Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine names RW4 a must-do event for 2012

     Still more than four months away, the fourth annual Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival is already drawing more praise than its predecessors.

     Rooster Walk 4, scheduled for May 25-27, made Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine’s “BRO 100” list for 2012.

     Rooster Walk, which takes place at Blue Mountain Festival Grounds, came in at No. 38 under the headline: “Attend a music festival in its infancy.” The list is designed to serve as a guide for outdoor lovers looking for the 100 most “foolproof, failsafe, airtight, guaranteed, tried-and-tested things” scheduled in the Southeast over the coming calendar year, according to the magazine.
     “A celebration of life every Memorial Day weekend, Rooster Walk remembers Edwin ‘The Rooster’ Penn and Walker Shank, two young friends and music lovers who passed away a few years back,” the entry read.
     The monthly magazine, which has a circulation of more than 125,000 from Baltimore to Atlanta, went on to note that Rooster Walk 4 has been expanded from two days to three.
     Penn and Shank 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.
     “It’s awesome to see something that’s local to Martinsville make a list that covers the best things to do in the Southeast,” said William Baptist, co-founder of Rooster Walk. “We’re honored to be included by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine. We can’t say enough about our donors, volunteers and the whole Rooster Walk family for making it all possible.”
     Tickets for Rooster Walk 4 are currently available online at early-bird discounts. General admission weekend passes are $35 each, and VIP weekend passes are $90. At the gate, a general admission pass will cost $60, while a VIP pass will cost $140.
     For more information, visit www.roosterwalk.com, or to see the full “BRO 100” list, visit www.blueridgeoutdoors.com.

Scratching your head for that last-minute gift? Well look no farther! We’ve just put a limited number of early-bird tickets on sale via roosterwalk.com. Buy your tickets now and save nearly 50% off the retail price!

Rooster Walk 4 will last THREE days this year – Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 25-27, 2012. RW tickets make the perfect gift for friends and family, plus you get to share the weekend with them!

Sanctum Sully will serve as our festival hosts, being the only band to play two nights. Other bands already on board include the Kings of Belmont and the Lizzy Ross Band. (Many, many more to come soon!)

A three-day general admission pass is $35 while supplies last ($60 at the gate).

Three-day VIP pass $90 (at the gate … $140).

Don’t delay, buy yours today!

Rock your Rooster gear and win great prizes!

Rooster Walk 3 was another epic success, and now it’s time to help spread the gospel and win some cool prizes!

Here’s the deal: We’re doing a photo contest through our Facebook page that will continue through Labor Day weekend. To participate, all you’ve got to do is submit photos of yourself, your friends or family wearing Rooster Walk merchandise at famous landmarks, well-known events or with well-known people.

For example, during summer vacation snap a pic of dad wearing his RW3 shirt in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. Or a photo of mom and her RW tote bag as she’s getting an autograph from Jeff Gordon, or your brother in his Rooster Walk 2 shirt at concert or music festival … you get the idea.

RW co-founder Johnny Buck is getting us started with the photo above with Nashville legend Jim Lauderdale. Johnny receives points for a photo with a famous person and for rocking a vintage RW1 shirt. However, the judges will give him minor deductions for the blurry pic. … Surely you all can top it!

We want to see photo evidence of Rooster Walk gear across the country and around the world!

Sweet RW4 ticket packages await the winners of various categories (pics with celebrities, U.S. landmarks/events, foreign landmarks, etc.). Again, we’re doing this through our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/roosterwalk, so start uploading those pics today!!!

The Lonesome River Band will play Friday night at Rooster Walk 3. Their set begins at 8 p.m. Friday-only tickets are just $15 at the gate!!!

MARTINSVILLE, VA. – The Lonesome River Band, one of the most popular and influential bluegrass bands of the past three decades, is a late addition to the Rooster Walk 3 lineup.

Lonesome River will perform a 90-minute set beginning at 8 p.m. Friday night. They were added to the schedule after another band, Folk Soul Revival, withdrew from the festival due to the imminent birth of guitar player Daniel Davis’ first son.

