Blues too of course։ Newport Folk and Newport Jazz at 2024 Rhythm and Roots Festival: Video Photos

Rhode Island is the smallest state in the country, but it is home to two of the nation’s best known summer music festivals, Newport Folk and Newport Jazz.

Both festivals have expanded their musical offerings in recent years well beyond what would what the festival names suggest and now support an increasingly wider range of music. Perhaps they are learning from a third iconic Ocean State Music Festival, Rhythm and Roots, which recently celebrated it’s 26^th Anniversary.

So Wentworth was on hand at Ninigret Park this weekend for the festival’s 24^th year.  And while he still had some problems to deal with – trouble with one of the light towers, for example—he said life was much easier.

“It’s a good year for people stepping up and taking stuff off my plate,” he said. (Plus, eight of his nine grandchildren were at the festival.)  “I still need some time to listen to music,” he said. “But that can come later tonight.”

Saturday’s Rhythm & Roots Festival was greeted with perfect weather, which helped draw about 4,500 people to Ninigret Park.  The new guy at Rhythm & Roots was Tyler Grill, co-founder and CEO of Goodworks, who was at the festival with about 12 members of his staff.

“Chuck’s been a great mentor for the weekend,” Grill said. “It’s been an easy-working relationship with Chuck, his family, and the crew he’s had working here for decades. . . they’re able to troubleshoot situations and give me advice on how to handle things.”

Rhythm and Roots has long been known for its meticulously curated, eclectic programming. The festival, which took place over Labor Day weekend, featured three days of diverse, inspired, absolutely terrific music. Upwards of 15,000 people came to Ninigret Park, in Charlestown to enjoy Blues, Jazz, Gospel, Folk, Country, Zydeco, Creole, Bluegrass, Americana, Rock, and much, much more, on three stages, with plenty of room to sit, stand, and especially to dance. Often associated with Duke Ellington, the famous aphorism, “There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind,” was the rule of the day (and night) at Rhythm and Roots, and made for a fabulous weekend, as the “other kind,” was simply non-existent.

Larkin Poe at the 2024 Rhythm and Roots Festival

Some highlights on the big stage: Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Rebirth Brass Band, Larkin Poe, Shemekia Copeland, and Old Crow Medicine Show, who closed out the festival with an exciting, energetic show. Emmylou Harris, a 14-time Grammy winner, may have been the singular high point of the festival on Saturday night, with a magnificent, inspired performance with her band the Red Dirt Boys.

I almost made the mistake of saying that blues superstar Shemekia Copeland’s latest album is a departure from her socially conscious, fiery style, but that’s only partially true.

Her title track begins with a look at early Biblical times, when she sings that Adam got some “bad advice” and Eve got blamed for it. It walks the listener through an interesting timeline of how women have been viewed over many eras, including how Copeland feels the government has no right over a woman’s body in these modern times.

Another song, “Broken High Heels,” hits on climate change, and her strong-willed number, “Tough Mother” is a fine riff again urban violence.

But it’s fair to say Copeland has lightened up a little more on this album with humor and even a little silliness, such as singing about the joy of wine consumption in “Wine O’Clock.”

One of her more catchy refrains is a song called “Tell the Devil,” in which she implores people to be wary of Satan’s tricks and to remember he needs to go to Hell. Gospel it’s not, but it’s a plainspoken, feisty way in which she shares some of her faith in mankind.

Copeland ends the 12-song set with her taken on “Heaven Help Us All,” a song originally made famous by Stevie Wonder and later by Ray Charles.

“There’s serious business but there are a lot of smiles here, too, a lot of joyous moments,” Copeland says of her new album. “It’s my blues for sure but it’s the brighter side. Issues are always important to me, but so is rocking, dancing, and just having fun.”

Copeland grew up in Harlem and continues to be in an elite group of blues singers. She has been associated with the Alligator label since she was 17.

She knows and feels the blues. My interest in her began as a fan of her late father, blues guitarist Johnny Copeland, but Shemekia — who performed years ago at Bowling Green’s Black Swamp Arts Festival — has long established herself as a blues powerhouse of her own.

Copeland is a multi-Grammy nominee who first stepped on stage with her famous father at New York’s Cotton Club as an 8-year-old.

She’s performed with Bonnie Raitt, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, Dr. John, James Cotton, B.B. King, Mick Jagger, Buddy Guy, Trombone Shorty, Gary Clark, Jr., and many others, several of whom joined her at the White House in 2012 to perform for then-President Barack Obama and then-First Lady Michelle Obama.

