Bristol, Tenn./Va. (August 10, 2022) – You’re invited to “raise the rooftop” with The Larry Keel Experience, Woody Woodworth & The Piners, and Old Line Skiffle Combo during the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion pre-festival kick-off show at Lumac Rooftop Bar above The Bristol Hotel in Downtown Bristol starting at 5:30 p.m., Sept. 8. The concert is presented by the Birthplace of Country Music (BCM) with special thanks to The Bristol Hotel, Rabbit Hole Distillery and Virginia is for Lovers for sponsoring this special event.
“Lumac is a great destination for live music and dining in Downtown Bristol,” said Leah Ross, BCM executive director of advancement, the parent nonprofit of the annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival. “We’re thrilled to partner with our friends at The Bristol Hotel to kick off the festival with these wonderful artists in such a beautiful venue.”
“The Bristol Hotel enjoys a great partnership with the Birthplace of Country Music that continues to grow,” said Sean Copley, general manager of The Bristol Hotel. “We’re very proud to be part of the excitement of the festival and to help kick-off the main event at Lumac, especially as Bristol celebrates the 95th Anniversary of the 1927 Bristol Sessions.”
Larry Keel is an award-winning and innovative flat-picking guitarist and singer-songwriter who has brought the flat-picking form to its highest level of sophistication and sonic power. As a composer and singer, Keel integrates raw honesty and charming grit to form a unique brand of music he calls “experimental folk.” He has appeared on over 20 albums, 12 of which he produced, and has written songs that have been recorded and performed by distinguished artists including GRAMMY Award-winners Del McCoury and The Infamous Stringdusters. Keel has collaborated and continues to merge creative forces with some of the greatest artists in modern roots music, including Tyler Childers, Billy Strings, Al DiMeola, Tony Rice, Keller Williams and Sam Bush, to name a few.
Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, Woody Woodworth & The Piners are part of the newest revival of country music in Virginia. Established in 2016, The Piners are named for the bygone expression “to pine,” meaning a deep longing for something or someone. Influenced by Virginia’s deep musical history and Appalachian culture, Woody Woodworth & The Piners fuse storytelling with country, bluegrass, and rock ‘n’ roll to create a sound that can be described as Appalachian alt-country with a steady shot of Southern rock.
Members of Old Line Skiffle Combo consider Bristol their second home. The Maryland-based sextet first performed at Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion in 2004 and was an event staple for many years. The group amicably parted ways after their final festival performance as a band in 2015. Not missing a beat, the OLSC is reuniting its original members for a special, pre-festival kick-off show for Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion and bringing a fine batch of their signature high-energy, non-stop locomotive sounds that combine their love of old-timey music mixed with hot jazz, western swing, vaudeville, rockabilly and the general zaniness of the 1920s and 1930s, so fitting as part of the 95th Anniversary of the 1927 Bristol Sessions festivities.
Tickets to the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Festival Kick-off Concert at Lumac Rooftop Bar above The Bristol Hotel are on sale now for $25. To purchase, visit the Events page at BirthplaceOfCountryMusic.org. Weekend and single day passes to Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, to be held Sept. 9-11 in Historic Downtown Bristol, are sold separately at BristolRhythm.com. For more information about The Bristol Hotel and to book a room, visit BristolHotelVa.com.
“Tanya very much wanted to be here last year, but was unable to join us due to travel issues,” said Leah Ross, executive director of advancement for the Birthplace of Country Music, the parent nonprofit of the festival, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, and WBCM Radio Bristol. “It’s serendipitous that she’ll perform in Bristol as we celebrate the 95th anniversary of the 1927 Bristol Sessions and the same year as Rosanne Cash, another iconic figure in country music.”
“We are thrilled that JJ Grey & Mofro and Rosanne Cash are among our headliners this year,” said Leah Ross, executive director of advancement for the