Road To Roo Kicks Off Round One

Pictured (L-R): Lightning 100’s Brittney Farrow, MillerCoors’ Kim Juodaitis, songwriter Carla Cappa, Det Distributing Company’s Elise McCracken, AC Entertainment’s Neeley Rice and BMI’s Mark Mason. Photo: Jake Giles Netter

BMI and Nashville radio station Lightning 100 kicked off the first round of Road to Roo, sponsored by MillerCoors, at Acme Feed and Seed on Thursday (March 3). With more than 250 submissions that were narrowed down to 16 bands, the first group of 8 performed for a packed house of fans, who cast ballots for the bands they think should advance further and get another chance to play at Bonnaroo. Jess Nolan, Roots of a Rebellion, OJR, and Heavy Sole all made the first cut.

Self-described “acid cowboy” rocker OJR tears through his set at Acme for the first round of Road to Roo. His performance secured him a spot in round two. Photo: Jake Giles Netter

Reggae group Roots of a Rebellion plays their original tunes for an enthusiastic crowd at Road to Roo, landing a slot in the next round of the competition. Photo: Jake Giles Netter