Lineup Locked Up

The Mantras, an up-and-coming jamband from Greensboro, N.C., will make their Rooster Walk debut on Saturday night, May 27th.

Secret headliner nominated for a Grammy

(Editor’s note: On May 2, progressive bluegrass all-stars the Infamous Stringdusters were announced as headliners of Rooster Walk 3. The Stringdusters will perform on Saturday night, May 28, at Blue Mountain Festival Grounds near Martinsville, Va.)

MARTINSVILLE, VA. – Organizers of Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival are finished booking bands but not quite done announcing them.

The Memorial Day weekend festival (May 27-28) in Martinsville, Va., has announced 18 of the 19 primary bands performing at Rooster Walk 3, the notable exception being the headliner, which was nominated for a Grammy this year.

“We’re really proud of the bands at Rooster Walk 3,” said Johnny Buck, a co-organizer of the event. “We think that even if we didn’t have another band waiting in the wings, we would have an awesome festival with this lineup. And once we announce the headliner? Oh, baby. It’s gonna be the best Rooster Walk yet.”

The current lineup offers rock, jam, bluegrass, blues, soul, folk, funk, jazz, country and reggae. Rooster Walk, which takes place at Blue Mountain Festival Grounds, will also feature arts, crafts and food vendors from the area, children’s programming, a new workshop stage and on-site camping.

William Baptist, also a co-organizer of Rooster Walk, said the secret headlining band will be a new high-water mark for the festival.

“They’re by far the biggest group we’ve ever had at Rooster Walk,” said Baptist. “And coincidentally, our ticket prices will increase slightly on May 1^st … the day before we announce the headliner. So tell everybody to go to roosterwalk.com today if they want cheap tickets.”

Folk Soul Revival will host Rooster Walk 3. The Bristol-based band will be the only act to perform during both days of RW3.

Bristol-based roots rockers Folk Soul Revival (FSR) are the only band scheduled to play both nights of the festival. FSR offers “the right mix of rowdy and roots,” and has performed multiple times at Floyd Fest, Bristol Rhythm and Roots, and the Rives Theatre, among others.

Other bands scheduled to perform include: The Mantras (rock/jam; Greensboro, N.C.), the Jesse Chong Band (rock/reggae; Virginia Beach), Sanctum Sully (progressive bluegrass; Asheville, N.C.), Rob Cheatham & GUNCHUX! (indie/rock/country; Charlottesville), the Lizzy Ross Band (blues/rock/soul; Chapel Hill, N.C.), the Kings of Belmont (rock/jam; Charlottesville, Va.), the Big Fat Gap All-Stars (bluegrass; Chapel Hill, N.C.) and Jamal Millner & Comrades (rock/funk/improv; Charlottesville, Va.).

Poverty Level, with special guest Sammy Shelor, will perform Friday, May 27, at Rooster Walk 3.

The lineup continues:  Poverty Level (rock/Stuart) with special guest Sammy Shelor (Meadows of Dan), Relacksachian (appalachian jams/Roanoke), Travis Elliott (pop/singer/songwriter/Charlottesville), Mariana Bell (indie/folk/Charlottesville), the Martinsville Community Jazz Ensemble (big band jazz/Martinsville), Levi’s Gene Pool (rock/Blacksburg) and Riggs Roberston (rock/Martinsville) and the Boys and Girls Club Steel Drum Band (Martinsville).

Rooster Walk honors the memory of two young Martinsville natives who passed away recently, Edwin G. Penn IV and Walker E. Shank. Both were graduating members of Martinsville High School’s class of 2000. Proceeds from the volunteer-led festival go to the Penn-Shank Memorial Scholarship Fund at Martinsville High School.

In two years, organizers have donated $10,000 to the scholarship fund. Sara Kasey, a current freshman at Randolph College, was the inaugural recipient in 2010. The announcement of the second annual winner is expected in May.

General admission tickets for RW3 are currently $35 for a weekend pass and $90 for a VIP weekend pass. On May 1, those prices will increase to $40 and $105, respectively. Tickets are available locally at the Southern Virginia Artisan Center in uptown, Binding Time Cafe and Woodall’s Music.

