GrassRoost Festival: Friday (Day Two)

I just came back from the second day of the GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance in Trumansburg NY. I have a weekend pass, but I decided not to go yesterday due to the weather-- it was a record high in Ithaca (official temperature at the airport was 100ºF, with a heat index of 109). This is the 21st annual GrassRoots Fest, and my tenth.

The Kid and I got to the fairgrounds a bit later than we'd intended, and set up our chairs, blanket and cooler on the Infield.

We managed to catch the encore of The Town Pants, a Celtic and Americana band from Vancouver. I hadn't heard them before, and I really liked them: high energy and a lot of fun. I'm hoping to catch them again tomorrow afternoon in Caberet Hall.

After a delicious gyro and a frozen chocolate-covered strawberry, we settled in for one of my festival favorites, the local funk/soul/reggae act Thousands of One. Their infectious groove and rhythm got me out of my seat and dancing. They also announced the release of their second CD, SoulForce. I'll probably be picking that one up sometime soon.

After dancing so hard, The Kid told me that a strong weariness had set in, so we decided to head back home. While we were packing up, we heard the sound check for Balkan Beat Box, a gypsy-rock/hip-hop act from NYC that seems to be attracting quite a following. They sounded great, but we had to catch the bus back to the parking lot, so we said good-bye to the first day of the festival.

Tomorrow's line-up includes some other festival favorites that I hope to see, including The Believers, Blackfire, The Horse Flies, and Donna the Buffalo. I hope to encounter some other acts that will become new favorites, too. More to come later.