I woke up with a smile on my face in our cabin after a perfect first day and night. My troops were in good spirit, they survived day one of what is the emotional rollercoaster, called Muddy Roots! Kim (the little city girl) slept in the car because we had an eight legged uninvited guest. She made our rental KIA her nightly home for the rest of the festival… Kickboxing skills don’t kill spiders! After a shower and a “healthy” breakfast we were ready for day two. My list of bands to shoot was huge, but I should have known better. I have this weird habit of talking and drinking with people I like and love. And Muddy Roots is packed with people that I like and/or love… Damn you all to hell for being so awesome! Thank you!
Thinking back I feel like such a fool for missing out on the opportunity, but I did see every band I wanted to see. My camera wasn’t always near and by the time the sun went down I just put it away. I know myself, and I know that I like to party, camera’s and parties don’t mix. But what we got is priceless. The energy, the love, the musicianship, the passion. I would kill for just a little piece of the talent that these guys have. I just point the camera and press record… Enjoy folks… One day this will all be over, all good things come to an end. Let’s just hope we will be there when the fat lady sings! Don’t worry, the fat lady is still a skinny girl, we have years of mischief in Cookeville coming to us!
Lou Shields
I love Lou! I love him as a person and as a musician. What he does is so different then what anybody else does. His weird rhythms, his voice, the way he uses his feet… It’s a package of pure joy to watch! I was bummed out when I learned that Lou was playing at the same time, James Hunnicutt was, I didn’t really understand why, but hey… who am I to judge? But the folks at Muddy Roots have a good taste in music and Lou had a fair amount of people dancing to his tunes. I sure was one of them. Maybe that’s why I only shot two video’s?
Make sure to check Lou’s website and order some of his albums, you will not be disappointed.
James Hunnicutt
After catching me some Lou Shields to start the day it was of to James on the main stage. I prefer to see James play at a smaller stage because it feels more intimate, but the man deserves to be on the biggest stage in the world! I see no point in writing about his show. Just check the video, and the interview we did some months before the festival at our house in Belgium. (I think James’ aura is to big because the camera had trouble focusing on him…)
One more thing, I’m always amazed how good of a singer Geoff Firebaugh is. I mean, he’s a kick-ass bass-player, I just never see him as a singer, and every time he gets behind a microphone I’m blown away! Here’s to you Geoff!
Whiskey Shivers
“Oh boy, Oh boy, Oh boy” I was very excited to see these guys play! I heard some of their songs before but never had the chance to see them on stage. And from what I’ve heard, this was going to be one hell of a party, and it sure was. Another reason I wanted to see them was because this band is the biggest FUCK OFF to racism in the “roots” scene! They maybe don’t sing about it, but just being on that stage all together says enough to every idiot that ever made a claim that this movement is a “white” thing, and I know there’s a bunch of them out there. Fuck you, WE LIKE TO PARTY!!!
Hopeless Jack
You know what’s so fun about Muddy Roots? I’ll tell ya… Walking past a stage and thinking, “DAMN, this sounds good, who are these guys?”. That’s how I got to know Austin from The Hangdog Hearts, and that’s how I got to know Jack Beisel. We where looking for a place to sit and have another drink, and what do I hear coming out of the Cracker Swamp tent? This raw sounding blues, “blasting girls panties off” primitive energy… Holy Crow, these are just two guys having a bunch of fun and this is the result? I haven’t had fun in a long time I guess… And you know what’s the best part of this? Jack is such a nice guy! If they play in your town, go see them, even if you don’t really like blues, it’s so much more. You can bring your dad, but don’t bring your girlfriend, she may not come home with you…
Joseph Huber
Ex-.357Stringband, master song-smith Joseph Huber… What more can you say about him? Just enjoy the songs.
oldstylemusicnights.com 
Loved this! I was able to take my mom and my best friend and we had the time of our lives! Thanks so much for these video…you and I were travelling the same circuits.
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