Rusted Root brings music to Upland Brewing Co.

Acclaimed act Rusted Root will have fans on their feet for the 4th annual Hillbilly Haiku Americana Music Series Saturday at Upland Brewing Company.

Charles Stanley of Upland Brewing Co. described Rusted Root as a high-energy country Americana group.

“They’re real upbeat and fun. We expect people to be up and dancing,” Stanley said.
The show will open with Bloomington musician Bobbie Lancaster, followed by T.V. Mike and the Scarecrowes, visiting from California.

“This is going to be our biggest one yet. We’re actually concerned we’ll sell out,” Stanley said. More than a thousand tickets have already been purchased.

All profits go to the Sycamore Land Trust, a Bloomington-based nonprofit that works with private landowners to preserve southern Indiana’s natural landscape.

As a resident of a Greencastle property that is part of the Sycamore Land Trust, Lancaster is supportive of the program and said she’s “all about the preservation of all things real and good.”

Enthused to open for Rusted Root, one of her favorite bands from her college days, she said she’s been impacted by their work.

“Real freedom and joy,” Lancaster said. “That’s what drew me to their music originally.”
Guitarist and vocalist Michael Klinge, also known as T.V. Mike of T.V. Mike and the Scarecrowes, expects Rusted Root will bring more of a party atmosphere to the concert.

Despite the bales of hay set out, he predicted more dancing this year.

Like Lancaster, he supports the cause of “keeping southern Indiana looking like southern Indiana,” although his band has transplanted to California from Bloomington. Lately, they’ve thought of their music as “Americalia.”

“We use very basic song structures and tie in the lyrics,” Klinge said. “I tend to write about nature and human emotion.”
He hopes the band’s newest album, which he described as being a thought on end times with an emphasis on patience and courage, will be finished by next year.

Lancaster released her most recent album, a live recording, on Aug. 14th. She plays mandolin and sometimes mandola, and said her music is spirit-oriented. She anticipates an attentive audience Friday.

“There’s hardly anything better (than performing live),” Lancaster said. “It’s almost equal to the joy in crafting songs.”

The concert will bring out the crowds, Stanley said, especially because of Rusted Root.

“It’s generally a good time with good music, good beer and good friends,” Stanley said. “That’s what we always say about it.”