River City Roots Festival: Free music in the heart of Missoula
Published: August 17, 2009
Eight bands converge on Missoula Aug. 29-30 for the annual River City Roots festival.
Music on Main kicks off at 12:30 p.m. Saturday with Missoula favorites Cash for Junkers and Reverend Slanky. Town Mountain of Asheville, N.C., delivers traditional bluegrass, outlaw country and old-time mountain music with the frantic energy of a modern punk string band; Great American Taxi – fronted by Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon – returns with its roots-oriented hybrid; and New York-based Donna the Buffalo headlines. For more than two decades the band has been refining its signature sound – a bedrock of traditional mountain music infused with elements of Cajun, rock, folk, reggae and country.
Local musician Andrea Harsell takes the stage at 11:15 a.m. Sunday, followed by Trampled by Turtles, a Minnesota band known for twining bluegrass rhythms with punk attitudes. Bay Area-based Hot Buttered Rum closes the festival with their driving folk-rock show. Initially formed as an acoustic string band, the group has evolved into a plugged-in, percussive powerhouse, praised by Relix Magazine for “stunning instrumental and vocal virtuosity."
A juried art show, kids’ activities and a four-mile run/walk are also part of the offerings.
Admission is free; call 543-4238 or visit www.rivercityrootsfestival.com for details.
