Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance

Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance

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Roosevelt Collier: Good Times with Some Swampy Grime

September 11, 2019 by David Dean Leave a Comment

Over the years, Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival has presented many headliners who have brought the thunder, along with a never-ending supply of good times. Yet, never before has Shakori Hills GrassRoots brought a headliner who knew how to bring the party quite like Roosevelt Collier.

Roosevelt has become known as “The Dr.” and an artist at large who brings the sweet sounds of funk with him wherever he goes. His music warrants its own genre of “dirty funk swampy grime,” which is guaranteed to be the cure for whatever ails you.

You can come and groove with Roosevelt Friday, October 4 at 8:30 p.m. on the Meadow Stage. In the meantime, make sure to listen to his album Exit 16, which is available on all major streaming sites.

I chatted with Roosevelt for a couple of minutes on his drive through Florida to his next music destination about his beginnings, his records, and what he is bringing this year to Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival. What followed was a delightful conversation with a genuinely warm and bright individual.

How did you get started playing music?

I guess I was born with it. I was born into a family of music, y’know? Like everybody in my family played music, or went to see shows. I was born into the sound of music. I started playing through family and church.

Were you in the church choir or church band?

Yeah, all of that. Anything that dealt with church was me and my family. I was born and raised out of the church, so y’know all of my family played gospel music and sang in the choir and did all of that good stuff.

From there you also played with the Lee Boys for a while. What was that like?

That’s my family, y’know. That’s what I’m saying, we took what we were doing in church, and just moved it to the music scene. That was fun, it wasn’t nothing different except for us playing at the clubs and the festivals and the arts centers and all of that stuff. Man, that was a good time in my life just playing with my family.


I can’t even imagine how exciting it must’ve been to have that experience with the people you love.

It’s definitely like no other, y’know? You can’t find that bond nowhere else, just because it’s family.

Do you ever play together now?

Very rarely, they are busy and I’m busy so our timing is just not coming together right now.

So last year you came out with Exit 16, what was it like to record and produce that album?

Exit 16 came out under the great label, the GroundUP Label, which is spearheaded by Michael League from Snarky Puppy. Michael also helped to produce and write some of the tunes off of the record. And that was my first solo record, and the process was fully about learning how to make a record, and making some music.

I really want to thank that label and Michael League for just giving me a pair of wings, and just letting me explore my full potential as an artist, y’know? And that record did good! It was my first record and everybody loved it, and I’m so thankful and joyful.

It was a great task, and we all just went in and turned it out. I actually slept in the studio, I was knee deep in the process. We cut that record in about three days, going at about three tracks a day. We were in it. Bobby Sparks on the organ, JT Thomas on the drums, Michael League on bass, and me. And that’s it, man, that’s a wrap.


That sounds exhilarating to spend time in the studio and really turn this album out.

It was so fun! And I mean I guess, for me, I just wanted to be there. I didn’t want to get off track, so I stayed there late at night, woke up in the morning and got right back to it. It was a lot of fun, of course it’s tiresome too, there’s a lot going on with it, but the overall process is amazing and fun.

After finishing the album, you also went on tour with Michael League and the rest of Snarky Puppy. What was that like? 

Oh, man! So I’m thankful for that. Michael League is huge on artists, he cares about artists more than anything in the world, which is very rare with a label, y’know? So they have this platform that allowed their artists to come in and open up for him and be a part of the tour.

Snarky Puppy, they are actually still on tour now, and all of the artists on the label, they give them face on the tour. They give us about 6-8 dates, and it was totally amazing. Every night big shows, big crowds, going on tour on a bus, and to be a part of that whole experience was amazing.

How did touring with Snarky Puppy compare to the Free Energy tour?

Those are two different tours. Me playing with Snarky was a great opportunity for me as their artist on the label to get exposure and just giving us a platform of letting our music be heard.

The Free Energy Tour, it’s a big co-billed tour. I went with another Florida band called the Heavy Pets, we’re friends. And we always talked about doing a tour together, so we decided ‘Let’s just do a co-billed tour together, and let’s name it this, and look to really go out and spread love.’ That’s why you have the Free Energy Tour. That tour there is a great thing, and those guys are a great Florida-based band, the Heavy Pets. We just gotta make sure there’s good music from the great state of Florida.

So you describe your music as ‘dirty funk swampy grime’, how would you describe that?

Y’know my music has been labeled just about everything. And I’m from the south, I’m from Florida, we are from the swamp. We get down and dirty. It’s more like my roots mixed with a lot of southern rock and blues and funk. So to an extent, you’ve got a swampy, dirty blues comin’ to you.

Your music has also been nominated for a couple of honors, starting with you being featured as an artist at this year’s WOMEX (The World Music Expo) in Finland. 

Yes! I’m honored to be able to play WOMEX in October, y’know that’s a very big showcase, that’s one of the world’s biggest showcases. So I’m thankful and glad for that, and I mean I wasn’t expecting it at all, but this opportunity came so I’ve gotta take it, y’know? I am definitely ready for it.

You also were nominated by the 2019 UK Jazz FM Award for Blues Artist of the Year, what was that like?

