Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion (BRRR) is a musical festival held annually in September that celebrates the heritage of country music along the Tennessee and Virginia state line in Bristol, Tennessee and Virginia.
Photos Courtesy of Joshua Moore.
Established in 2001, BRRR honors the legacy of the 1927 Bristol Sessions and the influence they have had on today’s music. The Bristol Sessions took place along the second and third floors of the Taylor-Christian Hat Company building located at 408 State Street by the Victor Talking Machine Company, who brought a field unit to record musicians from the region. These sessions included recordings of country music legends the Carter Family and Jimmie Rogers and captured the styles of music throughout the Blue Ridge and Appalachian regions.
BRRR is known to feature some of the best roots music, and for those who do not know, the music is more along the lines of country, blues, American folk or folk lyricism of acoustic artists like John Prine. The festival offers a wide variety of stages; this year, there were fourteen different stages featuring a wide variety of artists over a span of three days in beautiful downtown Bristol along State Street. State Street divides the town of Bristol from the Tennessee and Virginia sections, with the stages being divided up on either side: one town, two states.
BRRR offers entertainment for the whole family, along with a wide array of local crafters, a large variety of different foods and a beer garden. This year’s artists included bands like Nickel Creek, Margo Price, Watchhouse, Allison Russell, Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives and many, many, many more. My favorite surprise, though, was Sons of the East, an Australian indie folk band I had never heard of before; they were so good I caught both shows, as they performed two days of BRRR. They were the talk of the town, as I heard many conversations of people talking about how much they loved their shows. Another artist many were talking about was Amythist Kiah, a local favorite and GRAMMY nominee. That’s one thing I love about this festival: I always find a new band I have never heard of. Going to a festival with a wide variety of artists is a great way to open your musical pallet, and BRRR indeed has that.
As an outdoor venue, you might sometimes run into a bit of rain, which was the case for this year. When there’s lightening, they do have to stop the show; however, once it has passed, they pick back up where they left. I welcomed the break, as I could cool off and grab a bit to eat. If you’re like me, you’re there the entire length, which can be exhausting.
As Sunday rolled around, I was excited to catch the last act of the day, a personal favorite of mine, 49 Winchester. They were playing a super set on the Cumberland Park Stage on the Virginia side, featuring multiple artists playing this year’s BRRR. It was a congratulatory send-off for the local boys, making it big as they were about to head out on the Europe tour with Luke Combs. It was a perfect way to end another year of beautiful music at the birthplace of country music.
Learn more about this fantastic music festival on their website, bristolrhythm.com!