For more information, visit www.roosterwalk.com.

Who’s comin’ with me?

HELP THE CAUSE BY INVITING YOUR FRIENDS TO RW3!!!

We officially created the Rooster Walk 3 “event” on Facebook late Sunday night.

Our good friend and volunteer Brent Lacy was the first person to click “attending,” and for that he wins nothing more than a small mention in our news blog. … Congratulations Brent!

We donate all of our festival proceeds to a scholarship fund (and therefore we don’t have a big marketing budget), so Facebook is a huge part of how we get the word out. Please visit our event page and do us a favor by taking a quick moment to invite all of your friends! It may not sound like much but in the long run, it can make a big difference for our festival and our scholarship if everyone helps spread the word!

Also please remind your friends that our early-bird priced $25 weekend passes will be taken off the market by March 1st. The price of our VIP weekend passes will also increase that day (and last year’s most popular campground will be VIP exclusive this year!), so get them now while supplies last and save some money.

Questions? Email us at roosterwalk@gmail.com

“Early Bird” tickets on endangered list

RW3 BIOLOGISTS PRAISE SPECIES FOR FLYING OFF THE SHELVES

Sad news today from the official panel of Rooster Walk ticket biologists: After two and a half months of vibrant success, early bird tickets are expected to be extinct by March 1st.

That means you’ve got until Feb. 28th to buy your general admission weekend passes at half-price ($25 instead of $50) or your VIP tickets at $75 (they will be $125 at the gate).

Come March 1st, general admission tickets will be $35 and VIP will be $90. Do your part to document a rare breed and buy early bird tickets here!

If you want to know why the VIP ticket is the way to go, check out the map above. The main camping area from Rooster Walk 1 & 2 will now be reserved exclusively for VIPs/RVs/Bands. General admission camping will be across the creek this year, where there’s plenty of room for future growth.

Also, VIPs get access to the special hospitality area (last year it was on the peninsula between the two stages). VIPs also get free parking inside the venue, near the VIP camping area, not to mention a sweet grab bag of official RW3 goodies.

Mourning the loss of a great friend

Matt Wade, back center, passed away Thursday night. The 32-year-old Martinsville resident is seen here during Rooster Walk 2 with Chase Young, back right, Kim Barto, back left, and Jennifer Row. Matt was an irreplaceable member of the Rooster Walk family who will never be forgotten.

Members of Penn-Shank Memorial are mourning the recent passing of Matt Wade, an incredible guy and irreplaceable member of the Rooster Walk family.
Matt passed away Thursday night from an apparent heart attack. He was 32 years old.
Please join us in sending our thoughts and prayers to his family. The loss of any life is an undeniable tragedy, and Matt was no ordinary man. He truly was a friend to all: a jovial giant who would bend over backward to help a friend – or even a stranger – in need. His death will have far-reaching impacts in this community and beyond.
He lived life in a way that took advantage of every moment; he was one of the most positive people I knew. His ability to stay upbeat during even the most trying times was – and will remain – an inspiration to me.
Even those of you who didn’t know Matt personally probably remember him. He was a vital volunteer at both Rooster Walk 1 and RW2. Most recently, he managed our parking at RW2 (and did a fantastic job at it, while also helping with every pre-fest workday, the setup and the post-fest clean up). You may recall the big guy with a cheshire grin who drove the stretch golf cart for most of the festival … that was Matt.

He will be missed; he remains loved.

~johnny buck

A RAGING SUCCESS!!!

Rob Cheatham and Gunchux rocked the house Saturday night at Blue Mountain. I think I need a Guuuuuun...chux CD.

A huge thank you to everyone involved with Rooster Walk 2 this year! We had a fantastic turnout and a bunch of awesome bands. On Friday night, we proved that a little rain won’t hurt anybody. And on Saturday, we showed that music fans from the Martinsville area will turn out in droves to support great music!

Though we don’t have an official headcount yet, we think there were about 2,000 people at Blue Mountain Festival Grounds over the weekend. That’s up from about 1,200 last year – we’re blown away by the support ya’ll.
We’re also curious as to which band you liked the best. Help us out by voting on the poll below! Once you’ve done that, flip forward in your calendar and block off Memorial Day weekend, 2011.
Rooster Walk 3, it’s only 12 months away!!!!!

