SHOW REVIEWS

Sunday at Noon - The festival is a hit, and I'm back for more - plus the weather is even better. Because it's Sunday, I feel compelled to check out the gritty rock gospel of The Lee Boys. While I thought they could use an organ to round out the sound, pedal-steel player Roosevelt Collier is a revelation, lighting up the crowd with sleek tremolo-picking and scorching runs. After a few tunes by Santiago Jimenez are marred by sound difficulties, I head back to the Times-Dispatch dance floor, where things have been hopping all weekend. I'm rewarded with a surprise: the Lost Bayou Ramblers, who earn some of the most enthusiastic crowd response of the weekend for their rockabilly-infused Cajun music. These guys put a modern face on traditional roots while working the crowd like pros, with a stand-up bassist who lays it all out - spinning, slapping, straddling and ... was he jumping atop his bass? Their 75-minute set is one of the highlights of the festival. Later we get mystical with Mythili Prakash and the Dance of India Ensemble (I'm a sucker for sitars). They play a new tune choreographed especially for the festival, appropriately titled "The Sun." The colorfully dressed dancer moves with taut precision, her steps running in perfect counterpoint to the music. "This feels more like an international music festival," says a friend between bites of jerk chicken. Yes, it does. Here's hoping Richmond can keep something like this going, even after the three-year stint ends in 2007. Who can say no to free music in the sun?

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