Press Release:

THIRD ANNUAL FRED EAGLESMITH WEEKEND "ROOTS ON THE RIVER" FESTIVAL

June 7-8-9, 2002
Various venues

Directions to Fred Eaglesmith Weekend venues

"Who in the world is Fred Eaglesmith?" you might ask. "And why would anyone pay sixty bucks to see a weekend's worth of him in Bellows Falls, Vermont?" But you might not want to ask too loud in Bellows Falls on June 7, 8 and 9 when the Fredheads come to town.

"Fred Eaglesmith is a Canadian farmboy whose family farm got foreclosed when he was fifteen," says Charlie Hunter of Flying Under Radar Concerts. "He writes the way Hank Williams would if he were alive today - I call him the Bruce Springsteen for towns under 5,000 population. He writes about fast cars, small towns and disfunctional relationships better than anybody I've ever heard, and he's hilariously funny, to boot."

Each year, Eaglesmith's followers, called Fredheads, flock to the small post-industrial village of Bellows Falls to catch three days worth of music by Eaglesmith and others of similar bent. Each concert is very different. "Friday is a meat and potatoes roadhouse show," says Hunter. "Saturday is an all-day festival at a spot where the Connecticut and Saxtons Rivers meet - in a parking lot you might euphemistically describe as 'atmospheric and gritty.' "And Sunday's show is amidst the gorgeous Vermont hillsides at a 200-year-old meting house with no electricity. We follow it all up with a Street Hockey Tournament across the river at the Walpole Inn"

"When I presented Fred in town the first time, we had 131 people in a space meant for 60. Last year we had 696 paid admissions. This year, we'll go over a thousand." Fredheads are coming from California, Texas, Alberta, the midwest and all over the northeast for a chance to see Eaglesmith and other luminaries of the Americana music scene such as David Olney, Robbie Fulks, Mary Gauthier, Josh Ritter, Jon Dee Graham and Mark Erelli. "The fact that mainstream media is completely uninterested in this music is a pity. But in another way, it's fine with me, " says Hunter. "It's fun. The Fredheads are great, and it gives us a chance to affordably present the very finest roots music being made in the world today."

Those desiring more information are urged to visit www.flyingunderradar.com or call 802-463-3669. To charge tickets by phone, call 1-800-THE-TICK.

SCHDULE OF EVENTS

Friday 6/7 Fred Eaglesmith Band "Roadhouse Show"

A rockin' night of cheating songs, broken hearts, fast cars and agricultural policy in a roadhouse atmosphere.

Rick's Bar & Grille - Rockingham Motor Inn, Route 5 North (I-91 Exit 6) Bellows Falls, VT

doors open at 7pm. 21 and over only. $19.50 advance.

8:00-8:45 - Mark Erelli Band
8:45--11:00 - Fred Eaglesmith Band

Saturday 6/8 "Roots on the River" Festival presented by Farrell Distributing, Molson Brewing and Long Trail Brewing - location: The Beautiful Chemco Building Parking Lot (or inside if it's nasty outside); Granger St., off Rte. 5, Bellows Falls, VT. Free Parking in designated lots. Noon till 8pm. Gates open at 11:30 am. No coolers. All ages welcome. $25 advance. Food by Lisai's Barbeque. Beverages by PK's Public House. Underwriting by Woodstone, Inc., SoverNet, Oasis CD and Cassette Duplication.

Grab the family and loved ones and head to the grittiest parking lot you've ever seen, nestled where the Saxtons River joins the Connecticut at the south end of Bellows Falls! Eight hours of the best singer songwriters you've probably never heard of - the human percussion machine of Washboard Hank; fast rising Josh Ritter Band ("It's easy to see what the fuss is about. Ritter floored the crowd with a richly textured voice that was by turns subtle and powerful." - Steve Morse, BOSTON GLOBE); Jon Dee Graham ("he depicts a Texas where you can practically hear the echoes of Blind Willie Johnson and old border radio broadcasts riding on a dry, hot wind" - USA Today); the honky-tonk of Mary McBride; the rootsy power of Robbie Fulks; the songwriting prowess of David Olney... and the hilarious and heartbreaking songs and show of Fred Eaglesmith and his band!

12:00-12:20 - Washboard Hank (presented by Green Mountain Gringo Salsa)
12:25-1:05 - Steven Hogg
1:10-1:50 - David Olney
1:55-2:10 - Washboard Hank (presented by Green Mountain Gringo Salsa)
2:15-3:00 - Josh Ritter Band
3:05-3:45 - Willie P Bennett (presented by Grassy Hill Concerts)
3:50-4:30 - Jon Dee Graham
4:35-4:50 - Washboard Hank (presented by Green Mountain Gringo Salsa)
4:55-5:40 - Mary McBride Band
5:45-6:30 - Robbie Fulks
6:40-8:00 - Fred Eaglesmith Band
following - open mic at PK's Public House

Sunday 6/9

Rockingham Meeting House, off Rte. 103, Rockingham, VT doors open at 11:30 am. All ages welcome. No food or drink in Meeting House. Food, beverages, perennial plants available on-site. $19.50 advance.

12:00-12:45 - Mary Gauthier

1:00-2:30 - Fred Eaglesmith - all acoustic show (no electricity in building)

3:00-5:00 - Street Hockey Tournament - Walpole Inn, Walpole, NH

Lodging: We have reserved The Inn at Cranberry Farm for Fredheads - www.cranberryfarminn.com (special rate of $129/night - must mention Fred Eaglesmith Weekend). Call 800-854-2208.

Tickets: Charge by phone at 1-800-THE-TICK. Full weekend tickets are $60. Kids 12 and under are 1/2 price AT DOOR ONLY. For full information, go to www.flyingunderradar.com, email us at flyradar@sover.net, or call 800-THE-TICK.

Produced by Flying Under Radar in conjunction with the Rockingham Arts and Museum Project.

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