“Though we are sad to lose Folk Soul Revival, we are thrilled to announce the addition of Lonesome River Band this Friday night at Rooster Walk 3,” said festival organizer Johnny Buck. “Band leader Sammy Shelor is, literally, one of the best banjo players in the world, and things worked out perfectly with their touring schedule. It’s a drastic understatement to say we feel incredibly lucky to add a band of this quality and national repute at such a late stage in the planning process.”

The change will lead to some additional shuffling in Friday’s schedule. The Lonesome River Band will perform from 8-9:30 p.m. Travis Elliott will follow at 9:35, then Sanctum Sully will hit the stage at roughly 10:30. The Kings of Belmont will remain the last band of the evening.

Folk Soul Revival expressed regret about the move on its Facebook page Wednesday.

“Unfortunately, FSR will be unable to participate, due to the emminent (sic) birth of Daniel’s son,” the statement read. “We encourage everyone to still attend, and we offer our sincere apologies to the fans, the promoters, and to anyone who may be affected by our cancellation. We hope you understand, and can appreciate the importance, and reasons behind our decision. Thanks.”

Festival organizers were aware of the pregnancy and thought contingency plans were in place that would have allowed FSR to participate no matter what.

“Again, we’re disappointed that Folk Soul Revival won’t be playing at Rooster Walk, because they are an awesome band,” said Buck. “However, we certainly understand Daniel’s desire to be with his wife as they await their first child.”

Originally, FSR was also scheduled to perform Saturday night at Rooster Walk. Festival organizers had not solidified Saturday’s schedule as of Wednesday afternoon.

In all, more than 20 bands will perform at Blue Mountain Festival Grounds near Martinsville, Va., this weekend. Progressive bluegrass superheros The Infamous Stringdusters will headline the festival with a Saturday night set. Other bands scheduled to perform include The Mantras, the Jesse Chong Band, Sanctum Sully and the Lizzy Ross Band.

Single-day tickets are available for Friday at $15 each and for Saturday at $35 apiece. Weekend passes can be purchased for $50, while VIP weekend passes are $125.

For more information, visit www.roosterwalk.com or email roosterwalk@gmail.com

• No dogs
• No open containers
• No fireworks
• No glass
• No weapons

The Infamous Stringdusters will headline Rooster Walk 3 with a Saturday night set on the Creekside Stage. The Dusters, nominated for a 2011 Grammy, have played coast to coast and made several tours of Europe. These guys are some of the best in the business. You don’t wanna miss this band!

If you saw them late night at Rooster Walk 2, you know about this up-and-coming act from Charlottesvile.

GUNCHUX! is an indie-country-rock band that features Rob Cheatham’s perfectly crafted verses and a enough sick-nasty jams to fill all of America’s hands. Forming in the fall of 2008, Gunchux has been “taking the town by storm,” according to the C-Ville Weekly. With a mixed feel between 80s Replacements moodiness and Summer Teeth-ish Wilco honesty, Rob Cheatham and GUNCHUX! appeal to the rock kid in all of us.

These boys will bring it on Saturday, May 28th, from 4:05-5:20 p.m at Rooster Walk. They’ll play on the Blue Mountain/Bassett Stage. The band is sponsored by the New College Institute. For a full schedule, click here!

Band members: Robert Cheatham (guitar), Adam Long (guitar), Chad Bassett (bass), Tucker Titus (drums).

Rooster Walk organizer Johnny Buck recently sat down for an in-depth interview with Chapel Hill siren Lizzy Ross. The 23-year-old singer/songwriter is currently in the studio with her band working on an album that’s expected to drop in mid-June.

The Lizzy Ross Band will perform at Rooster Walk 3 in Martinsville, Va.,  from 3-4 p.m. on Saturday, May 28th. Lizzy will also take part in a songwriter’s workshop the same day beginning at 1 p.m.

A 2009 graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ross has a unique perspective on the music industry. A philosophy major with minors in music and entrepreneurship, she is conscious of the artistic requirements, as well as the business side, of her current line of work.

In this wide-ranging interview, the Anapolis, Md., native who draws favorable comparisons to  Grace Potter and Janis Joplin discusses a childhood addiction to singing, Bruce Springsteen’s penchant for railroad songs and her efforts to channel other great female vocalists without trying to imitate them.

Rooster Walk: When did you start singing?

