Blues & Roots Fest Welcomes Star-Studded Lineup to Door Nov. 2-4

Closing the festival on Saturday, Nov. 4 is a double-bill with Ruthie Foster and The Fairfield Four.

Door Community Auditorium is pleased to present its second annual Blues & Roots Fest at 7 pm on November 2, 3, and 4 featuring Leyla McCalla, Mission Temple Fireworks Revival with Paul Thorn & The McCrary Sisters, Ruthie Foster, and The Fairfield Four.

Opening Night

Leyla McCalla opens Blues & Roots Fest on Nov. 2.

Leyla McCalla (Thursday, Nov. 2) is a New York-born Haitian-American living in New Orleans. Proficient on cello, tenor banjo, and guitar, McCalla (formerly of the Carolina Chocolate Drops) sings in French, Haitian Creole, and English. Deeply influenced by Creole, Cajun, and Haitian music, as well as by American jazz and folk, McCalla’s music is at once earthy, elegant, and witty—soaked in three centuries of history, yet also fresh, distinctive, and contemporary. The New York Times calls McCalla “magnificently transparent…weighty thoughts handled with the lightest touch imaginable.”

Night Two

Friday night brings Mission Temple Fireworks Revival with Paul Thorn and The McCrary Sisters. Hailed as the “Mark Twain of Americana,” Thorn brings his gritty, gospel-infused Southern rock straight from his hometown of Tupelo, Mississippi, where he grew up as the son of a Pentecostal preacher. AllMusic calls Thorn’s music “gutbucket blues, old-time rock and roll, a sharp pop sense, and a gift for good old storytelling thrown in.” The McCrary Sisters are the daughters of the late Reverend Samuel McCrary—one of the original members of fellow Blues and Roots Fest feature The Fairfield Four. Dynamic and powerful, The McCrary Sisters carry on their family’s legacy with grace, hope, and gorgeous harmonies. Atlantic City Weekly raves, “When Ann, Deborah, Regina and Alfreda McCrary sing, there is no way…not to be moved.”

Closing Night

Ruthie Foster closes out the 2017 Blues & Roots Fest.

Closing the festival on Saturday, Nov. 4 is a double-bill with Ruthie Foster and The Fairfield Four. Foster can command any stage with her fiery blend of soul, blues, rock, folk and gospel. She returns to DCA fresh off the release of her critically acclaimed album Joy Comes Back, which Paste Magazine calls “further evidence of Foster’s prowess when it comes to breaking through boundaries.” Best known for their appearance in O Brother Where Art Thou, the Grammy award-winning Fairfield Four perform their trademark a cappella music to enthusiastic crowds across the country. The quartet has been singularly important in revitalizing and preserving the oldest styles of traditional spiritual and gospel singing. Soul Audio calls The Fairfield Four “at once mournful and haunting, yet still tinged with hope and joy.”

All shows will take place at 7 pm on DCA’s main stage. Tickets for the individual events range from $22 to $68 (or $10 for students 18 and under), with three-day packages available from $76-140 (or $25 for students 18 and under).

Advance reservations are recommended and can be made through the DCA box office, located at 3926 Hwy 42 in Fish Creek. The box office is open Monday-Friday, 12-5 pm. Tickets can be purchased in person, on the phone at 920.868.2728, or online at dcauditorium.org.