Roots-rock vocalist and percussionist Melody Trucks, the daughter of late The Allman Brothers Band drummer Butch Trucks, will head to Parish in Austin, TX this Sunday, December 17th to host a special after-party following the final show of the ongoing Allman Betts Family Revival tour. The performance will mark the first installment of Road to Roots, a new series of events presented by the Music Masters Collective, Roots Rock Revival, and Radha School of Music that aims to provide first-hand educational experience to impassioned young musicians [get tickets].
Sunday’s Road to Roots event in Austin will introduce the series concept in vibrant fashion. The evening will get started with a pair of student-focused performances courtesy of students from the nearby Radha School of Music. Once the Allman Betts Family Revival wraps up at ACL Live, Melody Trucks will hit the stage at Parish for a showcase featuring some of the budding musicians she has mentored via Roots Rocks Revival, the music camp co-founded by her father. The night is also expected to be filled with many special guests and never-before-seen collaborations.
The idea for Road to Roots arrived as the culmination of Melody Trucks’ decade of support for Roots Rock Revival, the all-inclusive musical vacation in the Catskills founded by Butch Trucks alongside, Cody and Luther Dickinson, and Oteil Burbridge and inspired by The Allman Brothers Band, the Grateful Dead, and American roots music as a whole. The 11th year of the annual gathering is set to take place from July 29th through August 2nd, 2024 at the gorgeous Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, New York.
Related: Oteil Burbridge Discusses The Beauty Of Roots Rock Revival [Interview]
As Melody explained to Live For Live Music, in the nascent days of Roots Rock Revival, Butch Trucks would contact music schools in hopes of educating bright young students on American roots and jam music. That outreach helped shape a community of budding musicians around the program, including now-notable artists like Brandon “Taz” Niederauer and Dylan Niederauer. Intent on continuing her father’s legacy, Melody, with the help of her brother, Vaylor Trucks, will take the educational mission of Roots Rock Revival one step further, giving past students at the camp the chance to hit the road and get a taste of life on tour.
The Road to Roots tour will feature Melody on percussion and vocals along with four musicians from Roots Rock Revival including The Fitzkee Brothers (16-year-old Alex on drums and 19-year-old Drew on bass), 19-year-old Jaden Lehman on guitar, and 16-year-old Noah Gibney on keys. On Saturday in Austin, this rocking band will perform as the second act of the night for two full sets, the first boasting sit-ins from six Radha School of Music students. The night’s opening act will be 13-year-old Abinav Prabhu (age 13), a dynamic, Indian-American multi-instrumentalist and performer from Cedar Park, Texas. A student of Radha Windham since age five, Abinav will be playing a set of all original music that blends diverse cultural influences spanning multiple genres woven with haunting lyrics exploring the depths of human psyche.
As Melody said of the magic behind the event, “These kids will get to see what it actually like to be with a band performing this type of musical collaboration in a freeform environment. It’s an experience they may not get for years, or maybe ever. It’s one of those opportunities that can spark something in them that carries them for the rest of their lives. That’s what this program is really about.”
Getting out on the stage and into the creative trenches with other musicians in uncertain situations, Trucks explained, is a vital element of music education: “The philosophy that my dad lived in music was that it’s not supposed to sound the same every time. You’re supposed to push yourself into an uncomfortable place. And sometimes it’ll be a train wreck, and that’s okay, but sometimes everybody is on the same page and you push it to a place it’s never been, and when they all go with you, it’s the most incredible thing you’ve ever experienced.”
Music Masters Collective, the non-profit that partners with Roots Rock Revival and Road to Roots, curates an array of unique events designed to facilitate elevated musical experiences by helping participants and artists meet and collaborate in an inspired and creative atmosphere. The organization has funds set aside through the Butch Trucks Scholarship Fund to allow interested musicians to experience the magic of Roots Rock Revival. A forthcoming new merchandise line will also directly support the scholarship fund.
To apply for a scholarship for a Music Masters Collective event, head here. To purchase tickets to see Melody Trucks and more at the inaugural Road to Roots event at Austin, TX’s Parish on Sunday, December 17th, head here.
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