By Sarrah Peters
News Editor
The Mary G. Hardin Center for Cultural Arts will host Rock the River for the 2nd year on July 10.
Gates will open at 6 p.m. with music beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 and are available at the Hardin Center desk in advance. The tickets will also be available at the gates. In addition, the event has VIP tables of eight; 65 tables have already been sold. If interested in a VIP table, contact Deborah Hawkins at the the Hardin Center.
The money raised by Rock the River will help fund arts and music education in Etowah County.
The musical event will take place between the bridges at Coosa Landing. In the event of rain, Rock the River will be moved to 210 at the Tracks. Rock the River is only in its second year. Last year it rained and was moved indoors. This year, the Hardin staff is hoping for better weather, according to Deborah Hawkins, Mary G. Hardin’s development officer.
“We are hoping it gets to be an annual event,” said Hawkins.
This year the event will feature Chevy 6, an oldies band, and Roxy Roca, a self-described dynamite Texas soul band.
Roxy Roca has seven members: lead vocalist Taye Cannon, guitarist and vocalist Errol Siegel, bassist Roger Wuthrich, drummer Ryan Greenblatt, trombonist Thomas Hays, tenor sax player Houston Rawls and alto sax player Royce Phillips. The band has been playing together for five years.
Roxy Roca’s lead singer Taye Cannon was born in Gadsden, and still has extended family in the area. Roxy Roca has done shows in Alabama and has always found support here.
“Alabama’s home to me, so to be able to do well in the state I consider home means a lot to me,” says Cannon.
Etowah has even been featured in the band’s song first song “Cornbread.” The song was inspired by Taye’s grandmother and, of course, her cornbread.
Roxy Roca’s music is available on iTunes and Amazon. The band will be selling CD’s, t-shirts and vinyls at Rock the River. Food vendors will also be selling food at the music festival. Festival-goers are welcome to bring lawn chairs and coolers.