A brief history of Rootsville Festival.
Rootsville is in it’s first year as a mid summer festival, and is fully focussed on becoming an annual ‘must-go’ on the festival calendar. Obviously our expectations for the first event are modest, though are ambitions are anything but. Our priority is to ensure that those who are prepared to brave it this first year and enter unchartered territory, are so amazed by their experience that they (perhaps unwittingly) become ambassadors for future events. The journey of a 1000 miles starts with the first step, Saturday 30th June is the Rootsville first step.
Kent Davis - Festival Organiser
Kent was once wealthy and is now skint, hmmm. He feels that his investment in Rootsville is a surefire winner. A fool and his money are soon parted but we’ll see. Mr Davis was one of the organisers of last years Roots de Ville and this year became one of the organisers of seminal Drop Beats not Bombs. Other than that, as most who have met him will attest he is an enthusiastic supporter or good new music.
Mark Badger
Mark runs a local independent record label called Iron Man Records, set up the Birmingham Music Network, and has organised gigs in Birmingham for over ten years. In addition he plays in a band of his own, does a bit of tour management, some lecturing at UCE as part of their music business degree course, and enjoys a good game of mental chess with local funding organisations. Mark asked to work with Rootsville Festival as the team behind the event are all music mad and he likes to be amongst others of his own kind.
Mike Davies
Veteran hack, film critic, sometime PR, ex Beacon Radio rock jock, and long time commentator on and supporter of local music scene. His scribblings have variously appeared in the likes of Brum Beat, Melody Maker, What’s On In Birmingham and several long forgotten but much loved publications. He currently reviews films for What’s On and the Birmingham Post, edits a Primary schools magazine, does a gig guide on Birmingham101.com and waxes lyrical about various local bands and CDs on netrhythms.com and the on line incarnation of Brum Beat. He’s not ashamed to say he thinks Ocean Colour Scene are ok, actually and will work for food. But not takeaways. He’s involved with Rootsville because the organisers foolishly asked if he’d consider doing the press, and he rather likes the idea of the festival and the music. And they gave him a free coffee.
Andrew Dubber
Degree leader for Music Industries at UCE Birmingham, and a consultant for independent music business. His website, New Music Strategies, gives up to date information and advice about the online music world. Dubber has published widely on the topic of radio and the music business in the digital age and has recently finished an online series called ‘The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online’, which is available for download as a free e-book.
Kate Adams
Kate works as Project Co-ordinator for MusicLeader West Midlands, an initiative which offers support and professional development for all those invloved in leading music activities with young people. Her interest in the organisation side of music festivals was sparked off in 2005 when she helped to plan the Moseley Festival and assisted at a French International Jazz festival. She’s now delighted to be involved with Rootsville!