Lizzy Ross: I was always singing. When I was little, I wouldn’t talk to people, I would sing and they would tell people that I was the little mermaid. I just sang all the time. I got in trouble in school for singing all the time without realizing I was doing it. It was just no filter between my brain and singing out loud, and finally I figured out how to control myself like everybody else does. There’s always that annoying kid in class that’s humming all the time, and you’re like, “Oh my God.” But yeah. I started to sing publicly probably high school musicals, stuff like that.

RW: When did you realize, or when did someone tell you, that you had a special voice compared to other girls your age?

LR: I don’t know. I can remember being really little, like riding the train up to New York to see my dad, and I was doing that thing that I did where I was singing without realizing it and there’s a dude a couple seats back and I was with my stepmom, and he came up to her and he told her, I was probably like 5 or 6, he said, “You need to get this girl voice lessons. I’m a casting director. I work casting Broadway plays and you need to teach her how to do this.” Which, I think, you can interpret very badly (laughs) I think, but he was saying there’s something here if you develop it. It could be something.

RW: Did you get voice lessons as a kid?

LR: No. I never did. Although I would like to because I think there’s a lot to learn. I just don’t seem to have the money or the time to do it. Mostly the money. I would love to though.

RW: You grew up in Maryland but went to college at UNC-Chapel Hill, which is still kind of your “home base.” Any particular reason you went with the Tar Heels?

LR: I had checked out a number of schools, and I had some friends down here. I have family down here, and I came down to check it out and visit. I really like it and, you know, when everything rolled around and the options came up it was clearly the most fantastic place in terms of the place itself, the people, the weather, the classes, what I wanted to study. I wanted to study philosophy and they have a really good program at UNC. And (low) tuititon man, it was a great combination. Definitely not being in debt from school has enabled being able to do something as silly as playing music. I appreciate that.

RW: You were a philosophy major then? Did you have a minor?

LR: I minored in music and entrepreneurship.

RW: Was that because you knew you wanted to do the music thing as a career?

LR: You know, I’m not really sure what it was. I think that I did the entrepreneurship program because I had a couple friends in the program, and I liked the professors. I just started taking the classes, and then I realized that I pretty much had finished the minor without realizing it. The same thing happened with music, sort of. I was about three classes away, and I realized that I only had to take (making up examples) women and opera and music theory level three, and I would be done. I think they were kind of innate interests that came together in these strangely conspicuous ways and have now congealed into my life.

RW: Your music minor, was this performance? Vocal training?

LR: I wasn’t singing. I was actually playing the guitar. A lot of it was theory and the performance elements were guitar.

It’s been incredibly heartening and inspiring to have the success that we have had. People have treated us really well and received us really well, and we have a lot fun. So we’re encouraged and looking forward to continuing to soldier on and keep putting our guts and our hearts and our souls into what we’re doing. There’s nothing quite as rewarding as actualizing something that you creatively imagined and hearing it.

RW: Why guitar and not voice?

LR: One of the hard things I’ve encountered when looking for vocal lessons was that there aren’t as many people who teach my vocal style. A lot of people teach classical or Broadway style, and that’s very much not how I sing. And so in the department I knew it was going to be really classically focused curriculum and that was the opposite of a lot of things I was doing vocally. I also just wanted to learn more about the guitar. I felt like my strengths on the guitar, compared to my vocal strengths, could use some beefing up. The other thing is vocals come really naturally, and guitar gives me an opportunity to think more about how the sounds are made and the process behind getting sound to come out of an instrument and understanding the theory behind it, because to sing something all I have to do is hear it, but to play something, there’s more examination in that. That yielded a greater knowledge for me.

RW: And you graduated from UNC in May of 2010?

LR: I actually graduated in December of 2009 because I wanted to get the heck out of there and start playing music. (Laughs)

RW: Once you graduated, was that really the first time in your life you were able to be a full-time musician. I know you were playing on the side during school, but you’ve been at it full time as a career, haven’t you, since you graduated?

LR: Yeah. I had been playing in a band, and I started my own project around October (2009). And by the time I graduated in December, we were pretty much ready to go in January. So I started hitting it pretty hard, first doing solo stuff and as the band got its legs more and more, we started to branch out and grow more and now we’re getting ready to release a full band album, which is really exciting.

RW: Talk to me a little about these past 18 months out of school, on the road. What has it been like?