Very cool vendors

When you’re running down the checklist of things to bring to Rooster Walk this weekend, don’t forget about the cash!

We’re super pumped about the vendors who will be on-hand at Blue Mountain. Here’s a quick sampling:

• Awesome food offerings to please any palate
• Rooster Walk T-shirts, drink huggies, posters and stickers
• Band merchandise (CDs, shirts, etc.)
• The Penn-Shank Memorial silent auction

Work by local/regional artisans, including:

• handcrafted jewelry
• tapestries
• hand-carved hunting knives
• organic cotton T-shirts
• hand-made wooden children’s toys
• photography
• paintings
• and more!

See, told ya. Don’t be that guy (or gal) borrowing cash from all your friends. Bring a little spending money and support the arts! You won’t regret it!!!

Free shuttle service

For shuttle riders like these two, there's hardly a care in the world.

Hey folks, we’ve got a really cool service we’re providing free of charge again this year, and we’d love for you guys to take advantage.

A free shuttle will run non-stop on Friday and Saturday to and from Rooster Walk. The shuttle will make a constant loop between Blue Mountain Festival Grounds, Martinsville High School and the Dutch Inn. You don’t need to have a room booked at the Dutch in order use the hotel as a shuttle stop, but the hotel is offering some great rates (see below).

On Friday, the shuttle begins at 4 p.m. and the music starts at 5:30 p.m.

On Saturday, the shuttle starts at 10 a.m. and the music begins at 10:30 a.m.

Generally speaking, you can expect the shuttle to hit MHS on the hour (4, 5, 6, 7, etc.) and the Dutch Inn at the quarter hour (4:15, 5:15, 6:15, etc.). The shuttle will make at least one run following the conclusion of the last band on both nights.

Not only is the shuttle service environmentally friendly, it will help us maximize our parking spaces.

The deal with the Dutch

Discount alert!! The Dutch Inn has $60 rooms for Rooster Walk patrons!

We’ve also partnered with the Dutch Inn, one of the nicest, best-known hotels in the area. The Dutch Inn is offering a special room rate for Rooster Walkers – $60 per night. What’s more, they’ll donate $5 per room booked to our scholarship fund. Just tell ‘em you’re with the festival when you book your room!

Speaking of the silent auction

Those of you who attended Rooster Walk last spring undoubtedly remember our silent auction. We had a bunch of great items up for bid last year, all of which were donated by people and businesses in the community. The money raised from the auction helped create the $5,000 scholarship fund recently established at Martinsville High School, and the whole thing was a big hit.

It was so successful, in fact, that we’ve decided to hold the silent auction again this year. We’ve already had a bunch of awesome contributions, but we’re not done looking.

If you or someone you know would like to donate something for the silent auction, please e-mail us at roosterwalk@gmail.com. And keep in mind, these items don’t have be diamond plated or gold encrusted.

A few examples: Gift certificates from area businesses, artwork or crafts of any kind (last year we had a painting, pottery and a wild-game seasoning packet, to name a few), gift baskets, donated labor (like a few hours of free landscaping, or a free car wash, for example).

Silent auction items will be displayed with the name/contact info of the donor or donating business, as well as a suggested retail value. That way, you’ll get a little marketing exposure out of the deal, in addition to supporting a great cause!

Second stage nearly finished!

We’re gonna be rocking twice as hard this year.

The second stage, seen in the background of this picture, is the latest addition to Blue Mountain Festival Grounds.

Yes, the rumors are true. As you can see from above, a second is being built at Blue Mountain (click the link for more photos), the incredibly awesome site of Rooster Walk. The shed stage is a thing of the past, because our brand new No. 2 will be across the creek, more or less directly behind the current main stage.

Needless to say, everyone is totally pumped. So pumped, in fact, we thought a few pictures were in order.

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As you can see, it’s not quite finished. But keep an eye on this blog, and we’ll be sure to let you know as soon we’ve hammered the last nail. One thing’s for sure, though: We’ll have this bad boy ready to rock by May 28th!