Park Rhythms returns with dynamic lineup

Floating Action, Alexa Rose, Vaden Landers and more set for summer concert series

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
April 29, 2022

Black Mountain musician, Seth Kauffman, founded Floating Action in 2005. The band will be one of eight to perform in the 26th Annual Park Rhythms this summer. Photo courtesy of Jen Rodriquez

Last year, as Park Rhythms debuted in its new location at Veterans Park, warm summer breezes carried the sounds through the woods, to the yard of Seth Kauffman. 

When the free concert series returns in June for its 26th year, the Black Mountain lyricist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer will fill the air with the music of his own band, Floating Action, one of eight performers featured in a dynamic 2022 lineup. 

Presented by the Black Mountain Recreation and Parks Department, Park Rhythms has found a long-term home in Veterans Park, where it moved in 2021, following a pandemic-induced hiatus in 2020 and a brief appearance downtown, in 2019. The annual tradition, which was held at Lake Tomahawk for 24 years, will feature a diverse array of fresh talent. 

Kauffman established Floating Action in 2005 with the release of Ting, the band’s debut album, which became available on all major streaming platforms earlier this month. The genre-defying sound, written, produced and recorded by Kauffman, who calls it “lo-fi N.C. funk,” is as distinctive as it is incomparable.

Incorporating of a wide range of genres, including reggae, blues, dub, folk, alternative rock and countless others, Floating Action transitions smoothly between styles to create a musical mosaic.

“It’s like if you found an obscure reggae 45 record from the 60s that nobody’s ever heard; there will be one song like that,” Kauffman said of his music. “Then another song will be like another obscure 45 of something completely different. Each thing is like that super rare B-side that nobody’s ever heard.”

While Floating Action has released 12 albums and performed in front of crowds at SXSW and the Hangout Music Festival, the band has yet to play at Park Rhythms. But Kauffman, a Black Mountain resident for more than two decades, is familiar with the series. 

“I used to play with Shannon Whitworth, back when she did a show at the lake,” said Kauffman, who has attended many of the concerts with his family over the years. Performing in front of his hometown, within earshot of his backyard, at 7 p.m., Thursday, June 30, will be a unique experience for the musician, who will play alongside Ray LaMontagne at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado in May. 

“You kind of go into a zone when you’re playing this music anyway,” said Kauffman, who will be joined on the Park Rhythms stage by bandmates Evan Martin and Michael Libramento. “But, all of a sudden you look up, and there’s your friend’s kid running around right in front of you.”

Floating Action is not the only band performing at Park Rhythms for the first time this year, according to recreation coordinator Clint Bowman. The entire 2022 lineup features newcomers to the series. 

Park Rhythms, presented by the Black Mountain Recreation and Parks Department, is returning to Veterans Park this summer with a fresh musical lineup. Courtesy of BMRP

“When I was put in charge of it a couple of years ago, I wanted to try to get out of the habit of booking the same bands every year,” Bowman said. “It’s not necessarily a bad thing to have the same bands back every time, but it was becoming repetitive and I wanted to bring in bands that you couldn’t necessarily see every weekend around town.”

The season will open, Thursday, June 16, with Eastern Tennessee native Vaden Landers, a multi-instrumentalist known for his authentic old-time country and blues, his Hank Williams-esque voice and yodeling ability. Asheville-based singer-songwriter Alexa Rose, who released Headwaters in 2021 and is embarking on an east coast tour this May, will close out Park Rhythms, Thursday, Aug. 11. 

This year’s lineup, announced April 28, will also include performances by the Titus Gant Quartet, Pimps of Pompe and Lizzie No. 

The artists bring a new energy to the series, which attracted large crowds to the north side of Veterans Park in its first year in the location, according to Bowman. 

“Last year was my first year actually organizing the event, but I experienced the series at the lake and when it was downtown,” he said. “Veterans Park just gave us way more room for parking, and a lot more room to spread out, especially at the height of the COVID-19 precautions. It also has the playground and picnic area, which both really give it the feel of a family event. The playground was really popular with the kids last year.”

The location, he added, is likely to be a permanent home for the event. 

“After last year, we all agreed it would probably stay there for the foreseeable future,” Bowman said.  

The concerts, held at 7 p.m. every Thursday night from June 16 through Aug. 11, with a break the week of July 4, will each feature a different food truck, including Cecilia’s Kitchen, Dirty Gertie’s Taco Stand and Blue Collar Diner. Asheville artist Casey Vandergrift, owner of Grift Town Goods, designed the Park Rhythms poster for the second straight year, and will offer t-shirt printing at each show.  

At least 10 local businesses, including GreyBeard Realty, Dough House and Acoustic Corner, are sponsoring Park Rhythms in 2022, according to the organizer.

“We were really looking for support this year because moving the series to Veterans Park came with more expenses, including a stage and sound equipment,” Bowman said. “We really appreciate all the support we’ve received from our sponsors, and we’re really looking forward to the summer.”