LR: In some ways, it stills feels the same (as school). You have to apply the same amount of pressure to yourself to get things done. The entrepreneurial aspect is you that you’ve gotta kick your own butt a little bit to make things happen. But it’s been really fun. It’s been incredibly heartening and inspiring to have the success that we have had. People have treated us really well and received us really well, and we have a lot fun. So we’re encouraged and looking forward to continuing to soldier on and keep putting our guts and our hearts and our souls into what we’re doing. There’s nothing quite as rewarding as actualizing something that you creatively imagined and hearing it.

RW: What are some of the highlights or moments in time in this last year-and-a-half of touring, whether it’s a particular gig or particular road trip, are there any memorable events from your time with the band or playing with the band so far?

LR: That’s a great question cause it seems like one of the things with having a band is you have a group of people who really love music. If you’re lucky, it’s a group of people who are really dedicated to working together and making music together and being creative. You’re hanging out a lot and you’re working hard together a lot, so that, combined with this strange environment, where you’re hustling and trying to make things happen, yields a lot of funny, funny, sometimes fantastic, sometimes awkward, sometimes terrible kinda moments. I know Rooster Walk, which is funny because you’re actually asking me this question, we met Big Fat Gap, which they’re good friends of ours now, and we play with them a lot. They were in the same town that we were in, but we met them at Rooster Walk last year. I think I was falling asleep at midnight or something,  and I must have heard someone, but we were out camping, and I heard someone. I got up and was like, “What’s going on. What is this noise. I just want to go to bed,” and I ended up staying up until like 5 in the morning, hanging out and talking with these guys in Big Fat Gap. The whole band did, and we had so much fun.

RW: I’ve seen a lot of different attempts from people trying to describe the band’s kind of music. How would you describe the genre or style of music you guys produce?

LR: I think I’ve come to Americana as our sort of primary title which is sort of a cop out, because what is Americana really? I don’t know … Bruce Springsteen singing about railroads? But what we do to specify that is we say rock and roll, jazz and country. Those all have strong American elements in them. Our rhythmic heritage comes form New Orleans jazz. A lot of the stuff we do melodically comes from country-slash-bluegrass styles. My vocal style is soul, and you put it all together and you get rock. Therefore you’ve got Americana. We’ve got to come up with something that’s less than twenty words to describe that.

RW: Your voice has been described as being similar to Janis Joplin, Grace Slick, Grace Potter, several others. Obviously you have your own distinctive voice but do you feel one of those is more accurate than any of the others, or is there one that I didn’t even mention that you feel is more…

LR: I don’t know. It’s funny. It’s hard to make these comparisons because I always feel really prideful or something comparing myself to these famous artists because they’re really great musicians. I certainly learned a lot from all of those people. There are elements of their vocal styles I like to incorporate into what I’m doing. Grace Slick has such a powerful, almost wall of sound, that she pushed forward with such great force and Janis Joplin had such a raw quality. People will say sometimes Joni Mitchell with such clear high notes, I feel like there are small parts of each of those people’s vocal styles that I learned from and try to incorporate into what I’m doing, but I don’t really know. I think it just kind of depends on the song. We have different material. If I’m singing a very quiet song, a song like “Needle and Thread,” maybe I’ll try to go more in a direction that would be of Joni Mitchell or Nora Jones. If we’re singing a really wild, loud song like “Bones,” you’re gonna get more like Janis Joplin, Grace Potter, Grace Slick. I don’t know. I just try to learn from the way that all of those ladies used their amazing voices. Patty Griffin is really a great singer too, and, I think, someone who inspired me a lot and continues to.

RW: In certain songs do you find yourself trying to kind of channel or imitate a certain vocalist?

LR: The re-creation thing is always really hard because generally, when you try to imitate or recreate something, it doesn’t sound good. It’s like a cheap imitation, so there’s got to be a way to assimilate pieces of those styles that you love into what you’re doing and incorporate it so that it feels fresh and it also touches on the timeless classic sort of motifs of music that everybody responds to. But yeah we try to do that in certain ways, but we don’t try to make carbon copies.

Editor’s Note: For more information on Lizzy and her talented band, visit www.lizzy.net. There, you’ll find free song downloads as well as a link to buy her current solo album, “Traces.”