Jamming with Others

Jamming With Others

It’s a continuum that has been alive for more than half a century.  The Florida Folk Festival is more than an annual event.  It is a time when musicians, artists, craftspeople and dancers gather from all over Florida and dance and sing and live together.  The Roadside Revue and the individual members of the band have been a part of this tradition for much of this time.  The Roadside Revue band members have seen and welcomed many new faces each year into the fold of musical camaraderie, Florida Folk tradition…and have been among those that have been welcomed in their early years.  As well, they have seen the changes, the losses, and the passing of special friends.

The chance to play music with so many festival participants over years and decades is a special part of the continuum which is the experience of Florida Folk.  It is a chance to pass along songs of the heart from those who have come before, to learn and write new songs and to watch with joy and wonder when the new musicians come along and are drawn in, and enchanted with Florida’s rich cultural, environmental and musical history.

The experience of Florida Folk Music includes the experience of native Americans, of fishermen who live off the sea, of farmers and hunters who live as part of the natural land, and others today who engage in the many levels of life Florida offers.  The history of Florida has been recorded in song, from the Tequesta Indians before the Spanish settlements, from the Seminole tribe who dwelled in the Everglades, and from the land of flowers where so many make their home today.  This is history and narrative in song. It is unique and is part of the legacy being passed on. That legacy continues to grow with each new decade.  And in each of those times, there are musicians who reach us in deep and important ways.

Roadside Revue has reveled in the chance to play music with many special Festival participants over the years.  Both individually and as a band we have engaged on many levels with these musicians and have been broadened, enlightened, and enriched by the chance to share and become part of their music.  

For the Roadside Revue, jamming with others is the essence of the Florida Folk Music experience and one of the most important aspects of the band's music.  Says Ron,

“The more I look back over the decades of music I have played, the more I appreciate the countless opportunities I have had to share the stage as a backing musician with so many incredible artists.  I think our abilities as individual supporting musicians is something every member of this band should be very proud of.  The fact that we are now able to share this experience collectively as a group ..and do it as well and as spontaneously as we do.. is even more amazing.”

Without question, the band agrees when Ron says, “it’s about more than just the music”.  It’s about the continuum we all get to be a part of; where we have been welcomed into the family of Florida Folk and just as we were invited, we invite you to be a part of it too.   

This page is dedicated to the large and growing family that is the Florida Folk Music tradition.  From the Florida Folk Festival to the Will McLean Festival and the many ongoing events, here we illustrate just a small part of the Folk Music family. We celebrate the musical associations we have been part of for decades that have helped shape the band and shaped our lives.