It will be a day of Nashville meets New England when the inaugural Ramblin’ Roads Country Fest takes place at the Wendell Deja Brew and Pub, 57A Locks Village Rd. in Wendell, on Saturday, Oct. 4. The family-friendly festival will run from 3 to 11 p.m. It will feature 12 acts, an open mic for kids, and songwriting in the round. Big T’s Jerky House and Cafe on the Common will be on hand to provide food, and various vendors will also be present.
Jason Cook, the lead vocalist for the Phukovs, a band from central Mass, will serve as emcee for the day.
The fest is the brainchild of Mary-Jane O’Dou, a former resident of Greenfield who now lives in southern Vermont and who credits her daughter Shaely for opening her eyes to the many talented musicians working in Massachusetts and beyond. “My daughter is a musician, she just turned 16 and she’s gigging all over right now,” she said in a recent phone conversation.
A group of musicians working in central Mass has been especially supportive of Shaely, and making a strong contribution to her musical growth. O’Dou has great admiration for these artists, not only for their support but also for their talent, and she feels they are deserving of more exposure. This belief helped spark the idea for the Ramblin’ Roads Country Fest.
“The country music scene seems underrepresented in our area,” she said about her motivation to host a festival. “I wanted to have something for the community to enjoy and showcase the amazingly talented musicians who work so hard.”
And when it came to finding a venue that would be well suited to host such an event, she knew that Deja Brew was the place.
“My husband grew up in that area,” said O’Dou. “We know the owners, and it was just like, hey, why don’t we just do this, and then it turned into an all-day thing.”
And what a day it will be. Expect to hear a diverse range of musicians from throughout New England, including Maggie Neff, Jordan Gladu, the Ray Gifford Band, Stan Matthews and others who will support the headliner, Paulina Jayne from Nashville.
Jayne, a multi-instrumentalist, is known for her highly entertaining shows, which are heavy on storytelling. She has opened up for some of the biggest names in country music, including Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, and more. “She is my daughter’s artist development coach,” said O’Dou when asked how she happened to book an artist from Nashville. “I found Paulina online, and Shaely’s been taking lessons with her for about a year, so she’s just gonna come up and perform and meet my daughter in person, which should be fun.”
Shaely O’Dou will get a chance to show off what she’s learned from Paulina Jayne when she brings her warm country tunes to the festival. Some of the other acts include Charlie Diamond of Hartford, whose sound has been described as Bob Dylan meets Johnny Cash, and Josh LeVangie of Wendell, whose outlaw classic country music has been a favorite on the local scene for many years. Powerhouse vocalist Amanda Meli of Belchertown will have the honor of performing a set of her own material and will later sing with her Dolly Parton tribute act.
“I think it’s one of the coolest things that’s happened in our area,” said Meli about the festival. “We get to have our local singer-songwriters perform, central to our community, but share a stage with someone like Paulina Jayne from Nashville, and meet her – that’s such an honor, and it’s gotten all of us local musicians excited.”
O’Dou hopes the fest provides a great sense of connection between all the artists.
“I’m really excited about all of the artists meeting each other, because I really think that they’re all going to just flourish among each other,” she said.
One other thing that was important for O’Dou is that young people get a chance to experience what it’s like to be up on stage.
“We are going to open the event with what I’m calling the Rising Star Kids Hour, which will be a handful of younger performers doing an open mic,” she said. The Rising Star Kids Hour is for kids ages 6 to 13, and they will perform a 10-minute set. To sign up for this open mic, email Ramblinroadscountry@gmail.com. Spots are limited.
“We also have a songwriter in the round event,” she added. Miss Abigail and David Keith, two musicians from central Mass, will participate in that portion of the festival.
Having musicians from all over will allow festival attendees the chance to discover and enjoy new music. So dust off your cowboy boots and head to Deja Brew on Saturday!
“I just want it to be like a great fall family-friendly event, where you get to just hang out and enjoy some great performers and spend a day where you can forget all the other nonsense.”
Tickets are $15 in advance and available at the Wendell Country Store, or online at eventbrite.com, or $20 at the door. Children 13 and under free. The raindate is Sunday, Oct. 5.
Boys of the Landfill open Full Moon Coffeehouse fall season
Wendell is clearly the place to be this weekend. The Full Moon Coffeehouse, held at the Wendell Town Hall, kicks off its fall season on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 7:30 p.m., with a show featuring Americana quartet Boys of the Landfill.
This first show of the season will be a benefit for the Wendell Historical Society.
Boys of the Landfill consists of Michael Pattavina from Greenfield on bass and banjo, Geoff Rogers from Shutesbury on guitar and mandolin, Rob Hayes from Shutesbury on fiddle, and Al MacIntyre from Wendell on accordion.
The band’s music draws from everything from traditional New England music to the Cajun sounds of the South, with the occasional Irish or Scottish tune tossed in. Their music is lively and guaranteed to get the crowd moving.
Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show starts with an open mic at 7:30 p.m. Admission is a sliding scale of $7 to $20 (cash only at the door); children under 12 years old are free.
Jeffrey Foucault at the Iron Horse
Singer-songwriter Jeffrey Foucault of Shelburne Falls will play a full band show on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m. at the Iron Horse in Northampton. Old Hat Stringband will open. Tickets are available at ironhorse.org.
Reprise pre-show party
Last week, we told you about the Phish tribute act Reprise performing at the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 8 p.m. The theater has since announced that it will host a pre-show party at 5 p.m. in the theater’s parking lot , featuring the funky sounds of the Beau Sasser Trio alongside craft vendors and donuts by event sponsor Wake the Dead Donuts. The party will continue until showtime. Tickets for Reprise will be available at the door.
Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at Soundslocal@yahoo.com.