Final band lineup announced for Rooster Walk 10!

The finishing touches have been applied to the Rooster Walk 10 band lineup, as event organizers announced 26 new bands today. The new additions were led by a special ‘King & Strings’ collaborative set between Marcus King and Billy Strings.

Other bands joining the bill for RW10, which will take place May 24-27 at Pop’s Farm in Martinsville, Va., are: The Mantras, The Dustbowl Revival, Town Mountain, The Grass is Dead, The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, The Southern Belles, Victor Wainwright & The Train, The Trongone Band, Wild Ponies; Erin & The Wildfire; Porch 40; Kendall Street Company; Violet Bell; Half Moon; After Jack; Jason Springs Band; PHCC Jazz Band; Prosperity’s Folly; Juliana MacDowell; Fernandez Sisters; The Wildmans; Aaron Crowe. In addition, five solo ‘artists at large’ will perform during the festival: Jeff Sipe (drums), Ron Holloway (saxophone), Josh Shilling (piano), Jay Starling (dobro) and Wallace Mullinax (guitar).

The festival has already announced more than 20 bands, including headliners The Wood Brothers, JJ Grey & Mofro and Robert Randolph & The Family Band.

“We’re thrilled to host so many wonderful bands at Rooster Walk this year,’ said festival co-founder Johnny Buck. “From top to bottom, I think this is the strongest lineup in our 10-year history.”

Presented by title sponsor Bassett Furniture, Rooster Walk has been named one of the top five festivals in Virginia by the Richmond-Times Dispatch.

The ‘King & Strings’ set is a first; Marcus King and Billy Strings have never met, let alone played together. Each is a fan of the other, however, and this genre-bending set will blend progressive bluegrass with southern rock/blues. World-renowned drummer Jeff Sipe will also take part, sitting in on drums for the latter portion of the set.

In addition to four days of amazing music on five stages, the family-friendly Rooster Walk will offer a wide variety of kids’ activities, craft beer, food/arts vendors and beautiful on-site camping.

Rooster Walk Inc. is a community-nonprofit dedicated to promoting music, arts and education in its home of Martinsville/Henry County. A portion of festival proceeds go to the Penn-Shank Memorial Scholarship as well as the Rooster Walk Music Instrument Program for entry-level band programs in Martinsville/Henry County public schools. The festival is proud to have Bassett Furniture return as its title sponsor once again.

Rooster Walk Inc. has donated more than $150,000 to local and regional charities since its first festival in 2009.

To learn more or purchase tickets, visit www.RoosterWalk.com.

A quick look at the bands announced today:

Blasts From The Past: Town Mountain (bluegrass/Asheville, NC) was a headliner of the first Rooster Walk, and also performed at RW8. The Mantras (jamband/Greensboro, NC) played blistering ‘late night’ sets at several early Rooster Walks, when the festival occurred at Blue Mountain Festival Grounds. Other bands returning to RW: The Southern Belles (jamband/Richmond, Va.); Josh Shilling (piano/Bassett, Va.); The Trongone Band (southern rock/Richmond, Va.); Wild Ponies (Americana/Nashville, Tenn.); Erin & The Wildfire (rock-soul/Charlottesville, Va.); Violet Bell (featuring Lizzy Ross; folk/Hillsborough, N.C.); After Jack (Americana/Rocky Mount); PHCC Jazz Band (jazz/Martinsville-Henry County); Juliana MacDowell (easy listening/Loudon County, Va.); The Fernandez Sisters (bluegrass/Durham, N.C.); The Wildmans (bluegrass/Floyd, Va.).

Themed Sets: There are four “special” sets scheduled for Rooster Walk 10, including ‘King & Strings;’ The Jammy Jam (hosted by The Grass Is Dead); a Gregg Allman tribute (hosted by The Trongone Band with Josh Shilling on organ); and The Last Yaltz (hosted by Yarn), a tribute to The Band’s Last Waltz.

Local connections: There are a number of great bands local to the Martinsville-Henry County area: Wild Ponies (Americana band led by Martinsville natives Doug & Telisha Williams); Josh Shilling (a Bassett native and lead singer of Mountain Heart, he will be an ‘Artist at Large’ on piano at RW10); Prosperity’s Folly (southern rock/Martinsville, Va.); PHCC Jazz Band (jazz/Martinsville-Henry County); Aaron Crowe (piano/Bassett, Va.); After Jack (Americana/Rocky Mount, Va.); Jason Springs Band (rock/Danville, Va.)

New to RW: The Dustbowl Revival (Americana-soul/Venice, Calif.); The Grass Is Dead (Grateful Dead bluegrass/South Florida); The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band (country-blues/Bean Blossom, Ind.); Jeff Sipe (drums/Brevard, N.C.); Ron Holloway (saxophone/Baltimore, Md.); Victor Wainwright & The Train (blues/Savannah, Ga.); Porch 40 (rock/Cullowhee, N.C.); Kendall Street Company (rock/Charlottesville, Va.); Half Moon (rock/Richmond, Va.); Wallace Mullinax (guitar/Charleston, S.C.).

Rooster Walk 10 Full Band Lineup: The Wood Brothers, JJ Grey & Mofro, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Marcus King Band x2, Billy Strings, King & Strings, The Jerry Douglas Band, TAUK, Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, Zach Deputy, Colter Wall, The Mantras, The Dustbowl Revival, Town Mountain, Yarn, Dangermuffin, The Last Yaltz (featuring Yarn & special guests), The Gras is Dead hosts ‘The Jammy Jam,’ The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, The Southern Belles, Cris Jacobs, Jeff Sipe, Ron Holloway, Josh Shilling, Front Country, Victor Wainwright & The Train, The Trongone Band, Kat Wright, The Commonheart x2, Fireside Collective, Erin & The Wildfire, Porch 40, Kendall Street Company, Songs From the Road Band, Sanctum Sully x2, Jay Starling, Wallace Mullinax, Violet Bell, Half Moon, After Jack, Jason Springs Band, PHCC Jazz Band, Prosperity’s Folly, Gunchux, Juliana MacDowell, The Fernandez Sisters, The Wildmans, Aaron Crowe.