great video of them from the amazing Roskilde Festival:

... and read this interview with bandleader Gary Nuñez.

Check out the 2008 Band List!

2008-05-06T18:01:00.000-07:00

The moment we've all been waiting for has arrived! If you haven't yet noticed, the 2008 GrassRoots Band List is posted. We're ecstatic about this year's lineup, which includes over 70 amazing bands from our area and around the world. Lucinda Williams, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Etran Finatawa.... I'm psyched, to say the least. Have a look for yourself and let us know what you think! Also, check out our snazzy new website - we think you'll find it easier to navigate and a little easier on the eyes. There'll be lots of new and fun information added frequently, so keep checking in for updates! And as always, be in touch if you have any questions of any kind - that's what we're here for!

Band List TBA Very Soon...

2008-04-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

As is always the case when we near May 2 (which is the "official" band list release date, though we've been known to let it drop earlier), everyone's on the edge of their seats to hear who's going to be rocking the festival this year. Well, we're not far from letting you know, but we are legally obligated to get all of the contracts signed, sealed and delivered before we tell everyone. So hold your horses - it won't be too much longer.

I'm actually writing this blog post because I'm SUPPOSED to be writing the band bios, but I'm procrastinating because I ran out of words. Does anyone know any good adjectives?