Bluegrass festival coming to Pawtuxet Village

Don Fowler
Posted 6/19/14

Bluegrass music lovers will be flocking to Pawtuxet Village and Rhodes on the Pawtuxet this Fourth of July weekend for the first annual Bluegrass on the Pawtuxet festival, with a weekend of …

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Bluegrass festival coming to Pawtuxet Village

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Bluegrass music lovers will be flocking to Pawtuxet Village and Rhodes on the Pawtuxet this Fourth of July weekend for the first annual Bluegrass on the Pawtuxet festival, with a weekend of activities in the village and concerts at Rhodes Friday and Saturday nights.

Chris Kneeland, organizer of the festival, grew up in Edgewood before moving to Ireland, where he ran Bluegrass festivals for over a decade. He’s now back in Edgewood and eager to start a new tradition of bluegrass music right in our backyard.

“I brought all of these great American Bluegrass performers to Ireland,” he said. “Now I want to bring them to the Cranston/Warwick area that I love so much.”

Plans call for arts and crafts areas in the village, with events for families, food vendors, local bands playing outdoors and acoustic artists playing in the local restaurants.

“Bluegrass fans are mature, peaceful, laid back folks and will bring a good element to the Village,” Kneeland said. “We also hope to bring in many people who are unfamiliar with the music, especially families.”

Master class workshops will also be conducted at various locations. With two major concerts and many activities Friday and Saturday, Chris looks for a quieter, low key Sunday.

Checking out the eight groups scheduled to play at Rhodes, it is obvious that Kneeland knows the genre and knows how to get the best of the best.

Blue Highway has been performing for over 20 years, recorded 11 albums and has a number of Grammy nominations. Nashville’s Steeldreams has three Grammy nominations. Tony Trishkat is one of the world’s leading banjo players and teachers and has been performing for over 45 years. Colorado’s Pete Wernik and his wife, Jane, have performed around the world. Pete was on Dave Letterman with Earl Scruggs and Steve Martin. The Carter Brothers from North Carolina are part of the famous Carter family clan of bluegrass performers. Suzahn Fiering is an international star famed for her “smoky vocals.” George Harper is a popular guitarist from Nashville.

Mike Krupp and the Kropp Dusters were formerly with Rhode Island and Connecticut’s Northern Lights and have played a number of gigs in Rhode Island.

The Rhodes concerts are $35 or $65 for both nights. For more information or to order tickets, go online at www.bluegrassonthepawtuxet.com or call 489-9714.

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