BELLOWS FALLS — With hundreds of attendees in town over the four-day Roots on the River music festival, the popular “Swap Tent” should have hundreds of items this year.
The festival, produced by Vermont Festivals LLC, is in its 12th year and will run from Thursday, June 9, through Sunday, June 12. Organizers are looking for a variety of instruments to sell.
“We are appealing to everyone with an old guitar in the closet, attic, or garage to sell it at the ROTR Festival this year and let the Swap Tent make its magic,” Stephen Chipman, tent organizer, vintage guitar restorer, and owner of Vintage Parlor Guitars, said.
The tent has become a popular tradition at the festival, both for those wishing to sell and to buy. With dozens of band members, and hundreds of concertgoers, you never know who might be interested in the offered treasures.
With an intriguing assortment of classic and vintage items offered every year, some lovingly restored by Chipman, you never know what you might find there.
This year's performers include the perennial headliner Fred Eaglesmith and his band, as well as James McMurtry, Todd Snider, Chris O'Brien, Jandee Lee Porter, Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Joe Gee, Rusty Belle, and Audrey Auld, among many others.
The Swap Tent will be set up the Saturday of the festival, and Chipman offered one of his tales of magic.
“I remember the first year we offered the Swap Tent when Ezra Veitch hauled a pile of amps and related electronic junk out of his white pickup truck and asked if he could leave it in the swap tent for some quick cash. My first reaction was, 'I hope he's not planning to pay rent this month with the proceeds from this pile 'cause it ain't happening.' But, it did happen and it was magic.
“Not 30 minutes into Saturday's show did a mean-looking ol' coot in a mesh cowboy hat wander up to the tent and ask what would I take for the aforementioned pile-o-amps, cash money. I chased down Ezra from his regular duties at the show and hooked him up with the coot with the cash.
“The two of them were loading that junk into a white trailer not 10 minutes later with Ezra counting out his proceeds soon after, one bill at a time.
“I caught up with him later in the day to see how he did and he said he did just fine. I asked him who the old coot was anyway, with such a scowl on his face the whole transaction and Ezra says, 'That was Fred Eaglesmith.'
“Would you believe that old coot came back and bought a guitar from me later that day. I called him, 'Mr. Eaglesmith, Sir' so as to not ruin my chances for resume fodder with him being such a big name in the music biz and all. We paid our rent with 'coot-money' that month, and come back each year to listen to the music from the man in the mesh cowboy hat.
“So the moral of the story is: somewhere there's someone out there looking to buy your pile of musical junk. Bring some along this year so you can pay the rent, or at least buy a hot dog!”
Anyone having a guitar or other musical equipment that might be good in the sale should contact Chipman before the festival to arrange drop off and get the details. Email Chipman in advance at [email protected] with any questions on Swap Tent protocols, or just to talk about cool old guitars.
Advance tickets are strong, and Thursday locals' night is a near sellout already. For more information about the festival, visit http://vermontfestivalsllc.com, or call 802-463-9595.