When I started putting together this month’s Trail Mix, I reached out to Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and his team for a track. They were happy to oblige and, in short order, I got an email with a track attached. Open opening the email, I saw the title . . . . “Sure Shot.”
My first thought was, “Surely he didn’t. I know he didn’t.”
Karl Denson did. He took on the seminal Beastie Boys track and flat out nailed it.
“Sick” was the first word that came to mind.
That this cover is absolutely nasty, couple with the fact that Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe is the headliner for the sixth annual Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival, happening May 22nd – 25th in Martinsville, Virginia, made it a no-brainer for the opening track on this month’s mix.
Featured this month are artists playing Rooster Walk, our proud sponsor of Trail Mix for the last two months.
Rooster Walk, in its sixth year, is quickly becoming one of Virginia’s most popular festivals. Founded as a memorial to two Martinsville natives who died too young, the festival is a charity fundraiser that now sees crowds 35,000 strong. This very magazine dubbed Rooster Walk the best Under The Radar festival in the Southeast just last year.
Check out this line up and you’ll see why . . .
Joining Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe will be, among others, The Infamous Stringdusters, Particle, The Pimps of Joytime, Tim O’Brien & Darrell Scott, Anders Osborne, The Lee Boys, Yarn, William Walter & Co., James Justin & Co., Jon Stickley Trio, Empire Strikes Brass, and a bevy of bands from around the region.
This month’s mix features tracks from twenty of the bands playing the three stages at Rooster Walk. Take a listen. This is just a taste of what will be taking place in just a few weeks down in Martinsville.
As always, stream and download at your leisure. Tell a friend about the mix and Rooster Walk. Maybe plan a road trip to Martinsville in a few weeks. If you are interested in finding out more about the festival, the other bands on the bill, or how to procure tickets, point your browser to www.roosterwalk.com. Also, stay tuned to the Trail Mix blog all month long, as bands from the bill will be featured each week.
