Rhythm & Roots Fest kicks off Friday

One of southern New England’s biggest Labor Day parties

CHARLESTOWN, R.I. — Year after year after year — this year will be No. 21 — the Rhythm & Roots Festival puts out more live roots entertainment than just about anywhere you can go for Labor Day weekend.

Year after year after year, people descend on Ninigret Park, a former naval auxiliary air station a few minutes over the Connecticut border in coastal Charlestown, Rhode Island, and listen to great music, dance, camp, and in many cases play music

out in the campground.

Last year, producer Chuck Wentworth’s Lagniappe Productions expanded it to three full days of music — Friday through Sunday — and added a fourth day of camping on Thursday. This year’s performances begin at 1 p.m. on Friday.

It’s the region’s largest, most elaborate Labor Day weekend musical party, and for many people it’s become an end-of-summer tradition, regardless of who’s playing.

But make no mistake: the lineup always is pretty stellar.

This year is no exception, with Taj Mahal, Steve Earle & the Dukes, C.J. Chenier, Donna the Buffalo, Asleep At The Wheel, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Johnny Nicholas, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, Hot Rize featuring Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers and Leftover Salmon among the headliners.

Also among the performers are Bonerama, Los Texmaniacs, Dustbowl Revival, Girls, Guns and Glory, Session Americana, Say Darling, Shiny Ribs, Cedryl Ballou & The Zydeco Trendsetters, Ed Poullard & Preston Frank, The Groovalatos and Hot Tamale Brass Band.

Also, Feufollet, Golden Triangle, The Faux Paws, Kristin Andreassen & Bright Sides, Earle & Coffin, Future of Roots Artists Veronica Lewis and Quentin Callawaert, and Connecticut’s Christine Ohlman with the Sin Sisters and special guest Frank Viele, as well as Connecticut’s River City Slim & the Zydeco Hogs.

This year’s “artists in residence” — who could turn up anywhere at any time — include David Greely, Johnny Nicholas, Ed Poullard & Preston Frank, Hot Tamale Brass Band, Magnolia and the Zydeco Hogs.

Donna the Buffalo also will play a Rhythm & Roots Pre-Festival Party at Westerly, Rhode Island’s Knickerbocker Music Center on Thursday. Showtime is 8 p.m.. Tickets are $20 in advance at knickmusic.com, or $25 at the door.

Festival tickets, which will rise from advance prices to (gate prices) at the stroke of midnight when Friday turns into Saturday range from $60 ($75) for adult single day tickets to $225 ($250) for three-day adult camping tickets or $175 ($210) for three-day without adult camping tickets. Tickets for teens are considerably less. For those with some cash to burn, Rhythm & Roots also offers close-in premium day parking passes and high-end “French Quarter Glamping” camping at higher prices.

To buy tickets, go to rhythmandroots.com/tickets or call 800901-7173.

Rhythm & Roots, which is run with the help of about 450 volunteers, is suitable for the entire family — with a dedicated kids stage. It takes place on four stages, one of which is a covered dance tent, in spacious Ninigret Park, a South County park on the grounds of the sprawling former naval auxiliary air station.

For campers, some of the best players in the region jam for much of the night out in the campgrounds. (Unfortunately, noncampers aren’t allowed into the campgrounds to listen or join in.)

Rhythm & Roots was born out of the ashes of the former, more backwoods Cajun & Bluegrass Festival in Escoheag, which Wentworth and former partner Franklin Zawacki ran for 17 years.

Wentworth began Rhythm & Roots in partnership with Mary Doub, producer of the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in upstate New York, but they parted ways in 2015 and he has been running it himself — with plenty of help — since then.

Music represented includes blues, New Orleans R&B, swing, Americana, Cajun, zydeco and folk. There also is Cajun, zydeco and swing dance instruction, kids’ activities, including a Kids Cajun Academy (advance signup required), plenty of food and dozens of vendors. Rhythm & Roots also features some of the best festival food around.

There’s also an array of vendors selling handmade clothing and crafts, and a nice array of food vendors, including the popular Cajun food of The Chili Brothers, fresh lobster and other seafood, pizza, Greek food, Thai food and vegetarian options.

Festival hours for day visitors are noon to midnight.

Contributed photo Year after year after year, the Rhythm & Roots Festival in Ninigret Park puts on one of New England’s biggest Labor Day weekend parties.