The second Down County Jump Music Festival will take place at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield on June 28 and 29 and promises to be two days of jubilant, spirit-lifting, feet-tapping fun.
Musical worlds will collide, cultures will meet and merge, and roots that are tangled and intertwined will be unearthed in the most beautiful patchwork of sound. Imagine New Orleans Funk dancing cheek-to-cheek with Old Time Crooning, or early jazz forms sharing a secret with traditional Hawaiian music. It’s like finding a letter in a bottle that’s traveled the world before it reached your hands.
“The Jump is a patchwork quilt of musical styles that all have one thing in common; they are forms of culture-based music that are rooted in some kind of blending/evolutionary process,” said artistic programmer, Alex Harvey. “Sure, we call this all roots music, but the roots are all intermingled, often in ways that are shocking and revelatory.”
Racebrook will be partnering with Brooklyn’s historic Jalopy Theatre for this event, a venue known for its authentic approach to music programming. “Jalopy is a performance venue, record label and school that prizes the handmade, the analog, the authentic face to face experience of participatory musical traditions transmitted across generations,” said Harvey.
This year’s highlight includes a Sacred Harp Singing event led by Tim Eriksen, famed for his contributions to the “Cold Mountain” soundtrack. This antique form of open-throated singing, known as shape note singing, will be an open community sound installation under the pavilion on the river from 2 to 4 p.m. on June 29. Guests are invited to witness or participate in this unique musical experience.
The name “Down County Jump” has its own serendipitous story. Dave Rothstein, the original visionary of Racebrook Lodge, coined “Down County” to capture the essence of the area’s vibrant music scene. Matt Downing, Kip Beacco, and Alex Harvey, brought together by a shared love of dance music and a whimsical nod to Mark Twain’s celebrated jumping frog, knew “Jump” was the perfect fit. It’s a name that invites movement, joy, and a bit of whimsy.
So, pack your curiosity and your dancing shoes. Let yourself be swept away by Gypsy Waltz, Swamp-Pop, Son Jarocho, Olde Time Rags, Hawaiian Hapa Haole, post-war New Orleans R&B, and more. The Down County Jump Music Festival is where you’ll find some of the most danceable shuffles, where every beat tells a story, and every step is a leap into the unknown.
For a complete schedule and to purchase tickets, visit: https://www.viewcy.com/e/down_county_jump_2024
Justine and Victor Valla in their studio with a painting of Victor’s,”Jonah and the Whale.” Robin Roraback 
A ceramic vase by Kathleen Heidemann.Provided 
Joy Brown’s delightful ceramic sculptures.Provided 
