Roots music is inextricably linked to the land, which might explain why it resides so comfortably in B.C.’s Interior. Perhaps more than any other province, B.C. is defined by the breathtaking scope of its landscape, and the inspiration it provides not only to artists but to listeners is incalculable.

As the Georgia Straight’s own Alexander Varty wrote of Salmon Arm’s musical phenomenon Herald Nix in a press release for his album Soul of a Kiss, “That lake-country water is in his veins, keeping him true to himself and to the land where he was raised.…The lake-country blues start here.”

Salmon Arm is also home to the popular Roots and Blues Festival. Now in its sixteenth year, the event has grown from inauspicious beginnings to a record attendance last year of 28,000.

Taking place over three hot August days and nights, when temperatures in the sun-baked Shuswap Lake region can reach the low 30s, the festival has become a destination for serious lovers of world music, with lineups that have included Buddy Guy, Colin James, Johnny Clegg, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Xavier Rudd, and the Pointer Sisters.

The 2008 roster is still being assembled, but the addition of the legendary David “Honeyboy” Edwards to the bill was recently announced. At 92, Edwards is one of the last surviving Delta bluesmen, and a contemporary of Robert Johnson. Honeyboy’s first recording was captured by Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress in 1942. (It would be nine years before he would record again.)

Jessie Farrel.

Lori Wilbur, the festival’s publicity and marketing manager, believes the source of the festival’s success isn’t just its big-name headliners. “One of the reasons we cap the attendance is because we want to keep the small-town feel, and we have a really good reputation for being noncommercial and family-friendly,” she says, adding that many of her own personal highlights have come via the lesser-known, if no less impressive, acts that have appeared on the festival’s seven stages. “We had a West African band called the Masabo Culture Company,” she says, recalling the 1999 lineup. “And watching them on-stage in their costumes and whatnot, I was just blown away that this was being presented in Salmon Arm.”

Also confirmed for this year’s festival are Janis Joplin’s former troupe, Big Brother and the Holding Company; chitlin’ circuit veteran Bobby Rush; Po’ Girl; the Jimmy Bowskill Band; Canadian guitar wizard David Wilcox; and the ever-jumpin’ swing crew Squirrel Nut Zippers.

Also entering its sixteenth year, Mountainfest—formerly Merritt Mountain Music Festival—is known for the quality of the talent it attracts. This year is no exception, with Mountainfest organizers scoring yet another in an increasingly amazing history of musical coups. The 2008 event, running July 10 to 13, will feature a very rare appearance by the Judds.

“As far as I know, they haven’t performed together for about nine or 10 years,” says Mountainfest management-team member Lynn Robertson. “They’re doing two performances in North America this year. One is in the States, and the other is in Merritt, B.C.”

Looking at the festival’s past lineups gives the impression that an F5 twister has dumped the whole of Music City, USA, into a small town three hours outside of Vancouver. George Jones, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the Mavericks, the Dixie Chicks, Dwight Yoakam, and Trisha Yearwood are just a few of the names amid a dazzling—or perhaps that should be rhinestoned—roll call of artists that have appeared in the modest but charming Western town, along with Canadian country performers of note such as Ian Tyson, Michelle Wright, and Gary Fjellgaard.

“Word of mouth has gone back from day one, from artist to artist, when they go back to Nashville,” Robertson says. “They know it’s got an excellent stage, with excellent sound and lighting, and everything runs smoothly. We’ve been able to build that rapport. Brooks and Dunn have been here three times. I don’t think they’d be back if they didn’t think we offered the kind of quality they want to be associated with.”

With another 40 or so performers on the bill, including Hank Williams Jr., Jessie Farrell, and San Antonio’s outlaw-country revivalist Pat Green; extensive on-site camping or the relative luxuries offered by 16 nearby motels; and a veritable bazaar of food and other vendors, Mountainfest typically attracts those who are in it for the long haul. Last year’s numbers exceeded 100,000 people, states Robertson, who adds that, naturally, location is everything.

“I think with Mountainfest it’s the whole experience, with the backdrop of beautiful, pristine surroundings, a cold-water river running through, and nice warm sun. It’s not just the quality of good country music. It’s a whole weekend of friends, fun, and sitting back in the sunshine.”