ROMP FESTIVAL
June 22-24, 2023
Owensboro, KY
Lauren Smith-Reed Insomnia Photographer
Thursday
Thursday brought sunshine and 75 degree weather to welcome in the start of the headliners of Romp 2023. The Bluegrass festival is in Owensboro Kentucky at Yellow Creek park. Between the vendors, crowds, and artists Romp is the ultimate Midwest bluegrass festival with hippie vibes and an enchanted forest for you to dance the night away in.
Rick Faris opened the show with his. Charming group of guys that included a banjo, bass and guitar. It felt like the proper symphony for the opening the bluegrass festival on Thursday. Through the set Rick shared a little about his band like that one of his band mates is a “banjo playing lawyer.” The group was full of bluegrass funk and really knew how to prepare the crowd for the evening ahead.
Rhonda Vincent was a Midwest belle in blue at romp on Thursday. She was so friendly on stage and after, as I saw her hugging young girls and talking to fans. She did a cover of 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton as well as many other originals with seem less vocals and a huge range. Her band mates were dressed to the nines and all brought a different charm to the stage.
The Kitchen Dwellers, all the way from Montana, brought the crowd to life with their ‘galaxygrass’ style of bluegrass funk. They are a groovy group with lots of soul and funky bass and banjo riffs. The members bring a diverse range of voices and vibes and they really felt like friends with their audience. The crowd literally screamed “we love you” in a moment of instrument change. The sky turned a perfect evening blue as their set filled the field of people with color and soul. Their musicality left you hanging on every note. This band certainly knows how to put on a show,and keep it going. The hints of jazz and funk were so original. They ended with an encore and then later lead Anders made a guest appearance at Molly Tuttles show.
Molly Tuttle, who recently won a Grammy for best new artist, closed the main stage on Thursday night with a bang. She was joined by four other incredible young people who brought twang, cowboy, violin, and folk to the mix. Later in the show Anders, guitarist from Greensky Bluegrass, joined the band for a little folk number and it was such a great collaboration to see. Molly talked about how her travels and hometown inspired her music and the mix of bluegrass and twang was so smooth. As a twenty something year old it was so inspiring to see the group living their dreams and sharing their talents.
The day wrapped up with some groovy late night sets. The weather cooled down and there were lightning bugs guiding everyone on their walks to their camps. Thursdays lineup of artists came from all over the US and brought funk, soul and the best of bluegrass. The sky turned a perfect evening blue as their set filled the field of people with color and soul. Their musicality left you hanging on every note. The crowd sang along to every song and felt the power of every long riff. This band certainly knows how to put on a show, and keep it going. The hints of jazz and funk were so original. They ended with an encore and then later lead Anders made a guest appearance at Molly Tuttles show.
Friday
Bill and the Belles opened the music festivities on Friday afternoon with style and flare. They sing the kind of music you think of when you go to festivals, eat the fair food and soak up the sunshine. The banjo and fiddle filled tunes echoed through the air as the fans headed towards the music stage and settled in for the day ahead. The band gave surprising riffs of New Orleans type jazz and soul.
The Purple Hulls brought the femme folk to the stage Friday. They were powerful, in synch and mesmerizing as a vocal duo. The sisters were accompanied by a bass player who brought low deep riffs and a sweet confidence to her corner of the stage. The sisters from Texas shared emotional original songs about their father and life and also covered some classics.
The Slocan Ramblers were swanky and raspy. Very folk. The band members nodded their heads with the music and the crowd followed. You can tell this band is truly in their element playing up on stage. They put a calmness over the crowd with how confident and smooth their musicality was. It was blues meets country meets bluegrass. The band moved as such a great unit and will no doubt put on a great late-night show later in the night.
Tuba Skinny is a New Orleans based band and said it was their first time traveling up to Kentucky. Their style of backstreet jazz and bourbon blues switched the mood after a day of folk and twang. The band got the crowd dancing and radiated pure Nola jazz vibes. They were such a great addition to the Friday lineup and a great sunset stage set.
The crowd quickly packed in for Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder. He reminisced of his last time at Romp and thanked the crowd for having him back. He seems like a true natural to the stage and a piece of bluegrass history. The musician shared many moments of his life and emotional ties to his music with the crowd that no doubt made his performance so memorable even for those seeing him for the second year.
The Infamous Stringdusters closed the night on Friday night with a funky dance set. They did a cover of As it Was by Harry Styles that’s etched in my memory forever. A bluegrass spin on a disco pop hit? Iconic. They were such a rad ending to a long day of amazing music.
Saturday
Saturday was a bright, sunny and scorching hot day for the ending of the bluegrass festival. The park saw a huge turnout of thousands of people and the artist lineup had a mix of local and National stars. The lemon shakeup and ice cream truck line stayed steadily long all day as the crowds went from enjoying the bluegrass tunes to the vendor tents and food for a cool off. When the sun went down, the crowd started dancing and you could feel the excitement for the headliners later in the evening.
Kentucky bluegrass All Stars were the first group on stage on the scorching hot Saturday of Romp. The local group brought people of all ages together for the sake of bluegrass and started the day off with a traditional symphony of strings and picking.
Kentucky Shine is an upcoming band from the bluegrass state itself. They were one of a few local hits from Kentucky and it gave a hometown pride feeling through the crowd.
David Peterson & 1946, a very southern feeling acoustic bluegrass band brought picking and soul to the stage in the heat of the afternoon on Saturday.
John R Miller, a West Virginia based band who has joined artists like Tyler Childers on stage, brought such flare and upbeat tunes to the afternoon stage.
The Mccrary sisters, called royalty in their home of Nashville, brought gospel groove to the mid-morning stage. They gave hints of jazz and blues while dancing around the stage and filling the fields with a bluegrass gospel style.
Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band brought southern charm and classic bluegrass picking. Peter Rowan, also called the lion of bluegrass, mixed classic bluegrass and groovy flare for the afternoon set. There were long picking riffs and even some jazzy scat. The mid 70s musician was a great addition to the afternoon romp stage.
Old Crow Medicine Show was the electric set of the weekend. They jumped and danced around the stage. The presence of the band could be felt throughout the whole camp no doubt. Between the kick line dance moves and literally seeing them run between sets to keep the show moving, the band felt like the rocking bluegrass that everyone was waiting for after a long hot day of mid ninety degree weather.
Sam Bush, in a vintage Kentucky jersey, closed the main stage with a grooving and moving set that had the crowd ready to dance the rest of the night. He rocked out with his band mates and brought a classic bluegrass presence to wrap up the weekend.
The late night set went on past midnight and the festival goers enjoyed the wonderland of mushrooms and string lights that lead to the back stage. Romp is such a great festival. I saw all ages running around enjoying themselves. I saw pure joy in the form of dancing and teamwork everywhere to keep the show running smoothly. This is such am underrated festival here in the Midwest and deserves so much recognition for the artists, crew and vibes they’re creating.