Rhonda Vincent and the Rage perform at the 2018 Uncle Dave Macon Days Festival. Photo by Bracken Mayo.
Roots Rendezvous, produced by Uncle Dave Macon Days and hosted by radio and Opry personality Marcia Campbell, aims to continue to present the best in roots, blues, Americana and bluegrass music during its second live broadcast, set for Saturday, Aug. 8.
Featured artists on Roots Rendezvous 2 will be Balsam Range, The Isaacs and Rhonda Vincent and the Rage. The setting for Roots Rendezvous 2 is at the 100-plus-year-old business Pastime Barber Shop and Pool Hall on the Square in the area called “The Mink Slide” in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. With quite a musical history, Pastime Barbershop and Pool Hall was where a portion of the movie Sweet Dreams, the story of Patsy Cline, was filmed in 1985.
Uncle Dave Macon Days has postponed the 2020 festival, but the organizers of UDMD intend to use their creative energy to produce a series of virtual worldwide festivals throughout 2020. The festival will benefit musicians and artists that have been impacted financially by COVID-19.
“Canceled events mean your favorite musicians are losing work, and you’re missing out on great music,” says Ben Wilson, executive producer of Roots Rendezvous and director of Uncle Dave Macon Days. Addressing music fans, he implores, “But you can change this.”
Organizers say music is needed now more than ever, during a time of isolation, fear and anger. With recent bans on social gatherings, many musicians are finding themselves cut off from their core source of income—the live concert experience.
Balsam Range. Photo by David Simchock.
“A song can bring hope, a song can bring joy and songs have played a pivotal role throughout history in bringing people together to create community amidst times of cultural turmoil and uncertainty,” Marcia Campbell says.
Balsam Range, The Isaacs and Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, all performing as part of the Aug. 8 webcast, are all former Uncle Dave Macon Days Heritage Award Winners.
At noon on Saturday, Aug. 8, visit rootsrendezvous.com to view the show.
“We live in a time that an online festival like Roots Rendezvous can exist and be a quality, hopefully temporary, way for musicians to still create,” Wilson says.
More virtual Roots Rendezvous fests will be held Sept. 26, Oct. 24, Nov. 21 and Dec. 19.
