From humble roots as a gathering of friends with a potluck picnic and a band or two in a park shelter, to a major regional Blues event, Paola Roots Festival has beaten all expectations.
Tickets are inexpensive, and the stage, sound, and video systems are like those at much more glamourous and expensive events. The vibe is casual, BYOB keeps it super affordable and fun, and there are great food truck options along with arts & crafts vendors.
There is also the annual East Central Kansas State BBQ Championship with as many as 70 elite contestants in a sanctioned event. The winner gets an official proclamation from the Governor, bragging rights, and $1500 grand prize!
Of course, the focus of the event is the musix. For the last couple years, Paola Roots Fest has focused on KC-area musicians. That focus was initially to reduce expenses, and it has turned into a fantastic decision to highlight KCBS artists, and music quality is as good or better than ever. Kansas City is truly blessed to have the blues and roots artists we sometimes take for granted.
KC country/roots favorite Outlaw Jim & The Whiskey Benders kicked off Friday night, followed by a high-energy performance by PopSkull Rebels. Next, Nick Schnebelen brought a full band, including keyboards, and put on a stellar show that would have held up on any stage in the world.
Nick’s bassist and fellow vocalist O’Shaya Adams sang a beautiful lead, and supported Nick with great backup vocals and harmonies throughout the performance. T.J. Erhardt from the Nace Brothers had the keys, and I failed to get who the drummer was, but he sure kept the beat and it was a 5-star performance for all.
Closing Friday was Bywater Call, the first non-KC band of the night, and it was their first time at Paola. A powerhouse seven-piece Southern soul, roots rock outfit from Toronto, Canada; the band is comprised of Meghan Parnell (vocals), Dave Barnes (guitar), Bruce McCarthy (drums), Mike Meusel (bass), newest member, Andrew Moljgun (keys), Stephen Dyte (trumpet) and Julian Nalli (tenor sax). It was a wall of sound from the first song thru the last. Meghan Parnell did a great job of singing and then letting each artist really show off on their instrument.
Saturday had more acts than Friday, and more non-KC acts. The two Kansas City-related acts were Dustin Arbuckle and The Damnations with Brandon Hudspeth on guitar, and Stranded in the City. Both bands did their usual awesome show with originals and new covers. Dustin and The Damnations presented material from their just-released album.
The last three acts on Saturday were Johnny Mullenax out of Tulsa, Albert Cummings, and Taylor Hunnicutt. Johnny claims his band offers a mix of country, rock, bluegrass, blues, and jazz, and I can’t argue one bit. They were high-energy, fantastic musicians, and definitely crowd-pleasers.
By 7:30 when Albert Cummings came on, the crowd was fully prepped and the Paola Park Square was full, including the dance floor in front of the massive stage. Everyone seemed to love the show!
It’s important to note that I had already seen familiar favorites Nick, Brandon, Dustin, and new-to me Johnny Mullenax, each of which would be a hard act to follow, and then throw in Outlaw Jim and The Whiskey Benders, and Bywater Call, and it was gonna take some doing to raise the bar even higher.
And all that said, regardless of my preferences, Taylor Hunnicutt was the crowd favorite as she closed Saturday and had as many as 100 people SRO at the stage, and it was clear a lot of people came for her. Billed as a cross of Alabama “country storytelling, rock ‘n’ roll rebellion, and guitar-driven grit,” Taylor lived up to the claim, and KCBS Board-member-spouse Greg Lunnon and I stayed ‘til the end, even if it wasn’t the hard-drivin’ blues we both prefer.
All in all, Paola 2026 was another huge win for Paola and KCBS. The Board was well-represented with Dutch, Dennis, Betty, Donna, Willy, Craig, Larry, Dave, and Cory all making an appearance and most of us there start to finish. Our merch tables were better than ever, and we sold over 25 cruise raffle tickets! Dutch and Dennis did a great job leading the effort, and everyone pitched in to make it a great experience.
If you’ve never been, put August 27-28, 2027 on your calendar.
If you’ve been before but missed 2026, rest assured that this is a worthy festival close to home, so save the date now.
And if you were there and came by to say hi, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
Finally, long-time organizer Lee Mott is a gracious and powerful supporter of the KC Blues Society, so if you know Lee, throw him a thank you for letting KCBS fully represent Kansas City, our members, and our musicians.