The Muddy Roots Music Festival 2026 took place from September 4–6, 2026, at the Junebug Boogie Ranch in Cookeville, Tennessee. Celebrating its 16th year as a staple of the D.I.Y. music scene, the independent festival brought together its signature blend of punk, doom metal, outlaw country, rockabilly, blues, and back-porch folk across three stages running from sundown to sunup.
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My prize was going to be in the Neuhoff District at the River Steps, along the Cumberland River, for a FREE show that flew under the radar somehow. This curation was also put on by a radio station but had limited advertising and was in the realm of IYKYK. Lightning 100.1 FM kept their promotion fairly low key, but if you were following along on The Gram you knew. The semi-secret show was one that severely caught my eye with Big Star on the bill. More specifically, Big Star Quintet, which is an amalgamation of legendary musicians who have recently joined forces to bring you the timeless music of the 1970’s indie power-pop band from Memphis, Tennessee. In fact, they were playing the bill alone with a gorgeously managed 7pm start time. The beauty of seeing older bands is those early start times that lead to early end times.
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I’d like to start off with saying a MASSIVE THANK YOU to Rock Steady Nashville and everyone involved (will give more details on that a bit later) for organizing such a kick ass, inspiring event. Nashville certainly has a reputation for its extensive music community, but there’s also a lot of other art and artists here that sometimes wind up feeling a bit separate from the music scene, which has always felt like a missed opportunity in my mind. What I loved most about Rock Steady’s event was that it brought together several different artists and mediums – as well as missions – into one event … all in the name of Rock! What could be better?!
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This summer’s shows hit a little bit different than last summer’s shows because now, Rock Oracle is a building a team and we had our first team building exercise at WNXP’s Summer Line Series. We were in attendance for the second of four events curated by Nashville Public Radio Station WNXP (91.1 FM) for this summer. By we, I mean myself, plus new additions to the squad Sarah and Stacey who, along with Florida Oracle, Mooney, have been instrumental in taking Rock Oracle to the next level. The first WNXP event was with Devon Gilfillian and was deemed a huge success as people filled the Ascension St. Thomas Landing at Nashville Yards on June 26th. The sophomore installment of this well orchestrated showcase was Bully and Massie99, on August 22nd, at the outdoor venue. I was thrilled to introduce these artists to my team and share in a magical night evening of music community.
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Living in Nashville quickly introduces you to the wide world of music. It seems that everyone you meet is involved in the music industry somehow and most are extremely gifted in their area of expertise.Having lived in/around the city my whole life, I’ve been honored to meet many of those people – some being some of the most talented musicians in the area. Even more of an honor, some of those people have become good friends over time. Hell, I eventually snagged one of my own to marry LOL which is funny, really, because I used to vehemently state: “I will NEVER marry a musician!” Don’t ask why I used to say that LOL I can’t recall what so heavily concerned my early-20s brain about it … but I’m VERY glad (obviously) that sentiment didn’t manifest!
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The show was beyond phenomenal with Pavement playing for nearly two hours on Monday, July 27th. School night Schmool night. They orchestrated 26 songs (including the encore) and sounded incredible. The Ryman is a fantastic venue known to locals as “The Mother Church” (it is in fact an old church) with a glorious sound built into its walls. You couldn’t recreate the sonic tonality or the ambience of its foundation today if you tried. Everyone was up out of their pew row seating and on their feet the entire time, singing the words and shouting the hooks where they were needed. Fifty-two-year-old me kept thinking back to my teenage self and wondering if he would have appreciated this as much as I do now.
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Welcome Ghouls, Demons, and Fellow Wyrd Ones!!! Last Friday Night, Gospel_ov_Hate took a leap of faith on another one of his wife’s concert ventures. As a Chatty Cathy, I tend to find friends everywhere I go. It doesn’t help that I dress eccentric-ly obscene. Donning, and styling, his eeriest of band-tees. It is no surprise that I find fellow Metal-Heads who are curious about which band name is ambiguously etched onto my OOTD. That is how I met Jones! Another Fair Park connection. Another friendly alignment of being at the Right Place at the Right time. Perhaps it is the Goddess Hekate, the Mother of Hounds, Blessing all of us Dark Souls with a Torch of Light from the Love that Glistens from our Puppy friends. Either way? I am truly grateful for every entity that wanders over the crossroads and into my sight. It is the very reason I have this tale to tell. Mine, and my Beloved’s First Night at the Cobra Nashville.
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