The West Michigan Americana band topped Low Phase and Jack Droppers & The Best Intentions in the friendly competition and one-day festival hosted by Rockford’s Rotary Club. Recap, photos, video.
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At the end of the evening, the band that closed it all out also closed the deal with an audience-involving performance.
Veteran West Michigan Americana band Roosevelt Diggs captivated fans and donors alike, winning the second annual Rotary Rocks festival and competition at Rockford’s Garden Club Park on Tuesday night by generating the most “votes” via donations made to ShelterBox, an international disaster-relief organization.
Roosevelt Diggs went one step further by donating its performance fee to the cause.
Hosted by the Rotary Club of Rockford, Tuesday’s event — which raised more than $3,100 for ShelterBox with hundreds of spectators on hand — also featured performances by indie-rock’s Low Phase and rock’s Jack Droppers & The Best Intentions.
All of the one-hour sets featured heartwarming moments:
• Low Phase not only turned part of its set into a family affair — as band members and siblings Marley and Miles Ferguson invited brother Camden and dad (and Planet Sunday Studios owner) Joel to perform with them on stage — but also spotlighted an original song by one of lead singer Caleb Waldvogel’s young guitar students, Mary, who performed “Pretending” and earned a rousing ovation from the crowd.
• Droppers kicked off his set in solo fashion at the keyboard, dedicating a poignant song to a friend in war-torn Ukraine, a country where ShelterBox has worked to assist those who’ve lost homes and belongings due to the ongoing conflict. Jack Droppers & The Best Intentions release a new single on Friday, with their new studio album set to drop on Nov. 3.
• Roosevelt Diggs closed out its set as night fell and devotees danced in front of the stage with help from a longtime friend-of-the-band who took over the microphone and belted out a song from the band’s 2014 album, “Songs from the Shed.” Roosevelt Diggs releases a new studio album, “Reverie,” on Oct. 28.
As winners of Rotary Rocks, Roosevelt Diggs will receive studio time at Planet Sunday, a performance slot at next year’s Hoxeyville Music Festival, a Local Spins advertising package and a music business development class through Crooked Tree Creative.
PHOTO GALLERY: Rotary Rocks at Rockford’s Garden Club Park
Photos by Joshua Tufts
VIDEO: Rotary Rocks 2023 Highlights
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