First Rooster Walk 15 lineup announcement
Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country, one of the hottest touring acts in the nation, is atop the initial band lineup for the 15th annual Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival.
Making its fourth consecutive appearance at Rooster Walk, DDCC is led by electric guitar virtuoso Daniel Donato. The band's combination of mind-altering musicianship, outer space jam voyages and outlaw country influences has put them on a trajectory toward international stardom.
Also joining the first band announcement is Andy Frasco & The U.N., a rock'n'roll act of seemingly limitless energy that delivers a can-this-possibly-get-any-crazier live show each and every time. Frasco & Co., who themselves headline numerous venues and festivals across the country, will be making a return to Rooster Walk following their late-night set in 2022, at RW12.
Other bands announced Tuesday include: Little Stranger, an indie hip-hop duo whose beats demand dancing; Yarn, roots rockers who will once again perform an original set and a festival-finishing tribute set; Hogslop String Band, an old-time influenced, high-octane string band; ShadowGrass, a rapidly rising progressive bluegrass band with insane musical chops; the Rooster Walk House Band, which comes together every year for three sets of contrasting genres; and Cool, Cool, Cool, a funk/house/R&B creation that causes instantaneous dance parties wherever they appear.
"This is just the start of the full band lineup, and it's been directly shaped by the wishes and wants of our fanbase," Rooster Walk Executive Director Johnny Buck said. "We wouldn't be here without our supporters, so it seems only logical to give them as much of what they ask for as humanly possible. Luckily for us, our fans have excellent taste."
More than 35 additional bands will be added to the lineup, including the top two overall headliners, in the coming months.
Tickets and camping passes for Rooster Walk 15 are now on sale at Early Bird prices at roosterwalk.com , which also features all the information needed to plan for an amazing experience.
The festival will take place Thursday-Sunday of Memorial Day weekend at Pop's Farm in Axton. The four-day festival celebrates music, art and the great outdoors with roughly 50 bands performing on 6 different stages.
In addition to approximately 80 sets of live music, the family-friendly Rooster Walk will offer a wide variety of craft beer, food, kids' programming, family fun, arts and numerous opportunities to enjoy Virginia's great outdoors with guided fly fishing trips, pedal boats, bike rides, yoga, a disc golf course and on-site camping.
Rooster Walk has been named one of the Top 5 festivals in the state by the Richmond-Times Dispatch. It also was voted the region's Most Creative Charitable Event by readers of Virginia Living Magazine for three consecutive years. The festival was created in memory of late Martinsville natives Edwin "The Rooster" Penn and Walker Shank, who graduated from Martinsville High School in 2000.
A portion of proceeds from the festival will be donated to local and regional charities, including Rooster Walk's own Penn-Shank Memorial Endowment Scholarship Fund for students at Martinsville High School, and the Rooster Walk Music Instrument Program for public band programs in the local city and county school systems.
In addition, a portion of every admission ticket sold before Jan. 1 will be donated to United Way's efforts to support Hurricane Helene victims in the mid-Atlantic region.
