Sierra HullNaomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens
Day 2
Day 3
Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line
Red Wing V dates have been announced! Mark your calendars for July 14-16, 2017!
Sierra HullNaomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens
Day 2
Day 3
Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line
Red Wing V dates have been announced! Mark your calendars for July 14-16, 2017!
It’s the third year in and I’m not tired of it yet. Not one bit. I love the drive to Mt. Solon. I love the growing sound of banjos and harmonicas as I walk closer to the Chimneys. I love seeing all the familiar faces of Harrisonburg. I love meeting new faces. I love overhearing people gush about how beautiful this festival is. I love the running, smiling, happy children. I love being blown away by performers I never even knew existed. I love my dirty feet at the end of the day. I love watching the weekend through my viewfinder. I love when a moment is so perfect it pulls me from a conversation because I just can’t not take that photo. I love the blue skies. I love the gray skies. I love the food. Oh God, the food. I love working with photographers who are kind and respectful and fun. I love that next year, Red Wing Roots will return and I can do it all again. Aw sookie!
Below are a few of my favorite shots. You can find more on my Facebook page in the coming days and on Instagram at @bsomephoto.
Bands pictured in this post in order of appearance: Dr. How and the Reasons to Live, Locust Honey, Bryan Elijah Smith and the Wild Hearts, Mandolin Orange, Jon Russell, Chatham County Line, The Judy Chops, Scott Miller, Cahalen Morrison & Eli West, Missy Raines & the New Hip, The Barefoot Movement, Nikki Lane, Sarah Watkins – Sarah Jarosz – Aoife O’Donovan, The Steel Wheels, Possessed by Paul James, Billy Strings & Don Julin, Red Tail Ring, The Shook Twins, Spirit Family Reunion, The Honey Dewdrops with Caleb Stine, The Wood Brothers
Other relative links pictured: Lucas Roasting Company, Larkin Arts, South Fork, South Street Brewing, Eno, Friendly City Hoops
It took two showers to wash away Day 1. Fragments of nostalgia broke away from my muddy footprints on the shower floor. Pieces of Mt. Solon dirt and blades of surely the greenest-grass-in-all-the-land sang sweet harmonies as they swirled to their watery death. I assured my lonely pores that their sweat buddies would return soon. Red Wing Roots Music Festival II, Day 2, started at noon with two bands I did not want to miss: Loves It and Smokey and the Mirror.
Above: Red Wing shirts printed by The Mark-it.
Lucas Roasting Company (above) keeping folks energized and Wholistic Wisdom (below) keeping folks relaxed.
Above and below: So sweet to see their daughter watching the performance from backstage.
Above: remnants of Pokey LaFarge’s performance.
Above: One cute little Blue Mountain supporter. Below: One cute little Red Wing supporter.
Below: Artery kicked off on Day 2. Hundreds of children and adults came to help work on this community painting.
Above: Grilled Cheese Mania. Below: Jack Browns Beer and Burger Joint
One really awesome thing about photographing this festival, is that I get to work with other photographers who I know and love. I admire each of them in very different ways and I’m truly a fan of their work. I feel we have a great network and support system of creatives here in the Valley and I simply can’t imagine it being any other way. I’ll introduce my photog friends below. I encourage you to check out their work!
This is Keesha of Ruby Sky Photography. <–If you click on that link, I have a feeling you’ll enjoy her music selection. In fact, feel free to let it play as you continue to look through the rest of this post…you’ll find it quite relevant. Keesha can usually be found with three little assistants. In the photo below, the third assistant is playing hide-and-seek.
This. Ha. Well, this is Pat Jarrett. He likely rode in on his motorcycle that morning after shooting in Newport News. He’s a busy dude and if you’re a Stauntonian, you’ve probably seen him walking to and from his downtown studio.
These girls are my studio neighbors at Spitzer Art Center and are an inspiration to me. They own and operate The Pinwheel Collective. It’s great how well they not only work together but also how nicely their work compliments each others. They do cool stuff. And sometimes funny stuff, too.
Oh hay. That’s me. You’re looking at my work now…but I do some other stuff to. Like weddings and portraits and I photograph for a blog I do with my friend Katie about Harrisonburg. I also plan this really cool community portrait show with my friend Denise Allen every year called Art Lotto.