Deep Roots Festival

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — The 13th installment of Milledgeville’s Deep Roots Festival is officially here. The festival’s 2016 lineup, which was announced Wednesday on 97 Big FM, features artists from throughout the southeast, as well as a wide range of musical styles and influences.

“It’s going to be a stellar year,” said Deep Roots marketing director and musical mastermind Jimmy Holder. “The reaction from social media once the lineup was released was by far the greatest reaction we’ve seen in a while, just as far as the word-of mouth, the amount of shares, and the number of people getting pumped up about it.”

This year’s lineup features seven different artists who will make their way to Milledgeville with an emphasis on folk, soul and roots.

Judah and The Lion, the Nashville outfit headlining this year’s festival, features a diverse and eclectic mix of musical influences that can best be summed up through the name of its newly-released second studio album, “Folk Hop n’ Roll.”

Atlanta’s own Shawn Mullins, a 48-year old folk and alternative singer, was nominated for a Grammy in 1998 for his single “Lullaby,” and co-wrote Zac Brown Band’s No. 1 single, “Toes.”

Muddy Magnolias, another Nashville-based act, features the soul-singing duets of Kallie North and Jessy Wilson. The group was given a glowing review by Rolling Stone magazine and has had one of its songs, “American Woman,” featured on the soundtrack for Columbia Picture’s reboot of the classic comedy “Ghostbusters.”

Roots of a Rebellion, the Nashville-based reggae band, has shared the stage with such reggae heavyweights as Slightly Stoopid and the Wailers, and just last month released its third studio album, “A Brother’s Instinct.”

Amasa Hines, a seven-piece blues-soul-indie outfit out of Little Rock, Ark., released its debut album, “All the World There Is” in 2014, and has already been booked at such festivals as Austin City Limits and the Newport Folk Festival.

Hilton Head, S.C.’s Cranford Hollow is expected to play a style called the Lowcountry Stomp, a genre of its own creation that combines elements of rock, bluegrass and Appalachian fiddle music.

Last but not least, soul songbird Kyshona Armstrong will grace Deep Roots with her bluesy and uplifting style, which draws from such artists as Aretha Franklin, Etta James and Al Green.

“Fans of blues, soul, and southern rock will be very pleased with the lineup this year, not just with Judah and the Lion and with Shawn Mullins, who’s really an icon in the fabric of American pop music and was nominated for a Grammy, but with some of the newer, up-and-coming bands,” Holder said.

In addition to the seven musical acts slated to play this year’s event, Deep Roots is also planning its usual long list of food and other attractions. The Georgia Barbecue Association’s BBQ Cookoff will return again this year along with the Old Capital Car Club’s open car show, both of which have been fan favorites in years past. Returning also will be the Deep Roots KidZone and The Union-Recorder Community Stage, which features miscellaneous talent and performances from residents around the Milledgeville area.

This is not to say that this year’s Deep Roots will follow the exact model from previous years, however. Food vending at this year’s event will be a slight departure from years past, with the festival planning to host several food trucks in place of its customary street vendors. Talks are also in the works to reserve a Ferris wheel for this year’s event, a spectacle that would be sure to draw an even greater crowd.

“We’ve got a lot of tricks up our sleeves this year. From the music standpoint, I think the overall turnout this year is going to be much larger than it ever has been … each year the goal is to make it better than it was the year before, and I think we’ve succeeded.”

This year’s Deep Roots Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, Oct. 22 in the main square of downtown Milledgeville. Pre-sale tickets will be available throughout October at any participating downtown businesses and through Milledgeville Main Street.