The sixth annual River Falls Roots and Bluegrass Music Festival returns with even more beers, wines and even ciders to sample at its yearly tasting event, and some new contests, that include one for complete bands that are new to forming, and other music-related activities. The fest runs April 8-10, although you can enjoy the bluegrass, Cajun and roots music that’s featured in its various forms — via the bands’ other lives performances and their CDs —  as well as the local wines, craft beers, ciders, meats and cheeses, at any time during the spring or rest of year. (See the full lineup in this web site’s Picks of the Week department).
Attendees at the beer and wine tasting, which is a third annual component of the fest, and kicks it off on Friday, will have the opportunity to sample local craft beer and wine, and to listen to live music by the Good Intentions. Participating vendors who you can continue to patronize are:
– Beers from Barley John’s Brewing Company, Fair State Brewing Cooperative, Fulton Brewing, Summit Brewing Company, Surly Brewing Co., Rush River Brewing Co. and Pitchfork Brewing.
– Wines from 65 Vines, Bella Vinez Winery, Dancing Dragonfly Winery, Maiden Rock Winery and Cidery, Wollersheim Winery and River Bend Vineyard and Winery
– Ciders from Crispin Hard Cider and Maiden Rock Winery and Cidery.
The tasting event is April 8 from 5-8 p.m. at Junior’s Bar and Restaurant. Tickets are $20 in advance; $25 at the door. Tickets are available at the Chamber office, Dick’s Hometown Liquor and Junior’s. The premier sponsor is Fulton Brewing.
That company is from the Twin Cities, and is a key component to the tasting, as are some others from the metro. Also, cider has been added as a third category of drink, for those who don’t care for wine or beer, so try it going into spring
But it’s the local brands that have a starring role. “We are a Mecca for that,” said Judy Berg, tourism sales marketing manager with the River Falls Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau. Patrons from the Twin Cities can not only come here for the fest, but being just a short ride away can relive its experience created by new-favorite brews and wines, by just getting in the car.
When doing so, people can buy a bottle of their most-liked wine, for themselves or as a gift, if conducting such a re-creation. But not to get ahead of ourselves, they can purchase such items at local liquor stores, as well, on this weekend at the fest.
“It’s a heck of a deal,” Berg said, when it comes to the sheer amount of food and drink available for the money, and the variety of those options.
THE MUSIC MAKERS
The headliners in this free music weekend are Art Stevenson and High Water, Kind Country and Dead Horses. Scheduled are fifty-plus hours of foot-stompin’ bluegrass, Cajun and roots music, and it all can be done indoors, Berg said.
Whether it be the band contest, groups that are actually on the bill at the fest, or even event veteran Chris Silver’s own band, the Good Intentions, what’s prized is going back to the traditional roots of bluegrass, he said. There’s no secret to what the people who plan the fest are looking for in their acts. “We’re after polished musicians who are true to the craft,” Silver said, more-so than musicians who go off in their own direction, or just jam.
An example is where Silver’s band currently is at. (There have been different lineups of varying sizes). After delving into several styles, which in recent years leaned toward Americana with a lot of percussion included, the band is going back to what Silver valued in his younger days, the traditional bluegrass versions of the late ’70s and early ’80s.
Also of worth is originality and a strong, energetic stage presence, and thus the planners for both concerts and contests have looked at videos perhaps more-so than just regular recordings to gauge who they will invite to play the fest.
The new band contest, which is added to the annual singer/songwriter competition, is largely for groups that have not played much before an audience, but have the talent to be close to breaking into the forefront, Silver said. They can feature originals, but also cover versions of songs where the musicians have made it their own, not just redoing something that already exists.
The contest winner gets $300 and a recording session at Brickhouse Music in River Falls; second place gets $200 and third $100.
Silver also was behind an Emmy nominated video, demonstrating how-to-do-it-best from the past flatpicking contests. Some people come from all across the country, including a man from Maryland who has been here more then once, and even has placed in the music contests.
What else is looked for in bands? Look no further than Kind Country, which is Oshkosh based, making it actually regionally recognized. Berg said that, or being a local band and thus familiar, gets your foot in the door at the bluegrass fest. All of the acts involve the genre that promotes “footstomping,” somewhat broadly, as far as both musical style and audience participation, Berg said. Of course the groups can incorporate roots and Cajun music, as well, to please a patron if those are their favorites.
She notes these are free music offerings, unlike so many concerts in the Twin Cities, and all the parking is also at no cost. And, you can listen to an entire day of music on Saturday, going strong until 2 a.m., with lots of added events on the days on either side.
The Chamber bills this as a stay and play weekend, with lots of lodging options within a short distance of the downtown. A regularly attending Stillwater couple is pointed to by Berg as an example of making this a three-day extravaganza.
The fest is arranged so if you’re not sure if you like bluegrass, you can experience it firsthand, for a day or even more, in all its various forms before making a judgment. Younger fans have been drawn in, too, and the fest is family oriented.
“You can be doing something like going grocery shopping, and if you have a guitar in the car, join in a jam,” Berg said about the broad opportunities for participation.
“I was talking with a reporter from Chicago, and she kept asking, what is the price for this and what is it for that,” she said, underscoring that all events but the beer and wine tasting are free.
For more information, go to www.riverfallsbluegrass.com. To view a promotional video, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCp5JGIAMsA&feature=em-subs_digest. To see more from Riverwalk, visit “Attic Treasures Appraisals” at http://www.riverwalkartandantiques.com.