River City Music Festival returns with diverse lineup

As summer draws to an end and the SEMO District Fair leaves town, residents can look forward to a September tradition that brings out the best in the Cape Girardeau community -- the best bands, that is.

More than 30 bands will converge downtown Sept. 25 and 26 for the 13th annual River City Music Festival.

Tickets are $8 for Friday night, $10 for an all-day pass Saturday ($8 after 6 p.m.) or $15 for a weekend pass. Southeast Missouri State University students and attendees dressed in Hawaiian attire get $1 off the entry fee. Proceeds go to the festival's parent company, City of Roses Music Heritage Association. The not-for-profit organization uses the proceeds to support music education.

"Supporting and enhancing the development of young musicians and providing a venue for the efforts is what we are all about," said Mary Ramsey, director of the River City Music Festival. "Our goal is to provide scholarships to Southeast Missouri State University and grants to local area schools so music education can continue."

For 12 years the festival has flooded downtown Cape Girardeau with live music. Tammy Maddock, director of marketing and advertising, said last year's music festival saw 2,500 attendees but that they're "hoping to knock that out of the park this year."

One way entertainment coordinator James Samons said organizers have tried to boost attendance this year is by offering an eclectic mix of artists, including some bands that are new to the event.

"I feel like people have been coming out in lower numbers because the festival consisted of bands people could come downtown and see any given weekend," Samons said. "This year's lineup features bands that don't normally play in Cape."

Some of bands scheduled to play that are new to the Cape Girardeau scene include Reggas Redemption, Illinois indie jamband Green Lincoln and punk rockers Guy Morgan and the FT Crew.

"We also brought in bands that have a lot of validation in the press and with their record sales, such as Ellewood and The Backsliders," Samons said.

The Backsliders, a female-fronted rock 'n' roll group, played the national music festival, South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, earlier this year and played at Schock's Pub in July. In 2008, they were featured in USA Today, Marquee Magazine, Indie Pages and Sound Collective.

Also among the festival's acts are some favorites from previous years, including Fat Pocket, Bruce Zimmerman and the Water Street Band, Mike Renick Band, Emaciation and Ninth Life. The full schedule of events can be found at www.rivercitymusicfestival.com.

The gates open at 5 p.m. Friday and at 2 p.m. Saturday. The setup of the festival, with two outdoor venues and Ragsdales and Breakaway's as indoor venues, gives attendees a lot of freedom. Besides avoiding weather-related complications, this setup satisfies a variety of musical tastes. Samons said there will be "everything from bluegrass to reggae to country, and a little bit of rock and blues stuff."

In addition to the variety of live music, this year's festival will again feature the Rock 'n' Roll Fashion Show and a Guitar Hero competition. Maddock said the fashion show "Rock the Runway" is a fun show sponsored by the Jackson beauty salon Style Stop, with volunteer models who sport "wild hair and wild concepts."

The River City Music Festival is community-based and completely volunteer-run. With this being a tough economic year, Maddock said, organizers are thankful for the local sponsorship.

"We're not getting state or city funding," Maddock said. "The dollars that run this festival and everything that goes into this has all come from local people."

Maddock and Samons said volunteers are still in great demand. Volunteers are asked to work only a three-hour shift for free admission to the festival that day. Anyone interested in volunteering should visit the festival's website at www.rivercitymusicfestival.com.