THROUGH THE LENS: Two Appalachia Roots Fests: Healing Appalachia and Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion

Has anyone noticed that, during the past few years, Appalachia has garnered a lot of national attention? So much so that it’s suddenly hip to be from, live in, or even visit the region. It certainly gives an artist an extra layer of credibility in the roots music world. Think Sierra Ferrell, Tyler Childers, Chris Stapleton, Amythyst Kiah, Sturgill Simpson.

But that begs the question, how does one pronounce Appalachia? Here’s the definitive answer: if you’re from here, it’s ”App-uh-LATCH-uh.” Pronounce it any other way, and it’s a dead give-away you’re an outsider. Some folks may respond with a demure, “You’re not from around here, are you?”

This week’s column features two outstanding roots music festivals held in the heart of Appalachia: Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion in Bristol, Virginia/Tennessee (September 13-15, 2024), and Healing Appalachia in Lewisburg, West Virginia (September 19-21, 2024). Chad Cochran attended the former with his camera, and Kelly Shipe covered the latter. 

Healing Appalachia 2024 by Amos Perrine 

While the first Healing Appalachia was held in 2018, its seed germinated on August 15, 2016 when, in Huntington, West Virginia, 26 people overdosed in a single day. Not only are drug overdoses the leading cause of death for people under the age of 50 in the U.S., but as reported by the Associated Press, “West Virginia has by far the nation’s highest overdose death rate.”. 

Because of this, a group of kindred spirits came together with their musical gifts and love of community to create the non-profit Hope in the Hills. Its goal was to produce a yearly concert, and that became Healing Appalachia. 

Hope in the Hills has gone on to present other events that help connect and grow communities of recovery and healing in Appalachia. They raise funds and awareness to combat opioid addiction through a wide array of projects and programs from youth prevention to recovery houses. Hope in the Hills has gone on to provide nearly one million dollars to a wide variety of boots-on-the-ground nonprofits working throughout the recovery ecosystem, including a music therapy program, tapping into the region’s music therapy community.

Held at the State Fairgrounds in Lewisburg, West Virginia, Healing Appalachia began as a two day event featuring primarily West Virginia and Kentucky-based performers. Most notable among them was Kentuckian Tyler Childers. With Childers headlining, the festival gained national attention and in subsequent years attracted artists such as Jason Isbell, Margo Price, and Amythyst Kiah.

Healing Appalachia has also grown to become a three-day event. This year, Childers again headlined and brought with him 22 additional acts, including Sierra Ferrell (who had just won Americana Music Association’s highest awards, Artist and Album of the Year), My Morning Jacket, and Shooter Jennings.

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion 2024 — Meet Me in the Fellowship Hall by Kelly Shipe 

When I cross underneath the giant neon “Bristol, A Good Place to Live” sign in mid-September and set foot on State Street for Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, I can always count on a weekend full of incredible music, discoveries, the undeniable sense of community and a profound emotional experience that a music festival can bring. 

That’s why we go to roots fests, to step into an alternative reality for a few days and sink into the magic of the music coupled with a swarm of humans possessing an unabashed love for what live music brings — a feeling of joy, connection, and pure bliss.

As I stopped in at the Blackbird Bakery for what I believe to be the best pumpkin cheesecake bar on earth, I realized that, like a great recipe, Bristol mixes a tantalizing array of ingredients, creating an indescribably good musical casserole. Take a fierce cup of Ashley McBryde; followed by a serving of Alabama rockin’ band The Red Clay Strays (who would just days later take home Emerging Act of the Year award at the 2024 Americana Honors & Awards in Nashville); and add a generous infusion of a Wilderado set that ended with the band and the crowd joining forces for a “Rubble to Rubble” sing-a-long; and you’ve got me wondering if I’ll ever get such a delicious experience again! 

This Bristol cookbook is not a one trick recipe. Indeed, there are several more tabs, such as Holy Roller served hot, followed by the full-of-spice Hannah Dasher. Then, as an early autumn zephyr moved along the Tennessee/Virginia border, Brittney Spencer, The Jared Stout Band, and Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway (whose latest album was selected as IBMA’s 2024 Album of the Year) delivered rich, scrumptious goodness akin to the heavenly specialties served at my church’s covered dish supper. 

They say the Ryman is the Mother Church of country music. I say that Bristol, along with being country music’s birthplace, is its Fellowship Hall, along with all of roots music — maybe all music.

Click on any photo below to view the gallery as a full-size slideshow.