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Leftover Salmon & Dumpstaphunk top lineup at Rooster Walk 5
Progressive bluegrass stars Leftover Salmon and famed New Orleans funk band Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk will each perform at Rooster Walk 5 this Memorial Day weekend (May 24-26) at Blue Mountain Festival Grounds near Martinsville, Va.
Festival organizers have also announced a temporary $25 price reduction on all weekend passes that lasts through Friday night. To purchase tickets online, visit www.roosterwalk.com.
Formed in Boulder, Colo., in 1989, Leftover Salmon was one of the first bluegrass bands to add drums and tour rock & roll bars, helping them become a pillar of the jam band scene and unwitting architects of the jam grass genre. They have performed all over the world, headlined huge festivals such as Telluride, and their up-tempo, rock-influenced, style has made them a festival favorite with all ages for decades.
The five-piece band features longtime frontmen Vince Herman on guitar and Drew Emmitt on mandolin, as well as a more recent addition: Chapel Hill, N.C.'s Andy Thorn on banjo.
Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk offers fans an unforgettable live experience steeped in the "Big Easy" tradition of a good time. The all-star collective features Ivan Neville on keys, the unique double-bass attack of veterans Tony Hall and Nick Daniels, Ian Neville on guitar, and the monster addition of Nikki with noteworthy appearances at Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, Hangout, All Good, High Sierra, VoodooExperience, Bear Creek, Gathering of the Vibes, Wanee and Jam Cruise to name a few, Dumpstaphunk continue to redefine their genre with a signature groove that dares listeners not to move.
Rooster Walk Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to bringing music, arts, culture and educational opportunities to the area while supporting various charitable causes, included the Penn-Shank Memorial Scholarship Fund at Martinsville High School. The festival was created in memory of two late Martinsville natives, Edwin "the Rooster Penn" and Walker Shank.
The addition of Leftover Salmon and Dumpstaphunk significantly enhances what was already one of the strongest band lineups in the festival's five-year history . Popular rock/alt0-country band Yarn (Brooklyn, N.Y.) will perform two nights at RW5, in addition to: Larry Keel & Sammy Shelor (bluegrass, Virginia); Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds (funk, Brooklyn, N.Y.); Dangermuffin (roots rock, Charleston, S.C.); Josh Panda & the Hot Damned (soul/R&B, Burlington, Vt.; Sanctum Sully (progressive bluegrass, Asheville, N.C.); and the Lizzy Ross Band (rock, Chapel Hill, N.C.); Mandolin Orange (Americana, Chapel Hill, N.C.); the Kings of Belmont (rock/jam, Charlottesville, Va.); the Floorboards (rock/alt-country, Roanoke); the Jon Stickley Trio (progressive bluegrass/jazz, Asheville, N.C.); L Shape Lot (rock/honky tonk, Wilmington N.C.); Dave Eggar with Amber Rubarth and Deoro (progressive jazz/Americana, Brooklyn N.Y.); Common Foundation (ska/reggae, Asheville, N.C.); Big Fat Gap (bluegrass, Chapel Hill, N.C.); Justin Johnson (slide blues/cigar box guitar, Chapel Hill, N.C.);, Empire Strike Brass marching band (brass band, Asheville, N.C.); and Boy Named Banjo (roots rock/Americana, Nashville, Tenn.). Several more bands will be announced in the near future.
Rooster Walk 5, which is presented by title sponsor Bassett Furniture, will also feature arts, crafts, workshop performances and children's activities. Camping is available on site, and the festival will partner with Activate Martinsville/Henry County and the YMCA to put on the Tuff Strutter 5K at the festival on May 26th at Blue Mountain Festival Grounds.