Long Island Bluegrass & Roots Music Festival returns

Most music festivals on Long Island choose to focus on rock, jam bands, blues or country. But there’s only one that spotlights bluegrass, the music genre that mixes acoustic instruments with high-energy harmonies and instrumental solos.

Presented by the Babylon Citizens Council on the Arts, the 23rd annual Long Island Bluegrass and Roots Music Festival comes to Tanner Park in Copiague Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. (rain or shine).

“The event has gotten bigger because we’ve expanded its scope. This festival now blends bluegrass with roots music like traditional American folk, blues, rock-n-roll, rockabilly, country and Americana,” BACCA executive director Jason Jenkins says. “This is the type of event you would see down South, and the fact that it’s here is something to value.”

The day will feature sets from various bands as well as workshops and even a jam tent. Here’s how the schedule will flow.

Mountain Echo

A new band called Mountain Echo, featuring Nora Nadire (vocals), Jeff Schmich (mandolin/banjo) and Ben Littenberg (bass), will make its festival debut. Hailing from the Adirondacks, the trio likes to swirl indie pop, funk, blues, country and jazz.

“It’s a joyful and lighthearted show,” Nadire says.

Schmich adds, “We don’t take things so seriously. It’s a causal vibe.”

Expect to hear diverse covers that range from old-time Appalachian tunes like “Cold Rain and Snow” to Juice Newton's “Queens of Hearts” and Adele's “Send My Love (to Your New Lover).”

SET TIME Noon

Fiddle Mania

Watch what happens when eight fiddlers play together on one stage during Fiddle Mania.

“This will be a fiddle geekfest,” festival manager Bill Ayasse of the Bluegrass Club of Long Island says. “Someone will come up with a lick then another fiddler will try to outplay that lick and it goes on. It’s all in good fun.”

SET TIME 12:55 p.m.

Greg McMullen's Bluegrass Fiasco

The four-member unit that makes up Greg McMullen’s Bluegrass Fiasco will present an acoustic set with bluegrass and country feels.

“This band plays with intensity. It’s a vocal-forward ensemble with harmonies and instrumental prowess,” McMullen of Islip says. “We use the bluegrass instrumentation but push the boundaries sonically.”

Look out for the song, “Fictitious Blues” to get the crowd going.

“We want everyone to forget about their troubles and just vibe with the music,” McMullen says.

SET TIME 1:50 p.m.

Buddy Merriam and Back Roads

Perhaps the most dedicated bluegrass performer on the bill is Buddy Merriam of Sound Beach, a 72-year-old mandolin player who will be delivering his final performance with his band, Back Roads.

“I’m working on a new project,” Merriam says. “Currently, I’m building a mandolin quintet featuring two mandolins, a mandola, a mando-cello and a mando-bass.”

Merriam served as artistic director for the first 15 years of the festival and has performed nearly every year since its inception.

“Things have really opened up in bluegrass music. It’s loud and plugged in. The younger folks are into it,” Merriam says. “Things have to keep growing and evolving or else you will end up playing in a museum.”

SET TIME 2:45 p.m.

Cole Quest and the City Pickers

In celebration of their new album, “Homegrown,” Cole Quest and the City Pickers will be performing Woody Guthrie songs, traditional bluegrass numbers by John Hartford and even a Brazilian folk rock tune.

“We are excited to get our new music out into the world,” guitarist Quest of Brooklyn says. “It’s a energetic show with Appalachian clogging and our harmonica player dances while he plays.”

SET TIME 3:45 p.m.

Compton and Newberry

Mike Compton and Joe Newberry joined forces 15 years ago and the duo has been going strong ever since. Newberry of North Carolina plays banjo and guitar, Compton of Mississippi plays mandolin and both sing.

“We noticed from the beginning that we had a good blend that came natural to us,” Newberry says.

Compton adds, “It’s even hard to tell us apart.”

They will be performing songs from their latest album, “Home in My Heart” featuring originals like the title track and “Sweet Shadows.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s an audience of 100 or 4,000, we just like playing for folks,” Newberry claims. “At the festival, we see old friends and we make new friends. That’s a great place to be.”

SET TIME 4:45 p.m.

Williamson Branch

It’s a family affair as parents Kevin (guitar) and Debbie (vocals) Williamson are joined on stage by their daughters Melody (fiddle/vocals), Cadence (bass/vocals) and Caroline (mandolin/vocals) plus banjo player Mason Crone.

“We have a traditional bluegrass sound, but we write a lot of original music putting our own spin on the genre,” Melody says of the group, Williamson Branch, from Nashville. “Our harmonies are very tight. We even do some clogging and square dancing.”

The band’s acoustic live music experience will center on cuts from its new album, “Southern Sunshine.”

“Our aim is to make people smile, laugh and touch their hearts,” Melody says. “We want to create something unforgettable and interactive at each venue by making the audience feel like they are part of the show.”

SET TIME 6 p.m.

More highlights

A special tent will be set up for musicians to get up and jam.

“Bluegrass people love to play just as much as seeing the live bands. Some people come just to jam for six hours in the shade,” Ayasse says. “We play songs that are bluegrass centric with three to four chords. It’s simple once you get the style and the tunes down.”

Performing musicians will also host a workshop in an area between the stage and the jam tent where they will give lessons on specific instruments.

“People get to ask all kinds of intricate questions like ‘what pick are you using?’ or ‘what type of strings are on your guitar?,’ ” Ayasse says.

Anyone can purchase a ticket ($5) for the acoustic guitar raffle from Murphy’s Music in Melville. Additionally, various food trucks will be set up and a merchandise booth will be selling wares from all the bands.