Roots on the River reaches across the spectrum

One of the things I miss about no longer corresponding for the Compass is covering Roots on the River, fondly known as Fred Fest to those in the know.  The weekend-long festival in Bellows Falls and Rockingham always features a melting pot of great music, and this year is no exception.

Things get underway tonight at 7:30 (Thursday, June 10) at the Bellows Falls Opera House with Cajun fiddler and Zydeco ambassador Michael Doucet avec Beausoleil, with the immensely talented folk group Joy Kills Sorrow opening.

Friday at the Everyday Inn in Rockingham, the smoking hot Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles open for Fred Eaglesmith, who is the reason this weekend is celebrating its 11th birthday.  If you haven’t seen Borges, get ready to be blown away as she rocks, rolls and makes love to her guitar. By the time she’s done, you’ll be out of breath.

Saturday’s all-day show at the Everyday Inn is a great compendium of old favorites and new faces, topped with Americana legend David Bromberg. Here’s the list:

The Ginn Sisters
Starline Rhythm Boys
Roger Marin Band
Audrey Auld
Gandalf Murphy & The Slamobvian Circus of Dreams
Angel Band
DADDY/Will Kimbrough & Tommy Womack

David Bromberg Quartet
Fred Eaglesmith

Sunday reprises a great show from two years ago at the Rockingham Meetinghouse – Mary Gauthier and Fred Eaglesmith, all acoustic. This one’s intimate and fills up fast.

For more information, go to the festival web site. Here’s a complete list of performers and times, including some free shows:

Thursday, June 10, 2010
Bellows Falls Opera House	7:40 PM 8:30 PM	Joy Kills Sorrow BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet
Friday, June 11, 2010
Green Mountain Outlook Terrace (free)	12:00 PM	Hot Mustard
Sovernet Terrace (free)	1:00 PM	The Whoa Nelly Band
Bellows Falls Farmers Market (free)	4:00 PM 5:15 PM	The Johnson Boys Traveler
Festival Site – Everyday Inn	7:35 PM 8:54 PM 9:50 PM	Joanne Shaw Taylor Sarah Borges & The Broken Singles Fred Eaglesmith
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Festival Site – Everyday Inn	12:10 PM 1:10 PM 2:10 PM 3:25 PM 4:40 PM 5:55 PM 6:40 PM 8:10 PM 9:35 PM	The Ginn Sisters Starline Rhythm Boys Roger Marin Band Audrey Auld Gandalf Murphy & The Slamobvian Circus of Dreams Angel Band DADDY/ Will Kimbrough & Tommy Womack David Bromberg Quartet Fred Eaglesmith
Sunday June 13, 2010
Rockingham Meeting House	12:00 PM 1:30 PM	Mary Gauthier Fred Eaglesmith

This week’s Hippo – Two for the Cause

Johnny Winter and Big Head Todd and the Monsters each headline “Concert for the Cause”  benefits for  New Hampshire Child and Youth Services this weekend.

Johnny Winter lays it all out:

Raisin’ Cain – The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter is a rarity — an authorized biography that pulls no punches, leaves no stone unturned or tale untold. Mary Lou Sullivan’s well-researched book chronicles the guitarist’s rise from the Texas roadhouse circuit to stadium headlining tours, and his subsequent decision to forego the big stage of rock stardom to focus on the blues music that inspired him to play in the first place.

It also covers his excesses — sex, drugs, alcohol and career mismanagement that not only hurt him professionally but also nearly killed him. Why did he agree to lay it all out for the world to see?

“Well, if you’re gonna do it, you gotta talk about everything,” said Winter recently by telephone from his home in Connecticut. “You can’t just put in the good stuff … there was some bad stuff too, and we had to do that.”

Big Head Todd brings the islands back home:

He’s not running for mayor of Margaritaville, but Big Head Todd and the Monsters front man Todd Park Mohr says the band’s forthcoming album Rocksteady has a decidedly island vibe. The first single, “Beautiful,” flirts so much with Jack Johnson that you can practically smell the sea air.

According to Mohr, it’s also the most cohesive record the Denver, Colo., quartet has ever made.