Kilkenny Roots Festival will be anything but grey

The atrocious weather has had music fans looking forward to the drier, milder days ahead.
Hopefully, by the time the Smithwick’s Kilkenny Roots Festival comes around we can look forward to some warmer temperatures to go along with some great music.
The line-up for 2020 includes a mix of new established artists on the Americana music scene.
Two New York-based acts are tipped to take Kilkenny by storm.
The Lone Bellow make their Kilkenny debut on Saturday May 2 at the Set Theatre in what promises to be a stunning show.
Glide Magazine, reviewing their latest album, said: “There’s so much to delve into here, be it the harmonies, the stories, the sentiments and the gorgeous layers of sound and production values. This is a must hear.”
The sold out signs went up early for their previous Irish shows and it looks like it will be a similar story at Kilkenny Roots.
The following night, May 3, legendary rocker, Jesse Malin, will make his first visit to the festival.
Jesse is touring Europe as a duo with Lucinda Williams, but the full band will fly in from New York just for the Kilkenny show. Jesse will feature material from his latest album, Sunset Kids, which was produced by Williams.
Sunset Kids first took shape at The Hollywood Bowl, when Jesse accepted Lucinda’s invitation to see her open for what turned out to be Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers final concert.
During that same visit, the idea came about of three-time Grammy winning Lucinda producing Jesse’s next record.
“Lucinda has a great eye for finding the beauty in broken things and a knack for always picking the right take. Once she started dancing in the control room, we knew we had it,” Jesse said.
“Playing music is something I need to do. Singing under those hot lights every night is a great exorcism.
“We get to put together this pirate ship of characters and go around the world making trouble and singing our guts out” says Jesse.
Other acts crossing the Atlantic for the festival include Chatham County Line, Carson McHone, Native Harrow, Joe Nolan, Eileen Rose and Jason Hawk Harris.
Tickets are on sale through the website, kilkennyroots.com and from Rollercoaster Records on Kieran Street.
In addition to the ticketed shows, there will be over 70 free shows on the Smithwick’s Music Trail featuring a mix of Irish and international acts.