Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance
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Starting in 1991, the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance is an annual festival held the second-to-last weekend of July in Trumansburg, New York, a small town ten miles north of Ithaca. The GrassRoots Festival, or simply GrassRoots, as it is known, draws nearly 20,000 visitors throughout the course of four days. GrassRoots presents over 70 musicians, bands and dance troupes on four simultaneously-running stages continually throughout the long weekend. The festival was recently nominated as one of USA Today's top 10 outdoor music festivals. Genres represented among the musicians include bluegrass, Cajun, zydeco, African, reggae, country, Americana, Native American music, old-time music, Irish music, jam band, rock and roll, hip hop, Conjunto, rockabilly and more. In 2003 the associated Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival began, modeled after the Finger Lakes festival.
[edit] Artists that have performed
GrassRoots was founded by popular Americana band Donna the Buffalo and celebrated its seventeenth year in 2007. Artists that have performed at GrassRoots include:
- Big Leg Emma
- Boubacar Traore
- Bubba George Stringband
- Burning Spear
- The Burns Sisters
- Cherish the Ladies
- The Clovis Points
- Colorblind James Experience
- Del McCoury
- Highwoods Stringband
- The Horse Flies
- Hugh Masekela
- Jennie Stearns
- Jimmie Dale Gilmore
- Jim Lauderdale
- John Anderson
- John & Mary
- John Brown's Body
- John Specker
- Johnny Dowd
- Justin Hinds and the Dominoes
- Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band
- Keith Secola
- Kelly Willis
- King Sunny Ade
- Lloyd Cannady & The Flying Clouds
- Los Lobos
- Lucky Dube
- Mahlathini
- The Mahotella Queens
- Mamadou Diabate
- Martin Simpson
- MC Lars
- The Meditations
- Michael Franti & Spearhead
- Neon Baptist
- Nickel Creek
- NRBQ
- Old Crow Medicine Show
- Patty Loveless
- Preston Frank & his Zydeco Family Band
- Ralph Stanley
- ReBirth Brass Band
- Red Stick Ramblers
- Rickie Lee Jones
- Rusted Root
- Samite of Uganda
- Scythian
- Snake Oil Medicine Show
- Solas
- Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys
- Sunny Weather
- 10,000 Maniacs
- Thomas Mapfumo & the Blacks Unlimited
- Tinariwen
- Toots and the Maytals
- Trevor MacDonald
- Vieux Farka Touré
- Walter Mouton & the Scott Playboys
In addition to the musical performances at GrassRoots, attendees may also visit the Art Barn, an art gallery featuring primarily local artists; a Healing Arts area, where free massages, Reiki, acupuncture, and other healing therapies are performed; a children's area; dance workshops and more. In 2005 a "musicalmentary" about the festival titled Grassroots Stages was distributed nationally on PBS. The film includes musical performances and interviews with festival organizers Jeb and Jordan Puryear.