Blame It on Eve won’t go down as Copeland’s best work, but it’s a fun, worthwhile collection of songs from someone best known for her fearlessness on tackling issues such as racism and social justice. It’s a project Copeland herself calls “a vacation from all the heaviness.”

But the highlights were by no means limited to the big stage, as stunning performances on the smaller stages by Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole, Pine Leaf Boys, and GA-20 had people dancing, exuberantly, well into the night.

At Canyons Village Amphitheater with two-hour headlining set by My Morning Jacket. The undercard featured standout performances from the talented guitarist sisters of Larkin Poe and Anders Osborne with Jackie Greene. Those high-quality acts plus grade-A production and event values amid astounding mountain views and ideal Summer condition minus an afternoon thunderstorm on Saturday added up to an exceptional experience for fans and artists alike.

Friday’s Amphitheater shows kicked off with Swedish guitar virtuoso Anders Osborne who has ties to both New Orleans and Nashville. Osborne’s band is equally talented lending a dose of classic blues rock and good old rock n roll to a perfect late afternoon. His guitarist Jackie Greene is as old school as you get, at one point reeling off Allman Brothers riffs like he wrote the music himself. The good vibes quickly spread around the picture perfect hillside venue. Who wouldn’t be happy watching top tier artists like Osborne in a settling like that?

After a short break, sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell of Larkin Poe took the stage in matching jeans costumes, veteran touring musician vibes in front of a crack backing band and honestly blew our minds a bit with their amazing dexterity on guitar, which shouldn’t actually come as a surprise once you realize they’ve been performing since the pair were teen acoustic trio, The Lovell Sisters from 2004. These are seasoned musicians who know how to shred some guitar and put on a damn good show.

The group played their impressive original Blues Rock / Roots Music songs with a cover of a Son House tune that was particularly good as they’d found a way to remake it in their own musical spirit. Megan Lovell plays the guitar standing but with the instrument resting horizontally across her body as if she was strumming it while seated. It’s quite impressive to watch from a close vantage point. Rebecca was equally as compelling a player with a more traditional approach to holding her six-string, rocking a sparkling silver Fender.

Friday evening headliner, My Morning Jacket closed out the party with band leader, Jim James who’d done a compelling … that afternoon with longtime photographer, Danny Clinch took the stage in a mostly white outfit with heart-shaped glasses on his face and a particularly upbeat attitude. James, who typically doesn’t say much during MMJ’s performances seemed to be in the kind of euphoric mood artists attain when they know they’re performing for people who truly love the musical arts are present. Park City Song Summit felt less like a traditional music fest and more like a gathering of like minds. It was at its core, an industry music event that the public was invited to with a smallish capacity that lent the event a relaxed, intimate feel fans these days usually don’t get with the caliber of musicians PCSS put on stage.

The true Morning Jacket heads were lined up along the railing that separated the fans from the small photo pit in front of the stage. It felt as though James and his amazing band; Carl Broemel (guitar, sax, keys), Patrick Hallahan (drums), Bo Koster (keys) and Tom Blankenship (bass) were hamming it up for audience members in front of them at various points during the performance. Fans ate up every second.

The set began with “Circuitual” the title track from the group’s sixth studio recording which felt like exactly the right pace to begin. With the sun still peeking over the majestic hills and mountains surrounding the venue, the band got their considerable engine revved up and moved into “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Part I” from 2008 album, Evil Urges.
A few song later, James broke out his flying V guitar and it was on like Donkey Kong with a string of MMJ hits starting with One Big Holiday>Golden>I’m Amazed>Off the Record. Fans were euphoric while James commented on a bird flying above the hill in front of him as the sun began to settle behind the Rockies while vocalizing during “Golden.”  The commentary was both humorous and a bit weird, endearing James further to an already adoring crowd.

The astounding 17-song set included fan favorite, “Stream Engine” about midway through the show. My Morning Jacket concluded their performance with another string of great songs; “Dancefloors,” “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Part 2,” and “Wordless Chorus.” The latter is a Cosmic Clash favorite that we along with the rest of the MMJ faithful reveled in as the great Louisville band took us home, completing an amazing two-tour show that came on top of a five-star day at Park City Song Summit.

Family friendly, convenient and fun, Rhythm and Roots is a festival for music lovers with open ears, and while smaller than it’s Newport cousins, it is easy to see why people come back year after year.