DanceGrass masters Whitewater Ramble have revisited some of their more “traditional” roots with the release of their new video “Dear Mr. Bankman” from their 2013 release Roots & Groove. The video release coincides with an ambitious Fall 2013 tour.

Whitewater Ramble (WWR) has announced their Fall 2013 Tour that will take the band through Montana, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio. The band has announced several pairings and co-bills for the tour including a run with Tea Leaf Green and shows with The Ragbirds.Whitewater Ramble is currently on tour behind their sophomore release Roots & Groove which was produced by Tim Carbone of Railroad Earth.

Resiliency marked the opening of the Rhythms on the Rio Riverside Fest this past Saturday. After the spring fires, the summer monsoons hit the region hard, coloring the Rio Grande with black runoff from the burn scars higher in the mountains and swelling the waters into a rushing torrent. More of those rains hit the festival late afternoon creating some scrambling between the sound crew and the bands and forcing festivalgoers under any available tarps and canopies.

I was very impressed with the message and playing abilities found on this second studio album released by the band WhiteWater Ramble. The band’s name specifies the style; beautiful, fluid, flowing music rambled with determination.

In early January of 2013, Whitewater Ramble gathered at Silo Sound in Denver, CO for a marathon recording session that took place over 8 days. The band then immediately hit the road with Railroad Earth for a five-night run across the Midwest before heading to New Jersey to mix the album,

Described as High-Octane Rocky Mountain DanceGrass, Whitewater Ramble (WWR) uses a simple recipe to craft its sound: start with bluegrass instrumentation, add drums, and finish with a boundary-less approach to grassing-up everything from disco house grooves to roots to Americana. For over ten years, WWR has been captivating audiences across the U.S. with an engaging stage presence and insightful and poignant lyrics.

With the Kinfolk Celebration and NedFest right around the corner, I decided to trek down to the Boulder Theater on Thursday night to give my ears a little warm-up session with WhiteWater Ramble and local Boulder band The Magic Beans.

The last day of this festival began slowly with the contemplative music of Tony Vines. Visitors like me new to Rhythms on the Rio might not fully appreciate what they were hearing from this talented young man. A skilled guitarmaker and musician, Vines struggled with bipolar disorder for two decades, often diving deep into depression and near suicide. He sat on the stage on a cool Sunday morning in South Fork, Colorado, unmedicated for his disorder, healed by the power of his faith, singing songs of hope and belief.

Well, the sky looks as if it’s clearing over the Rio Grande River in South Fork, Colorado. The festival grounds was busy today with stage construction and setting up shaded seating and booths….in the rain. It wasn’t a Midwestern downpour but one of those gentle southern Colorado rains that soaks into the ground. It made setting up tents a bit of a trick, but early campers like myself were game and just danced in the rain in t-shirts and jeans as we stretched rain flies and pounded in stakes.

For the 7th year we are celebrating summer on the banks of the mighty Rio Grande with music of all genres. From Songwriters to Soul, Bluegrass to Jazz, Music, Arts, Vendors and throw in some square dancing to keep your feet stompin’ all weekend long. Freelance artists will be on the festival grounds painting what is inspiring them at the moment. There will be a $10.00 parking charge (pack the car full, the more the merrier ) and you will have access to the festival.