Man, that was a pretty wild experience too. Just to be nominated for it is great, I wasn’t expecting it at all, not at all. And that helped me out a little bit there too, so man I’m forever thankful for London.

So going forward, what can we expect from your future music? 

We are definitely working on another album, that’s definitely in the mix, and we’re gonna look for the next year to tour real heavy.

I’m already up in the studio working on it, it’s almost halfway done now. This one is definitely different. Where Exit 16 was the story of my life, [it] told the story of who I am, where I’m from, and where I’m going. So this record is gonna be one chapter of my life, which is more of the bluesy swampy stuff. Just because I’m a part of so many genres.

So, at Shakori Hills this year, what can fans expect from you?

Alright, Shakori Hills listen. Y’all better come ready to get down. They know that Rosie don’t play no radio baby. It is going down as soon as we hit the stage, so please come expecting to dance and party.

Filed Under: Artist Highlight, From the Festival Desk, Performers Tagged With: comehearnc, festival, funk, GrassRoots, live music, Music Festival, nc music, north carolina, pittsboro, roosevelt collier, shakori, Shakori GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance, shakori hills

A Conversation With Ellis Dyson of Ellis Dyson & The Shambles

March 16, 2019 by David Dean Leave a Comment

Ellis Dyson & The Shambles are a rowdy bunch of swinging jazz cats harkening a sound of the past. They don’t just “try” to play like old-time jazz musicians—they create new material in a language in which few are currently fluent. Ellis Dyson & The Shambles live and breathe jazz styles many have abandoned. Swing, traditional New Orleans jazz, ragtime, old-time, gypsy jazz and other styles ring as real as if penned during the Prohibition Era in a shotgun shack on Frenchmen St.

They are preserving a nearly lost form of American music and bringing past into the present with a sound so authentic it will make you think you’ve stepped back in time. GrassRoots had a chat with Ellis Dyson & the Shambles’ banjo player and frontman, Ellis Dyson, where he talked about his in-depth exploration of sounds from the past and how he hopes to preserve them.

Dyson started listening to swing and old-time music and playing old-time banjo when he was 18. Once he started on the path, he went “down a rabbit hole,” devouring 19th and early 20th-century music. That voracity has never left Dyson, and he remains a serious student of old-time sounds. According to Dyson, “A lot of what I try to do is musicology. I try to keep a clear mind about where the music we are playing comes from and who created it. I want to preserve those traditions, but still exist in the modern realm of music.”

Roscoe Holcomb was the old-time banjo player that started it all for Dyson. Holcomb was a coal miner from the mountains of Kentucky who is known for his falsetto voice and his unique style of banjo playing. Dyson dove into old recordings and learned Holcomb’s repertoire, but was also led to old-time jazz via Louis Armstrong.

“My ear evolved, I started understanding the music more, and I started exploring more,” said Dyson. “There is so much old-time jazz, and I am trying to get to as much of it as I can. It never ends, and I have to accept that I can’t listen to it all.” It sounds like Dyson is trying to get it all in his ear, anyway, and that effort shines through his music. “A lot of the music I play is basic and direct at heart,” explained Dyson. “It’s the nuance of it I have had to work most on. The hardest part for me has been making these innately simple songs really swing. The more I listen to the greats, the more I understand how to do that.”

About six years ago, when Dyson felt he was getting better as a musician, he sought out other musicians playing in the styles he was pursuing. Slowly and surely, members of The Shambles stumbled in from the UNC-Chapel Hill Music Department. “Danny Abrahams and I were the first two,” shared Dyson. “We would rehearse in Kenan Music building on campus, and we were right there in the thick of it. There is a great jazz program at Carolina. Neither Danny nor I were majoring in music while in school, but Danny was minoring in it, and he was involved in all the jazz groups at school. I got lucky falling in with all these great musicians who had a much deeper understanding of music than I did.”

Dyson may have started this journey as a listener and a novice player, but he has evolved into a confident bandleader who can make a dance floor shimmy, sweat, and sin. His dedication to his craft and study of American music history, mostly through intense listening, has not only moved crowds but inspired listeners to dig deeper into these nearly long lost musical styles. “I hope the music pushes listeners to explore as I do,” revealed Dyson. “Of course, I want them to buy a ticket and see us again, and buy our CD, but ultimately I want to preserve these traditional forms of music. This is music that was built here in our country in a time when there was tremendous adversity. It shouldn’t just die out. It’s not fair to the music or the people who created it. It’s damn good music.”

You can join Ellis Dyson & The Shambles on their mission to preserve early forms of American music at the Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance in our Dance Tent on Friday, May 3rd. Ellis Dyson & The Shambles are also involved in our Roots in the Schools program, which you can learn more about here. 

