Rhythm n Roots is a 3 day musical festival thet goes on in downtown Bristol VA/TN each September. The event features several large indoor and outdoor venues that host the big names, 20 or so smaller venues for regional artists, and plenty of street musicians.
Mac Arnold and Plate Full O' Blues was one of the featured groups on Saturday evening. Mac has a great harmonica/keyboard player in Max Hightower.
Mac came up early to promote his collard greens festival, his music in schools program, and his Saturday show.
I met Mac back in the spring when he sat in with Catfish Frye Band a couple of songs to promote his events.
Anyway, Mac invited me to busk/promote in the streets with him on Friday. I didn't get paid but I got an event pass ($60 value), free meals, a few beverages, a Mac Arnold t-shirt....not to mention the fun of jamming with a blues legend. Mac told me he had jammed with Junior Wells and James Cotton to mention a few.
We rode around playing off the back of a golf cart and Mac was not shy about stopping and asking other musicians (mostly bluegrass) if we could sit in a song or two....like the video below. He is a master of promotion because many of the people we saw in the streets showed up for the big show. The man was like a magnet. Crowds would swarm every time he cut loose on his gas can.
Mac and the Plate-Full put on a great show in front of a standing room only crowd at one of the large indoor venues. He and Max were kind enough to ask me to play a couple more that night. Max and I traded licks and passed his mic around. What a super nice bunch of guys.
I learned a LOT spending time with Mac and his musicians. I will be forever grateful for this awesome experience!
