The Teskey Brothers
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion is held in downtown Bristol Virginia/Tennessee Sept. 19-21. This annual festival hosts 111 sets of live music across 12 stages over three days. Presented by the nonprofit Birthplace of Country Music, Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion was voted among USA Today’s top 10 music festivals three years running.
Friday night headliners include The Teskey Brothers, Joy Oladokun, Mountain Grass Unit, Ashley Monroe, Fruition and Michael Cleveland.
The Teskey Brothers are an Australian blues group who perform Friday at 8:30 p.m. on the Piedmont Stage. Their soul-soaked spin on rock, folk and blues has struck an undeniable chord with music lovers. “The Winding Way” landed #1 on the Aria album chart with four nominations and a win for Best Album. They played festivals such as Glastonbury, Electric Picnic, Montreux Jazz, Merlefest, Austin City Limits and opened for Bruce Springsteen in Milan, Italy.
Joy Oladokun, who performs Friday, at 8:30 p.m. on the State Street Stage, has been hailed by Rolling Stone as “Nashville’s most low-key musical revolutionary.” Oladokun has graced stages including “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and more. She has collaborated with artists such as Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlilie, Maren Morris, Jason Isbell, Kahan, John Mayer, My Morning Jacket, Pink Sweat$, Leon Bridges and Manchester Orchestra.
Mountain Grass Unit is a young quartet from Birmingham, Alabama, redefining bluegrass with a fresh narrative. Their sound merges bluegass with country, jazz, funk, rock and metal influences. They perform Friday at 10:15 p.m., in Cumberland Square Park.
Saturday’s packed schedule features Shane Smith & The Saints, Lukas Nelson, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Kaitlin Butts, Futurebirds, and many, many more.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, a four-piece group, is known for head-turning high-energy psychedelic funk shows. Their devout audience, known as The Flock, has enjoyed their performances at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and in festivals such as Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, Jam Cruise and more. They perform Saturday at 10 p.m., in Cumberland Square Park.
Shane Smith and The Saints perform Saturday at 8:30 p.m., on the Piedmont Stage. The group offers a hard-hitting version of American roots music that’s influenced version of American roots music that’s influenced by country, folk and roadhouse rock and roll.
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, The Band Perry, Steep Canyon Rangers, Sister Sadie, and Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley are among the acts who will conclude the music-filled weekend on Sunday.
Steep Canyon Rangers performs Sunday at 5:30 p.m., in Cumberland Square Park. The Rangers hold traditional bluegrass paramount. They have released 14 studio albums, three collaborative albums with Steve Martin and were inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.
Grammy award-winning The Band Perry performs at 3 p.m., Sunday, on the State Street Stage. They’ve sold two and a half million albums, 12 million singles and over a billion song streams.
In additional to music, there are other activities throughout the weekend.
The Kid’s Zone is located in the Johnny Wood Plaza. Programs are held Friday from 4-8 p.m., Saturday from 2-8 p.m. and Sunday from 12-4 p.m. Children’s Day is held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Anderson Park, Bristol, Tenn. It’s free and open to the community. Nonprofits, organizations and businesses provide an array of fun crafts, games and activities for families to enjoy. Food trucks are available, and youth performances are held on the park’s stage.
Tickets are $179.99 for the weekend; single days passes are $99.99.
For more information, visit bristolrhythm.com.