BUY TICKETS FOR SHAKORI GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL OF MUSIC & DANCE HERE

LEARN MORE ABOUT ELLIS DYSON & THE SHAMBLES HERE

Photos by Kendall Atwater

Filed Under: From the Festival Desk, News Tagged With: banjo, Ellis Dyson, Ellis Dyson & The Shambles, Frenchmen St., GrassRoots, gypsy jazz, jazz, New Orleans, old-time, prohibition, ragtime, Roscoe Holcomb, shakori, Shakori GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance, shakori hills, swing, traditional, UNC, UNC Chapeh Hill, UNC Chepel Hill Music Department

SPRING 2019 – FULL LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT

February 20, 2019 by David Dean 8 Comments

We are excited to announce the full lineup of performers for Spring 2019!

Our line-up is always carefully crafted to showcase national, regional, and local acts that span multiple genres. This spring Lukas Nelson and Promise of The Real will headline with their rocking Americana and country roots in what promises to be electrifying performance. We welcome back the West African and funk sounds of Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba and our bluegrass buddies Driftwood. Local rock favorites Arson Daily almost burned down the Grove Stage last year with their high energy set so you know we had to get them back.

We have partnered with Music Maker Relief Foundation to present a special Blues Revue featuring Cool John Ferguson, Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen, and Harvey Dalton Arnold. Fans of the Squirrel Nut Zippers and old-time Swing will not want to miss Ellis Dyson and The Shambles featuring special guest Katharine Whalen.

From the Meadow Stage to the Dance Tent, and everywhere in-between, each of the 50 + performers has been thoughtfully curated to create the perfect soundtrack to your Shakori Hills GrassRoots experience.

4-Day Passes, youth tickets, and camping spots are on sale now!

Early Bird ticket rates end Thursday, February 28.

Day passes go on sale Friday, March 1.

Purchase tickets online here!

Visit these fine locally-owned businesses starting March 1 to get 4-Day or Single Day Passes:

  • Townsend Bertram & Co, Carrboro, NC
  • Circle City Books, Pittsboro, NC
  • The Regulator Bookshop, Durham, NC
  • Redix Store, Wilmington and Wrightsville
  • All Schoolkids Records locations

FULL LIST OF PERFORMERS

Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Donna The Buffalo, Turkuaz, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Zach Deputy, Preston Frank, Driftwood, Kat Wright, Sophistafunk, Megan Jean and the KFB

Travers Brothership, Otto Von Schirach, Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba,  The Tan and Sober Gentlemen, Young Bull, Ellis Dyson & The Shambles w/ Katharine Whalen, West End Blend, Gaslight Tinkers, Bella’s Bartok, The Broadcast

Niito, DJ Rang & Brevan Hampden, Ecstatic Dance Music Maker Blues Revue featuring Cool John Ferguson, Pat ‘Mother Blues’ Cohen and Harvey Dalton Arnold, Maj Deeka, The Oblations w/ Dino Horns, The Materials, Sirius B, RK III, Victoria Victoria, jphono1, Bulltown Strutters, Honey Magpie, James Davy, Chris Frisina, Local Flora, Laura Boswell

Creative Music Performance, Casey’s Laugh & Learn, Compost Theatre, Tanglewood Puppets, The Holland Brothers, Strung Together, Big Wonderful Variety Show, Wyld Fern

Filed Under: From the Festival Desk, News, Performers Tagged With: Aaron Lipp & The Slack Tones, Arson Daily, Bella's Bartok, Big Wonderful Variety Show, Blue Cactus, Bulltown Strutters, Casey's Laugh & Learn, Chris Frisina, Compost Theatre, Creative Music Performance, Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba, DJ Rang & Brevan Hampden, donna the buffalo, Dr. Bacon, Driftwood, Ecstatic Dance Music Maker Blues Revue featuring Cool John Ferguson, Ellis Dyson & The Shambles w/ Katharine Whalen, festival, Gaslight Tinkers, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Honey Magpie, James Davy, Jose Albizu Jazz Trio, jphono1, Kat Wright, Laura Boswell, Local Flora, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Maj Deeka, Megan Jean and the KFB Travers Brothership, Music Festival, Niito, Otto Von Schirach, Pat 'Mother Blues' Cohen and Harvey Dalton Arnold, Preston Frank, Psylo Joe, Ray McNamara, Rebekah Todd, RK III, Root Shock, shakori, Shakori GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance, shakori hills, Sirius B, Sophistafunk, Strung Together, Swamp Kids, Tanglewood Puppets, Tenzin Chopak, The Broadcast, The Collection, The Holland Brothers, The Materials, The Oblations w/ Dino Horns, The Tan and Sober Gentlemen, Turkuaz, Victoria Victoria, West End Blend, Wyld Fern. Festival Lineup, Young Bull, Zach Deputy

Spring 2021 Festival

Festival starts in 103 days!

Find It

Shakori Hills & GrassRoots News

Save Your Roots

For the past 30 years the GrassRoots Festivals have been a part of your family and you have been a part of ours. We have come together … Continue Reading

Shakori Hills GrassRoots Virtual Festival Fundraiser

The Shakori Hills Community Arts Center (SHCAC) will hold a virtual Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival October 8 through 11. Carol … Continue Reading

Fall 2020 Festival Cancelled

Pittsboro, North Carolina, July 13, 2020 - The 17th Annual Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance has been cancelled due to … Continue Reading

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