2021 Schedule
Singer, songwriter, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Keller Williams is literally a one-man jam band, frequently using live phrase looping with multiple instruments. His eclectic shows combine elements of bluegrass, folk, alternative rock, reggae, electronica/dance, jazz, funk, along with other assorted genres.
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A perennial favorite at Rhythm & Roots, Donna the Buffalo’s eclectic and often socially conscious music has its base in traditional mountain music, infusing it with elements of Cajun/ zydeco, rock, folk, reggae, and country. Although there is neither a Donna nor a buffalo in the group, Donna the Buffalo is known for touring the country while remaining fiercely independent, and as one of the industry’s most diverse roots-music bands.
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Providence, RI native Charlie Marie makes country music for the modern world, with a sound that bridges the gap between Nashville and New England.
Richie Stearns and Rosie Newton grew up 150 miles and a few decades apart.Their musical collaboration fuses Americana, old-time, and folk, bringing a new sound to traditional music which highlights the incredibly-refined skill of both musicians, who although in very different parts of their lives are proof of the power and magic of two people making music with a timeless universal message.
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Four-time GRAMMY winner Dirk Powell is a musician, writer, producer, composer, studio owner, and engineer who is considered one of the world’s leading experts on traditional Appalachian fiddle and banjo styles. This combines with a commitment to the Creole and Cajun culture in the Southwest Louisiana that he calls home.
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Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys have always been a much-loved part of Rhythm and Roots festival, and this year we are welcoming a slightly different, all acoustic version of the group— The Mamou Playboys Quartet, making their first appearance at Rhythm and Roots. The band consists of Steve Riley on accordion, fiddle, and guitar, Sam Broussard on guitar, David Greely on fiddle, and 12 year old Burke Riley on accordion and guitar.
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Trigger Hippy will be making their Rhythm and Roots debut in 2021 and festival producer Chuck Wentworth predicts they will be the surprise hit of the festival this year! The band members harness together their collective roots, ranging from country, Delta blues, R&B and gospel to Southern rock and funk..
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A perennial favorite at Rhythm & Roots, Donna the Buffalo’s eclectic and often socially conscious music has its base in traditional mountain music, infusing it with elements of Cajun/ zydeco, rock, folk, reggae, and country. Although there is neither a Donna nor a buffalo in the group, Donna the Buffalo is known for touring the country while remaining fiercely independent, and as one of the industry’s most diverse roots-music bands.
FULL ARTIST BIO
Join Christine Ohlman and Rebel Montez, along with the singular three-part harmonies of the Sin Sisters for “Sunday School”, and get ready to believe! This gospel-inspired Sunday morning performance has long been a crowd favorite at Rhythm and Roots, and promises to have you shouting “Hallelujah!”
Christine Ohlman’s heart has belonged to rock n’ roll from just about the moment she could walk and talk. By the time she traveled from Boston to New York on an overnight train to make her first record at the age of 16, she was already a veteran of the local coffeehouse circuit around New Haven, Connecticut. Known as “The Beehive Queen” for her towering blonde hairdo, this queen of blue-eyed rock n’ soul has been the long-time vocalist with the Saturday Night Live Band for over 28 years. Christine was a founding member of The Scratch Band, legendary throughout the Northeast for their incendiary and eclectic live shows.
Ohlman topped the Alternate Root.com’s 2013 Readers’ Poll as top Americana vocalist, and she was inducted into the National Blues Hall of Fame of American Heritage International in 2017. She has recently been heard in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood”. Ohlman tours relentlessly with her band Rebel Montez, torching clubs up and down the Eastern Seaboard in support of her many recordings. With her trademark mile-high platinum beehive hairdo and enviable collection of sequins and rhinestones, Ohlman looks like a lady to be reckoned with, and when she opens her mouth to sing, the truth comes out. But underneath it all lurks a no-frills approach to music.
Accomplished singer/songwriter Colby James has consistently earned an outstanding reputation as one of the area’s hardest working, multi-talented vocalists/guitarists and he and The Ramblers are excited to bring their own unique sound, style, and brand of original rock’n’roll music for the first time to Rhythm & Roots.
FULL ARTIST BIO
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys have always been a much-loved part of Rhythm and Roots festival, and this year we are welcoming a slightly different, all acoustic version of the group— The Mamou Playboys Quartet, making their first appearance at Rhythm and Roots. The band consists of Steve Riley on accordion, fiddle, and guitar, Sam Broussard on guitar, David Greely on fiddle, and 12 year old Burke Riley on accordion and guitar.
FULL ARTIST BIO
Richie Stearns and Rosie Newton grew up 150 miles and a few decades apart.Their musical collaboration fuses Americana, old-time, and folk, bringing a new sound to traditional music which highlights the incredibly-refined skill of both musicians, who although in very different parts of their lives are proof of the power and magic of two people making music with a timeless universal message.
FULL ARTIST BIO
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys have always been a much-loved part of Rhythm and Roots festival, and this year we are welcoming a slightly different, all acoustic version of the group— The Mamou Playboys Quartet, making their first appearance at Rhythm and Roots. The band consists of Steve Riley on accordion, fiddle, and guitar, Sam Broussard on guitar, David Greely on fiddle, and 12 year old Burke Riley on accordion and guitar.
FULL ARTIST BIO
GRAMMY award winning singer, songwriter, actor, composer and multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens was a founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Since launching her solo career in 2015 she has won numerous prestigious awards for a wide range of musical projects. Grammy nominated multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi has been defined a “musical alchemist” and a “musical polyglot”, specializing in jazz piano and early music. Giddens and Turrisi have been collaborating since 2018.
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A perennial favorite at Rhythm & Roots, Donna the Buffalo’s eclectic and often socially conscious music has its base in traditional mountain music, infusing it with elements of Cajun/ zydeco, rock, folk, reggae, and country. Although there is neither a Donna nor a buffalo in the group, Donna the Buffalo is known for touring the country while remaining fiercely independent, and as one of the industry’s most diverse roots-music bands.
FULL ARTIST BIO
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