THROUGH THE LENS: California’s Ohana Festival and Rhode Island’s Rhythm & Roots Festival Light Up the Skies with Roots Music
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THROUGH THE LENS: Rooster Walk & Railbird Festivals Offered Contrasting Takes On Appalachian Music Festivals
This week’s column highlights two Appalachian roots music festivals: Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival, held in Martinsville, Virginia, and Railbird Festival, held in Lexington, Kentucky.
Rooster Walk returned for a 16th year (May 21-24, 2026) just months after being selected as the best music fest in Southeast
BONUS TRACKS: World Cup Fever, New Music From Wynonna, Peggy Seeger, American Aquarium, and More Roots Music News
Happy World Cup season, everyone! The international soccer/football competition actually has a rich musical history, with global superstars like Shakira performing this year in Mexico, classical and operatic performances in Italy in 1990, and K-pop phenomenon and BTS member Jungkook in Qatar in 2022. For anyone looking to
THROUGH THE LENS: Topanga Banjo Fiddle & Albino Skunk Festivals - Throwbacks in Time
This week features two roots festivals new to the column — the Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest & Folk Festival (Calabasas, California, May 17, 2026) and the Albino Skunk Music Festival (Greer, South Carolina, May 6-9, 2026).
Begun in 1961 as a modest gathering in the Santa Monica Mountains Topanga has