Rhythm & Roots Reunion Reflection
Rhythm & Roots Reunion was held in Bristol, VA/TN over the past weekend. E&H seniors Marianne Carroll and Rachel Shenk attended. Read about their experience below. Photos by Marianne Carroll.
What did you think about R&RR?
Rachel: I thought it was a great festival – I saw tons of bands, got to hang out with friends that I haven’t seen in a while, and it was a great place to relax after a hard week at school.
Marianne: It was a great experience as far as expanding my horizons when it comes to hippies and a new kind of culture.
What was your favorite part of R&RR?
Marianne: Definitely… that’s kinda tough actually… I really liked seeing all the colors, and all the different types of stringed instruments coming together to create a really neat melody.
Rachel: My favorite part was getting to see tons of bands for free. I volunteered all three days. That was a good experience, too. I got to meet really interesting people.
Who was your favorite band?
Rachel: Oh man, there were so many. I really enjoyed Woody Pines & The Lonesome Two. I also loved Holy Ghost Tent Revival, The Floorbirds (I met them!), The Hackensaw Boys, Langhorne Slim, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Baytop & Franklin, The Two Man Gentleman Band… there was also this really good rockabilly band Friday night called the Straight 8’s. There were so many good bands there… plus old favorites like Doc Watson and Wayne Henderson.
Marianne: I really liked Woody Pines, too… and The Hackensaw Boys. I’ll be promoting Woody Pines on my radio show (Thursdays from 9pm to 11pm!).
Was there anything you didn’t like?
Marianne: Paying $20 to get in for one day! I also didn’t like all the drunken meatheads that would hang out in the bars.
Rachel: Well, at the end of the day on Sunday, when the whole festival was over, I watched a trash guy take the recycling bag – full of empty bottles – and dump it into a trash can with regular trash. And I agree with Marianne, I didn’t like all the drunken people who were just there to get wasted publicly. It’s great that the bars are open so late and have music inside, though.
Will you go again next year?
Rachel: YES!
Marianne: Abso-freakin-lutely.
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